Lose the Baggage

by Shannon Larsen — April 4, 2008

Ah, the eyes: The one part of the body where people look to detect lies, love, and sadness. One of the most beautiful human features can also be one of the most troubling as we age. While acupressure, creams, and exercises can firm up crow's feet and wrinkles on the edges of our eyes, that fluid-filled bag directly underneath them is the most delicate skin on your body and cannot be treated the same way.

What causes this bag to swell, puff, and betray us by becoming dark and unsightly? For the unluckier ones, it may be something your grandmother handed down to you and something you will hand down to your grandkids. For a lot of us, however, it's a matter of diet, lack of sleep, and allergens. As contrary as it might seem, puffy eyes are often an indicator of severe dehydration and a diet too high in salt, both of which cause fluid retention in that area. Uncharacteristic dark circles could mean an iron deficiency, and if you're feeling weak and tired in conjunction, chances are you need to increase your meat intake. As for sleep, you can enhance your eye-soothing time by using a lavender eye pillow to reduce morning eyes. If your peepers are really swollen, a moistened black tea bag over the eyes will shrink swollen tissue and constrict dilated blood vessels.

There is also a chamomile-elder flower concoction being used in high-end day salons for a pretty penny that you can do at home: Pour two cups of boiling water over one tablespoon of dried chamomile flowers and one tablespoon of dried elder flowers. Cover and steep until cool, and then chill in refrigerator. Soak two clean cosmetic pads in the herbal solution and place over the eyelids for ten minutes, and then check yourself out to notice how refreshed and young you look in the mirror!

If all else fails and you still have puffy eyes, it might be time to pull out a copy of Steel Magnolias and have yourself a good cry. Sometimes it's just what you need to relieve the tension and fluid build up.