Why do you have eye bags?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi Bich Nhi - Ophthalmologist - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
Most of us have experienced a slight shock when we look at our face in the mirror in the morning and wake up to find that our eyes are swollen, painful or even dark. However, puffiness under the eyes is extremely normal and can be caused by a variety of causes - from environmental factors to underlying health problems. Knowing the causes of puffy eyes below and how to fix them will help you wake up confident with yourself.

1. Excessive use of heaters

Use a heater in winter to keep room temperature warm, providing a good night's sleep. However, this simple thing can cause dry eyes and make them more sensitive than usual.
The reason is because the heat from the machine will dehydrate the mucous membrane in the eye, causing it to thicken in response and will become more inflamed, causing swelling and pain.

2. You have a prolonged lack of sleep

A poor night's sleep can lead to puffiness around the lower eyelid area this morning.
This gets worse when you're stressed. It is stress, anxiety, depression that will cause changes to the salt and water balance in the body. At this point, your eyes can become watery and as a result swell.

3. Manifestations of an allergic condition

Seasonal allergies can cause swelling in the eye area.
When your body is faced with an allergy caused by antigens from the outside environment, the cells involved in the immune response will release histamine, which dilates blood vessels and increases vascular permeability. This can sometimes lead to inflammation of the eye area, which can be accompanied by red, itchy skin areas.

4. Response to female hormones during the menstrual cycle

In women, on the days leading up to menstruation, soft tissues in the body such as breasts, buttocks, abdomen, thighs ... tend to retain water, looking like they have gained weight significantly. Puffy eyes are no exception.
However, the condition will quickly improve after the period stops and the puffiness will also return to the previous normal.

5. High-salt diet

Too much salt in your diet can cause your eyes to become puffy.
This happens not only in the eyes but also in the soft tissues of the body. The reason is because excess sodium concentration can lead to increased water retention to ensure osmotic pressure in the homeostasis. Therefore, when you find that your eyes are swollen and painful, just cut back on your daily salt intake, limit prepackaged, frozen and canned foods, you can see some improvement in puffiness.

6. Due to drinking too much alcohol

Your eyes, especially the loose tissue structures inside your eyelids, are extremely vulnerable.
Even small changes in your diet, like dehydration from drinking too much alcohol, can lead to puffiness around the eye area.

7. Monitor thyroid disease

Not only affected by external environmental factors, puffiness can also be a symptom of thyroid disease. Accordingly, puffiness tends to be larger if thyroid hormone levels are excessively high in the eyes. So, if you find your puffiness is increasing, don't hesitate to get a thyroid function test done.

8. How to prevent puffiness?

Obviously, once you have identified the cause of the ugly puffiness under your eyes, a persistent adjustment of your daily habits, lifestyle, and diet will solve this problem. Easily.
However, if you need to quickly improve your appearance, immediately apply the following measures to help reduce puffiness.
Drink lots of water: When your body is dehydrated, the eye area will desperately try to hold on to water, making the bags under the eyes more prone to swelling. Therefore, drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day can also help flush out toxins, which helps to keep your eye area clean. Use chilled cucumbers and potatoes: The enzymes present in cucumbers will help reduce inflammation and tighten the skin around the eyes. Indeed, just cut melon into slices and put it on your eyes for 15 minutes, you will see amazing results. Likewise, the starch present in potatoes also has anti-inflammatory properties. You just need to crush the potato into crumbs, cover it with a small cloth and place it on your eyes for a few minutes to see the effect. Reuse filtered tea bags: Tea bags can help soothe irritated and puffy eyes because they contain anti-irritant properties. Through it, your eyes can reduce swelling as well as reduce some redness and irritation. Simply place two used tea bags in the fridge for half an hour and then place them on your eyelids for 15 minutes, puffiness will be greatly improved. Use two cold spoons: If you absolutely do not have the above items in your home, do not worry when two spoons also become effective to remove puffiness. Put two metal spoons in the refrigerator, then apply them to the entire eye socket until the spoon is warm. Repeated over and over again, you'll find that this simple home remedy helps tighten the skin around your eyes and relaxes blood vessels, helping to reduce eye strain and puffiness. With the above practical information, you will see that puffiness is no longer a real scary thing. With daily lifestyle adjustments, and simple operations to help remove puffiness quickly, you will feel more in love with yourself with the joy of looking at your beautiful eyes in the mirror every morning. get up.
Doctor CKI Nguyen Thi Bich Nhi has nearly 10 years of experience in the eye field. Treatment of medical eye diseases as well as eye surgery such as: pterygium, entropion, milia, glaucoma and cataract surgery by Phaco method. Besides, it also treats diabetic retinopathy by intraocular Anti-VEGF injection and ophthalmic surgery. Currently, the doctor is an Eye Doctor in the Department of Medical Examination - Internal Medicine, Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
Articles refer to sources: healthline.com, verywellhealth.com, health.clevelandclinic.org
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