Table of Contents showLet’s start with a piece of good news! In general, bags that form under the eyes are not an indication of a serious health problem.
But, if you are saying that bags under the eyes are harming your appearance, then it is probable that you have already started looking the ways to get rid of them.
There are various cosmetic products in the market that allegedly wipe out puffiness under the eyes.
While some of these products may genuinely help you overcome this aesthetic problem (under-eye bags), others literally are a waste of both time and money.
The second good news is that there are natural ways to get rid of bags under the eyes. These natural methods worked for many and may work for you as well.
In this article, we will discuss 8 natural ways that can help you get rid of bags under the eyes.
However, before diving into these natural methods, let’s look at the main causes of under-eye bags.
Causes of Under-Eye Bags
The first thing we should know about the skin around the eyes is it is thinner than the rest of the skin in your body.
Therefore, this part ( under your eyes) of the skin is relatively more sensitive to internal and external factors.
The first and foremost cause of puffiness under the eyes is indeed ageing. With ageing, it is unavoidable that collagen levels drop, and this decreased collagen sets the stage for sagging in the skin.
Since the tissue around the eyes is rather thin, skin sag is rather noticeable around this area.
Another cause of bags under the eyes is genetic !!
If the tissue around your eyes is weak, fat whose normal function is to support the eyes, can move into the lower eyelids, and cause swollen look under the eyes.
Other factors also cause bags under the eyes.
♠ Fluid retention
♠ Infections
♦ Allergies
♠ Stress
♦ Smoking – Alcohol
8 Natural Ways to Get Rid of Bags Under Eyes
In this section, we are going to explore 8 natural ways to get rid of bags under the eyes. Let’s see how effective these small changes in your lifestyle will be for removing bags under your eyes.
Here are the best natural methods that will help you get rid of bags under your eyes.
1- Take Care of Your Sleep
Admittedly, sleep is one of the most important components of our lives. Therefore, it is normal to encounter some physical changes in the body when we are sleep deprived.
Bags that form under the eyes are one of these changes that happen due to sleep deprivation (1).
Bleary eyes, pale skin, and darkness under the eyes are also among the consequences of sleep deprivation.
As poor sleep directly affects the area around the eyes, taking care of your sleep should be the first step to getting rid of bags that form under the eyes.
Please note that oversleeping, too, can bring about bag formation under the eyes. For this reason, make sure you sleep neither more than 9 hours nor less than 7 hours.
7 to 9 hours long a good night’s sleep will minimise the risk of sleep-related bags under the eyes. Simply because a good night’s sleep enables the skin to rejuvenate itself.
What’s more; you can also get rid of bags under your eyes by simply sleeping on your back with an extra pillow. This sleeping position will prevent fluid accumulation under the eyes.
Let’s not forget fluid (water) retention is one of the causes of puffiness under the eyes.
2- Try Tea Bags
At the outset, this technique might appear as a folk remedy, but the efficacy of this method may surprise you.
The main reason we recommend that tea bags can be effective against under-eye bags is related to scientific studies that show the healing and anti-inflammatory property of teas (2).
While nearly all sorts of natural teas would be effective for soothing the swollen under-eye area, green tea is arguably the best option.
As for the use of tea bags; According to Healthline (3) :
1-Steep two tea bags in hot water for about 5 minutes.
2-Remove and squeeze out extra fluid (be careful, it’s hot!).
3-If you want a cold compress, let the tea bags chill in the fridge for about 10 to 20 minutes. If you want a warm compress, wait about 5 minutes until they are cool to the touch.
4- Apply them to closed eyes for 15 to 30 minutes.
3- Reduce Salt Intake
Now, you might be wondering about a potential association between salt intake and bags under the eyes. Well, it appears there is are positive correlation between salt intake and under-eye bags.
The more you consume salt, the more chance you can encounter under-eye bags.
As mentioned above, fluid retention under the eyes is among the main causes of bags under the eyes.
According to experts: excessive salt consumption cause the body to retain extra sodium that in turn increase the amount of fluid in the body (4).
As a result; some of the increased fluid in the body can accumulate under-eye area thus causing puffiness around the area (5).
In order to avoid possible confusion about daily salt consumption: According to the National Health Service, adults should consume a maximum of 1 teaspoon of salt a day (6).
The conclusion is that too much salt can contribute to the formation of bags under the eyes. If you consume more than recommend, consider reducing your salt intake to better tackle bags under the eyes.
4- Drink Enough Water
Without any doubt, water is the most important nutrient for the body! In its absence, we can’t survive too long. And, even with water deficiency, we unavoidably face the consequences of not drinking enough water.
Dehydration can take a toll on the skin as the skin is the largest organ in the body. Regarding this, bags and dark circles under the eyes can occur due to insufficient water intake.
Therefore, stay hydrated during the day to get rid of skin problems caused by insufficient water intake such as bags under the eyes.
What is recommended daily water intake?
Experts say: that adult men should drink 8 glasses of water while 6-7 glasses of water are sufficient for adult women (7).
5- Smoking and Alcohol
Adults who smoke and drink alcohol are already aware of the detrimental effects of these habits on their bodies. Therefore, it would be pointless to mention the health effects of smoking and alcohol.
However, these two good friends ( Smoking and alcohol ) might be quite related to our topic ” Bags under eyes”.
Alcohol can bring about puffy eyes by dehydrating the body, especially if drunk at night (8).
As such, if you drink at night and suffer from bags under the eyes, you may want to avoid alcohol intake (particularly at night). In this case, you can combat bags under your eyes more effectively.
As for smoking; smoking as well is rather harmful to skin health. Toxic substances in tobacco products damage the tissue around the eyes thus making the area susceptible to swelling.
What’s more these harmful substance in tobacco products depletes vitamin C stores in the body. As a result, collagen production is impacted negatively as vitamin C is important for collagen production.
To protect skin health quitting smoking is the best option. If quitting is too difficult, start decreasing the number of cigarettes you smoke daily. It may help with combat bags under the eyes.
The conclusion is both smoking and alcohol affect the skin in various ways. Quitting tobacco and limiting alcohol consumption increase the quality of your skin.
6- Focus on Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a significant nutrient not only for the immune system but also for the skin.
The human body cannot produce vitamin C on its own (9). Therefore, it has to be taken through food.
As we mentioned just above, vitamin C is an antioxidant that contributes to collagen production in the body.
Please note that the collagen level depletes with ageing. For this reason, older people have more skin saggings and more visible bags.
Collagen can prevent eyelids and fat from sagging under the eyes.
To support collagen production, in turn, avoid bag formation under the eyes, and consume a sufficient amount of vitamin C-rich foods. Oranges, lemon, tomatoes and broccoli can be good examples of vitamin C-rich foods.
Note: Too much of a good thing is bad. Take vitamin C as your body needs.
7- Apply Cold Compress
This method offers only a temporary solution. However, it is one of the most effective and fast ways to eliminate dark circles and puffiness under the eyes.
For instance; if you have a face-to-face job interview or another important meeting, then you can apply ice under your eyes and get rid of bags within a short time.
All you need is a cold material. It might be a wet cloth, chilled tea bags ( as mentioned above ), sliced cold cucumber, etc.
Just make sure the material is clean and not too frosty before applying it to the under-eye area.
You can apply it for 10 minutes each time twice a day to get the best result.
8- Use Sunscreen
Unprotected sun exposure can cause many serious conditions, the worst is skin cancer.
As such, under-eye bags seems to be the most innocent problem caused by UV rays.
Knowing that unprotected sun exposure brings about puffy eyes can urge you to take precautions.
Experts recommend sunscreen use even on cloudy days against the harmful effects of the sun. In this way, you can minimise skin problems that range from dark spots to bags under the eyes.
Tarkan is an experienced health writer ( currently more than 600 articles ) and also the founder of this website namely www.neededforhealth.com. His expertise in health stems from in-depth medical research and knowledge which he obtained over the course of many years.
Tarkan enjoys sharing factual knowledge on health, psychology and nutrition. He always aims to deliver evidence-based recommendations, provide links to related scientific studies.
