Here’s How To Actually Get Rid Of Under Eye Bags

Whether they appear in the mornings or have taken up permanent residence on your face, under eye bags can certainly be one puffy pain in the butt.

Not to be confused with dark circles (though often they work as an evil duo), we’re specifically talking about the under eye bags that seem to worsen when one is tired, worn out or just had a big ol’ cry.

Of course, there are many causes of under eye bags and knowing which ones contribute to making yours more prominent could be the ticket to finding a solution…

What causes under eye bags?

To start, there are many lifestyle factors that can cause under eye puffiness, such as allergies, lack of sleep, alcohol and smoking. Even the position you sleep in and the fact you had ramen for dinner can create fluid retention (ahhh thank you, salt).

A dehydrated eye area can also cause the skin around the eye too look sunken and saggy, creating a droopy-kinda of bag rather than a puffy one.

This kind of under eye bag is also thanks to natural ageing, as the skin experiences a loss in fat padding and collagen as we get older.

And if you needed another reason to thoroughly remove your makeup every night, eye bags can also be cause by leftover mascara and eyeliner, which irritate through the night to cause swelling by morning. Yikes.

How to get rid of under eye bags

Whether or not you can get rid of your under eye bags will completely depend on the cause and type of under eye bags you have. Below are some options for effective at-home and professional treatments.

At-home and product solutions

#1 Soothe with a cold compress

If you predominantly experience under eye bags in the morning, a cold compress may work wonders for you. For an easy DIY method, try putting spoons in your fridge overnight and then hold them gently against the area for a few minutes in the morning. The cold will help to decrease inflammation and soothe the eye area.

#2 Drain fluid via massage

To help disperse any fluid retention, try incorporating some massage movements into your skin care routine. Because it’s such a delicate area, light tapping motions work best around the eyes to avoid tugging and dragging. Try tapping in circular motions with your index and middle fingers, starting along your brow bone heading outwards and then returning underneath your eyes to the inner corners. If you wish to combine the idea of a cold compress and massage, you could also complete this motion 3-4 times using an ice cube to glide across the skin – it’s what Margot Robbie’s makeup artist does!

#3 Try under eye masks

To fight dehydration and de-puff at the same time (ideal for under eye bags that are also a little crepey), under eye masks will work some pretty fast magic pre-makeup application. The best ingredients to look for when it comes to tackling eye bags is retinol, caffeine and vitamin C. The more antioxidant-rich a formula is the better it’ll protect you throughout the day, too.  We love keeping ours in the fridge to combine the benefits of a cold compress and usually pop them on while we make a coffee and get dressed for the day – easy!

bh recommends:

1. Garnier Hydra Bomb Eye Tissue Mask – Orange Juice and Hyaluronic Acid
2. Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C™ Power Brightening Hydra-Gel Eye Patches ($101, sephora.com.au)  *FYI there’s 30 pairs in a pot.
3. Spascriptions Hydrogel Under Eye Mask – Cucumber

#4 Choose the right eye cream

The same goes for the ingredients to look for in a puffiness-reducing eye cream; if they don’t contain any actives, they’re not going to do much. Try finding ones that combine the heavy-hitters (retinol, caffeine and antioxidants) with soothers like aloe vera and plumping hydrators like hyaluronic acid or squalane. 

bh recommends:

1. Novellus Advanced Eye Cream
2. Nu Skin® Intensive Eye Complex
3. Dr. LeWinn’s Eternal Youth Day & Night Eye Cream
4. Lancôme Advanced Génifique Yeux Light-Pearl Eye Illuminator Youth Activating Concentrate

Professional treatments and eye bag surgery

If you’ve tried many methods similar to those above and to no avail, there are procedures that can help with under eye bags too.

Laser resurfacing

If you’re after a no-needles and no-surgery option, laser resurfacing is one to look into. Dubbed as a ‘non-surgical eye lift’, the heat from the laser is said to stimulate the production of new collagen in the dermis. This helps to not only soften the appearance of lines, but tighten the skin and lift the dropped contours that can appear as eye bags.

Botox

Botox can work for some types of eye bags, but it will depend on the cause. As Botox works by stopping the muscles from contracting, placement would need to be strategic and most likely with little Botox actually used. It’s highly recommended to seek professional advice when considering Botox for under the eyes.

Filler

If your under eye bags appear more hollow due to volume loss, filler could be a suited soution. Specifically, we’d recommend hyaluronic acid dermal filler to plump and even out the area. This type of filler can be dissolved in the off-chance that you don’t like the results. We also recommend seeking out a certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to guide you and perform your injections. Do your research, read reviews and look at other patient before and afters before proceeding.

Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty is a surgery in which excess skin, muscle and fat is removed from the eye area to tighten and lift the appearance of droopy eyelids and/or under eye bags. It will require a few weeks downtime post-surgery and pureaesthetics.com.au quotes the procedure as starting at $10,000.

Main image credit: Getty

Do you experience eye bags? Have you found any methods successful in treating them?