How to Help Your Puffy Eyes

How to Help Your Puffy Eyes

Even when you have flawless skin, free of acne and blemishes, waking up to dark, puffy circles under your eyes can make your picture-perfect facial complexion far from ideal. Unless you've been up all night crying, you may need to do a little detective work to uncover the source of your under-eye angst.

What could be the cause of your puffy eyes and dark circles? Let's start with the basics:

Lack of sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. How much sleep are you getting? And do you notice a correlation between your lack of sleep and the appearance of your eyes? Try catching more z's. Remember to stop drinking beverages or drinking foods that may have caffeine in them after noon to help you in your quest for more rest and better eye health.

Allergies. Do those gorgeous flowers blooming in your neighborhood cause you to sneeze and make your eyes water? Seasonal allergies are notorious for wrecking havoc on your eyes. Certain food ingredients, like gluten, salt, and starch, also can cause an increase in eye puffiness. If you think a certain food ingredient or environmental allergies could be the culprit behind your dark circles and puffy eyes, talk to your allergist for possible solutions.

Underlying health issues. Along with sleep issues and allergies, darkness under your eyes and skin puffiness can sometimes be caused by something off balance in your body. It could be as simple as a deficiency of vitamin B12 or iron. If you've ruled out sleep issues and allergies as possible sources, talk with your doctor.

Genetics. Yes, heredity plays a part in eye health. It may just be your lot in life to have dark circles and puffy eyes.

While you're super sleuthing the mystery of your puffy eyes and those dark circles, you'll be ready for an alchemic wonder to help your face look refreshed. What can you do to make those eyes look better?

Hydrate. Your body needs water, period. Help your skin stay moist and supple by drinking water throughout the day.

Use eye products that target puffiness and dark circles. The buzz in the beauty world points to caffeine as the new magic ingredient that appears help reduce the swelling under eyes and improve the color of dark circles. Look for serums, creams, and roll-on eye products that have caffeine in them. And make sure to know what you're skin is allergic to as well; if you're allergic to ragweed, you don't want to use a natural product that includes chamomile extract, for example.

Use makeup to conceal tired-looking eyes. A dab of concealer, a little eyeliner, and a swish of mascara can make your eyes pop in minutes.

What's your tried and true trick to battle dark circles and puffiness under your eyes?