One of the most important products in our monthly skincare/personal shopping list would be – under eye cream. Under eye, creams have become an inevitable skin care product that almost every adult, irrespective of gender or age, uses. In fact, even more, and more adolescents have started using these eye care products to get rid of dark circles, puffy eyes, and eye bags.
Puffy eyes and eye bags have become a predominant issue among both teenagers as well as adults. While it may look like a skin issue on the outlier, there is more than what meets the eye when it comes to these under eye issues. Did you know –Constantly having puffy eyes is, most of the times, a symptom of some kidney-related diseases? Well, our whole body is connected and what affects one organ has a high probability to affect another.
Some of the major causes for puffy eyes and eye bags are
Over intake of cooked protein
Protein-rich foods like chicken, boiled or fried eggs, soy, etc. must not be consumed in excess, especially during dinner. The excessive protein intake will get converted to toxic waste – and sometimes, this will be way more than what your kidneys can process. This strain on the kidneys and livers will directly show on your eyes in form of eye bags. On an average, 3-6 oz of protein is sufficient for a person per day.
Reduced vegetable consumption
In the current scenario where fast fashion and fast food sells off real quick, people tend to eat less or no vegetables. No, your fries and wedges would not be considered as vegetables. Vegetable consumption helps in reducing fluid retention, which is necessary for healthy skin, nails, hair, and eyes.
Alcohol addiction or overuse
While occasional alcohol consumption may not be an issue, frequent alcohol consumption will not only lead to issues in kidneys and livers but will also affect one’s sleep pattern and cause dehydration among other side effects.
Excessive consumption of MSG and Sodium
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is nothing but hidden sodium. Consumption of MSG (present mostly in fast foods) will lead to an imbalance between the potassium-sodium levels in body – thus causing damage to your kidneys and digestive system. This, indirectly, causes puffy eyes and dark circles.
Too much sugar consumption
Another important cause for puffy eyes is excessive sugar intake, in form of soda, sweets, candies, etc. This will not only affect the area around your eyes but will have multi-level issues ranging from diabetics to formation of kidney stones.
Other factors
Apart from these, eye bags and puffy eyes can also be caused by other common causes like hormonal imbalance, excessive stress, change in weather, anxiety, etc.
If you are suffering from constant eye bags and puffy eyes issue, we would recommend you to get a full blood work done with the emphasis on liver and kidney functions.
Here are some simple home remedies, tips, and tricks to get rid of those adamant eye bags:
- You can place cold spoons, cucumber slices, potato slices, or warm tea bags to reduce the puffiness.
- Try to get 6-8 hours of undisturbed sleep every day. Lack of sleep is a major cause of most of the eye-related issues.
- Stay hydrated. While topical remedies work in reducing the puffiness, to prevent it from occurring again, you must work at detoxing your body. Drinking adequate amount of water flushes toxins out of the body easily. You can look at Ayurvedic Panchakarma or naturopathy detox.
- Consume fresh green vegetables regularly. This helps in maintaining sodium-potassium balance and also in reducing water retention – thus resulting in healthy kidneys and in turn stress-free eyes and skin.
- Follow healthy diet regime with adequate protein, vitamin, carbohydrates, and fat. Three full-round meals per day keep one’s skin, hair, and eyes healthy looking.
- Do simple eye exercises and meditation for at least 10 minutes every day.
Do you suffer from puffy eyes and eye bags? What’s your routine to overcome it? Let us know in the comments below.
For dark circle have a look at our article on under eye dark circles.