Your eyes can tell you a lot about your internal health.

You probably need to focus on sleep quality.

You might be dealing with dehydration or loss of collagen.

Jamie Schneider

And what about puffiness?

Well, there could be multiple factors at play, some of which aren’texactlyin your control.

Lying flat can also cause puffy eyes, he says, thanks to gravity.

woman touching under eye cirlces

That way, gravity pulls the fluid downward, away from the eye area.

That leads to puffy eyes," says Mikailov.

And again, hastily wiping those tears away can irritate the orbs and make them puffy.

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It alsotriggers inflammation2, which is another major culprit of puffiness.

That’s why experts recommend cutting back on salty foods if the puffiness bothers you.

Aging

Alas, sometimes puffy eyes are simply a natural part of aging.

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If you have any lingering concerns, you might as well give your doctor a ring.

Genetics

Some people are genetically predisposed to puffy eye bagssimple as that.

How to get rid of puffiness

Hoping to dial down the swelling, stat?

Take it from integrative medicine physicianBindiya Gandhi, M.D.

Feel free to get creative!

“It works by manually moving the fluid toward your lymph nodes and improving circulation.”

“It’s easy to do,” she says.

“Using a gentle but firm pressure, mimic a ‘J’ motion across your face.”

She also likes to gently pinch the tops and bottoms of her eyebrows while sweeping to further increase circulation.

Then use a de-puffing skin care tool (ice globes, jade rollers, vibrating T-bars, etc.

), to flush out excess fluid.

The cherry on top?

“For added cooling and de-puffing, I always leave my under-eye masks in the fridge!”

says board-certified dermatologistKim Nichols, M.D., founder ofNicholsMD of Greenwich.

“The coolness of the mask helps to instantly de-puff the under-eye area.

DIY methods

No under-eye patches?

No problem: Plenty of kitchen ingredients make a fabulous impromptu eye mask.

For swollen eye bags in particular, look for an eye cream with caffeine.

So see to it your cream is chock-full of moisturizing players.These pickswill have you looking refreshed in no time.

As board-certified dermatologistMona Gohara, M.D., once told us about genetic bags.

“The only way to get rid of them is to remove the pads surgically.”

), but experts generally recommend drinking half of your weight in ounces.

So if you routinely wake up with puffy under-eyes, you might want to try increasing your intake.

But certain lifestyle factors can accelerate collagen declinelike UV damage.

FAQ

Can dehydration cause puffy eyes?

“Dehydration may cause puffy eyes as a result of fluid retention,” says Garshick.

Over time, the excess fluid accumulates, which can lead to puffiness.

Why do eyes swell after sleeping?

“Gravity is the reason for puffy eyes after sleeping,” says Mikailov.

“Facing downward pulls the most fluid toward your eye area.

However, laying flat can also cause puffy eyes.

If you don’t get enough quality sleep, you may experience puffiness as well.

“Lack of sleep leads to increases in certain hormones that cause fluid retention.

How do you get rid of lymphatic fluid under your eyes?