Puffiness or dark circles under eyes are a dead giveaway of having exhausted skin. Even dressed in our best, if our eyes look beat, chances are we aren’t looking our best, or certainly not feeling our best. When that’s the case, sometimes all the makeup in the world can’t make our eyes look any better. Most of us have heard that cucumber slices will reduce puffiness around our eyes, but if we’re looking for an even better—and more practical—solution, it seems that tea bags might just be the way to go.
Dark circles underneath eyes or swollen-ness can be a result of many things. On the medical website Web MD, dermatologist Valerie Goldburt states, “We have the thinnest skin around our eyes, so it is the area that’s most influenced by the in-and-out flow of fluids.” This means that, often, our actions the night before could be the reason why we wake up with puffy eyes. Goldburt explains, “Water always travels from areas in the body where there’s low salt concentration to tissues where there’s more salt,” which means a salty dinner might actually be the culprit to your puffy eyes.
There are plenty of other reasons why these symptoms happen, and they do vary from person to person. Anything from heredity, age, allergies, or a lot of crying the night before could give our eyes an exhausted appearance. Dermatologist Joshua Zeichner states on website Real Simple that the dark circles under our eyes “result from oxygenated blood pooled beneath the under-eye skin. Skin here is very thin and almost transparent, so blood shows through,” giving our skin a darker look. It seems we all might be the victim of unwelcomed puffy eyes on any given morning, and what we’ll need is an effective remedy that is inexpensive and more practical than cucumber slices blocking our vision!
It’s well-known that there are hundreds of different kinds of teas and many supposed health benefits from drinking tea. Instead of throwing away the tea bags after we steep our tea, however, we should consider using them to treat our puffed-up eyes. It is claimed that placing tea bags—after steeping tea and letting them cool until it is comfortably warm, of course—is a remedy to swollen eyes. According to website How Stuff Works, “Caffeinated teas help constrict blood vessels and reduce swelling, while herbal teas (especially chamomile) contain anti-irritants that soothe redness and inflammation.” Many eye creams contain caffeine because of their ability to improve blood circulation, but the medications can get expensive. Caffeinated tea bags will work just as well, and they also contain tannins, which are organic molecules that “stimulate healthy blood circulation and help tighten and soothe skin,” according to website College Fashion. So enjoy your tea, but save the tea bag! Not only is this at-home-spa-like remedy relaxing, but it may also give our eyes the energized look we are all craving. Better still, it’s putting to use something we would otherwise throw away!
Verdict: Fact. Tea bags indeed seem to be an effective remedy for relieving and soothing eye puffiness. How Stuff Works recommends steeping two tea bags “in hot water for three to five minutes. Let cool until the bags are comfortably warm to the touch. Lie down, close your eyes, and place a tea bag over each eye; then cover with a soft cloth.” Repeat this process daily or as needed and the unwanted puffiness should disappear or lessen.
How do you deal with puffy eyes?
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Puffy eyes are genetic for me! OH lovely. So really, I cannot do much. However there are specific foods that cause increased bags, so I steer clear of those!