Yes, you read that correctly. "Preparation H is a vasoconstrictor," explained Dr. Sejal Shah, founder of Smarter Skin Dermatology in New York City. "By narrowing the vessels, it helps reduce puffiness.
The skin around your eyes is incredibly thin, sensitive, and delicate, and Hadley says Preparation H can cause irritation and even permanent damage to it—which is why, in fact, the medicine's makers explicitly caution against using it for puffy under-eye bags.
Why does it work? "This hack works because Preparation H contains phenylephrine, which constricts the blood vessels in your under eye area to reduce inflammation, swelling, and puffiness," says New York-based board-certified dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD.
Yes, you read that correctly. "Preparation H is a vasoconstrictor," explained Dr. Sejal Shah, founder of Smarter Skin Dermatology in New York City. "By narrowing the vessels, it helps reduce puffiness.
The phenylephrine that is in current formulations of hemorrhoid creams may temporarily make the area around the eyes appear tighter. But, prolonged use might result in skin that's: thinner. more fragile.
Thankfully, over-the-counter products can help with dark circles and under-eye bags. For example, hyaluronic acid hydrates and plumps the skin, dimethicone locks in moisture and smooths skin, and caffeine constricts blood vessels and can help with inflammation and under-eye bags.
Dermatologist Suneel Chilukuri recommends applying cold cucumbers over the eyes for five minutes. The cucumber juice and the cold temperature act as anti-inflammatory compresses. Dr. Jeanniton adds that chilled green tea bags make a great compress as well.
“Sleep on a couple of pillows to promote drainage [from the under eyes],” said Ciraldo. “Also, try to follow a low-salt diet for a week to see if this improves puffiness, and massage away excess fluid with a roller.”
You may notice puffy eyes as you age or for a number of temporary reasons, such as lack of sleep, poor diet, or seasonal allergies. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits may improve your puffy eyes in just a short time.
Try a Gentle Double Tap or Facial Massage Technique
Tobia says, "Rubbing cream or moisturizer on your eyes can cause it to be puffy. Instead, try lightly tapping the area of your eyes and massaging the pressure points to encourage lymphatic drainage."
Non-surgical and minimal invasive, tear trough fillers are an effective way to tighten skin under the eyes, treat wrinkles, improve the hollowed-out look under the eyes and brighten dark circles. Hyaluronic acid fillers are made of a transparent gel that mimics the natural substance that our bodies produce.
They also typically contain hydrocortisone, an anti-inflammatory which may help reduce puffiness or under eye bags.
Retinol supports the skin's natural renewal process, helping to improve the appearance of dark circles and puffy under eyes. A great eye cream for puffy eyes, No7 Pure Retinol Eye Cream is specifically formulated to be gentle to the eye area.
Bags under eyes are caused when the tissue structures and muscles supporting your eyelids weaken. The skin may start to sag, and fat that's usually around the eye can move into the area below your eyes. Also, the space below your eyes can gather fluid, making the area look puffy or swollen.
Try a Gentle Double Tap or Facial Massage Technique
Rubbing cream or moisturizer on your eyes can cause them to be puffy. Instead, try lightly tapping the area of your eyes and massaging the pressure points to encourage lymphatic drainage. For more significant puffiness, try a gentle facial massage technique.
In most cases under-eye swelling goes away on its own. Whether or not you need treatment depends on the cause. Your doctor may prescribe treatment such as: anti-allergy medication.
Eyelid swelling usually goes away on its own within a day or so. If it doesn't get better in 24 to 48 hours, you should call your primary care physician or see your eye doctor.
The best way to get rid of eyebags long-term is to make certain lifestyle changes. Drinking more water and applying a cold compress can help shrink eye bags quickly, but these are not long-term remedies. This is especially true if your eye bags and dark circles are genetically inherited.
Cold spoons
A cold spoon will help relax the blood vessels around the eyes thus reducing puffiness. All you have to do is put 2 spoons in the fridge for around half an hour, and then place their backs on the affected area for about 10 minutes.