Puffy Eye Boot Camp

What about bags underneath the eyes?  Puffy, droopy or anything in between.When it comes to under-eye bags, there are three camps you can fall in to:

•     Eyes with fat deposits underneath them.
•     Eyes that are puffy or inflamed underneath.
•     Eyes with saggy skin underneath them.

In order to tell which one you have, simply think back and ask yourself whether your eye bags ever seem to change in appearance; whether it’s with changes in diet, weather, amount of sleep, season (allergies) or whatever else. If the answer is ‘yes, they do’ then it’s likely that your under eye bags (or at least a large proportion of them) are the ‘puffy’ kind.If your under eye bags don’t seem to change, no matter what you try or how much sleep you get, chances are that these are caused by fat deposits underneath the eye.As for the third kind, that should be pretty obvious.

So, what does this all mean? Under-eye puffiness is something a lot of people suffer from in varying degrees and there are lots of courses of treatment. When it comes to the fat-deposit or saggy kind, no topical product is going to be able to fix them completely . However, it is possible to reduce them.  A simple surgical procedure is what it’d take to get rid of them, but don’t go there first.  There are still some options to lessen the appearance of your fatty under-eye bags – even if they’re  persistent and seem untreatable.

For droopy skin underneath your eyes, using collagen-building treatments may help to slightly plump up and smooth out the skin. As for eyes with fat deposits, you can try to get rid of any puffiness that’s making your problem seem worse than it really is.

Changes in lifestyle. This can often make a huge improvement with puffiness underneath the eyes.

• Drink more water. Puffy eyes can be a sign of your body retaining fluid due to your not drinking enough water.
• Lose weight. If you’re generally chubby then you’ll have a fuller face. Try eating healthily and exercising to reduce that bloat, there are some specific exercises you can do for your face – Most notably the Tanaka Facial Massage.  If you do attempt the Tanaka massage, please go easy on the eye area.  A little pressure when doing this technique will go a very long way.  To find out more on the Tanaka, do a search on You Tube.
• Cut down the amount of salt in your diet. Excess sodium will cause bloating that includes facial bloating – try and avoid salty foods wherever you can.
• Cut down on refined sugar and wheat. A puffy face is sometimes called ‘carb face’ which is slightly misleading. It’s true that too many unrefined sugars and white bread can make your body bloat but instead of cutting carbohydrates out of your diet simply switch to whole grains instead.
• Try not to eat carbohydrates after 9pm, old hollywood trick. Basically it allows your body to digest your food before you sleep which should prevent bloating the morning after.
• Include more potassium through your diet. This will help to deflate a bloated face/puffy eyes, top foods include bananas and watermelon (which also contains lots of water so it’s a 2-in-1 when it comes to fighting the bloat/puffiness!).

Dietary supplements are an often forgotten part of this process.  As I have mentioned in a previous post, Omega 3-6-9 is essential for over all health.  It starts with the immune system.  Omega replenishes the body by assisting in  growth of new strong cells.  Those with dark circles need to pay attention to how the body immune system impacts the elasticity and general health of the valvular system and particularly the skin.

Lecithin is a little known supplement derived from Soya beans and is powerful in reducing fat deposits throughout the body including the delicate under eye area.

Lecithin emulsified fat.  Transforming it into water where it is expelled through perspiration and the digestive system.
My recommendation is Lecithin capsules.  1200 mg.  2 capsules a day (to start) will produce results in the elimination of fat.  Please note that Lecithin is also a  diuretic.   It is well known for removing fat deposits in blood vessels and will dramatically reduce “bad” cholesterol throughout the body.

This article is intended to help you make the right choices for you.  Perhaps to help you think in a different way about how your body works and how even the slightest imbalance will first be evident in your under eye area.

The eyes are not only the window to the soul but are a front line indicator of your general health. Remember, everyone has different under eye issues therefore results will vary from person to person regardless of what treatment options you take.