Get Rid of Dark Circles and Puffy Eyes

Between jobs, late nights and heavy partying, our lifestyles can certainly take a major toll on our bodies, not to mention our under-eye areas.

So how do you recover from looking like a punched panda bear? Try these tips for brightening your baby blues or bodacious browns:

Solutions for Under-Eye Circles and Bags

Get enough sleep. Sound sleeping is an inexpensive, easy way to help minimize dark under-eye circles, no matter what the cause. Sleep not only helps keep eyes bright. It also aids your body in repairing cell damage to your skin.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Though they may perk you up in the short term, caffeine and alcohol don't do the same for your skin. They can cause mild dehydration, making dark circles more obvious.
Go a shade lighter in your concealer. A concealer one shade lighter than your skin tone can help disguise under-eye circles. A concealer with an SPF of 15 or higher provides double benefits. If your skin tends to be oily or acne-prone, use an oil-free concealer.

More extreme methods include:
Consider skin lighteners or bleaching agents. If the dark circles under your eyes are due to too much melanin, creams containing lightening agents such as retinol, hydroquinone, kojic acid, green tea, vitamin C, or soy can be helpful, according to California dermatologist Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD. To help skin-lightening products work their best, avoid the sun and use sunscreen daily. Badreshia-Bansal suggests a sunscreen with zinc and a sun-protection factor (SPF) of 30.
Check out injectable fillers. A dermatologist may administer these if your dark eye circles are due broken blood vessels, says Badreshia-Bansal. Fillers can also help if fat loss is the cause of bags under the eyes.
Look into lasertreatments and vitamin K. Laser treatmentsmay reduce the look of dark circles due to broken blood vessels. Skin care products containing vitamin K can also help.

Solutions to Prevent Eye Puffiness

Sleep. It's as important to preventing puffy eyes as it is to diminishing dark circles. Start by getting at least eight hours of good sleep a night.
Drink. Staying well-hydrated can help prevent puffy eyes, says Chicago dermatologist Carolyn Jacob, MD. Drinking plenty of healthy liquids, especially water, helps keep overall skin tone firm and full looking.
Cut back on salt. Retaining body fluid can cause puffy, doughy looking skin. Reducing salt intake helps reduce the tendency to retain excess water. An easy way to cut back on salt? Reduce the processed foods in your diet.
Use cool compresses. Florida dermatologist Andrea Cambio, MD, advocates the de-puffing power of chilled, moist green tea bags. Elizabeth L. Tanzi, MD, a Washington, DC dermatologist, suggests gently placing cool cucumber slices or a bag of frozen peas or carrots on the eyes for 10 to 15 minutes. A gel eye-mask will also do the trick.
Learn to accept the look of your eyes. Some people are just more prone to puffy eyes or dark eye circles, according Brandt. As we grow older, skin naturally weakens and becomes less resilient, so puffy eyes or dark circles naturally become more noticeable.

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