Science Of Eye-Bags: The Cause And The Cure

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The most common cause of eye-bags is lack of sleep. Other causes include age, fluid retention, stress, diet, and allergic reactions.

For those people who take particular care of their looks, especially their face, bags under the eyes are a real nightmare. No matter how beautiful your eyes may be, if they are underlined by dark bags, your stunning gaze may be impacted negatively, which would be a tragedy!

Bags under your eyes make one look a bit depressed, like someone who doesn’t get enough rest or sleep, or someone who is endlessly perturbed. We all know that we don’t want bags under our eyes, but have you ever thought about the reason behind this puffiness?


What Are Eye Bags?

‘Eye-bags’ is obviously not the scientific term for this condition; it actually has a much more interesting name: Periorbital puffiness. Basically, this refers to the swelling of the tissues around the eyes. This region is called an orbit. An orbit is the socket in which an eye sits. For this reason, the swelling in the tissues of that area is what we call eye bags (or “puffy eyes” or swelling around the eyes).

eye bags
Credits: sruilk/Shutterstock

Also Read: Why Does Crying Make Your Eyes Puffy?

Causes Of Eye Bags

Although there are a number of factors that are considered to be potential causes of eye bags, let’s have a look at some of the most common. The most common cause which is associated to eye-bags is lack of enough sleep. This is probably because if one sleeps significantly less in a given day, then the next day there will be visible puffiness around one’s eyes. This is why many people directly associate eye bags with a lack of sleep.

Remember one of those nights when you said NO to sleep because you had failed to prepare for an exam the next day and walked to school with swollen eyes?

It’s interesting to note that not only can a lack of sleep cause eye bags, but also oversleeping, so if you want to keep your eyes looking fresh and attractive, get your rest!

Another factor that causes eye bags is age. This is because as a person ages, the skin around the eyes becomes thinner and weaker. This leads to swelling or drooping of the skin, which appear as eye bags. Interestingly enough, gravity is considered the villain here, as gravity pulls everything downwards, including one’s skin (which is the largest organ of the human body). Therefore, as one ages (which also means that they continue to live under the effect of the force of gravity), the skin keeps on drooping, resulting in eye bags. Sadly we can’t do anything about aging. At least, not yet!

Fluid retention in the area around the eyes during pregnancy or menstruation can also cause a puffing of the skin around the eyes.

You can’t forget your diet, which is one of the most common causes of many issues in the human body. Excessive consumption of salt (or salty foods/drinks) also encourages the retention of fluids in the area around the eyes. Large amounts of sodium in processed foods can definitely be blamed for eye bags.

Stress is another cause of eye bags. Excessive use of tobacco and alcohol is bad for you in many ways, but especially if you are looking to get rid of your eye bags. These contain toxic materials that contribute significantly to stress and depression, fatigue, and the retention of fluids.

stressed girl
Credits: Iakov Filimonov/Shutterstock

Allergic reactions to certain things may lead to leaks in the subcutaneous capillary beds, which results in eye bags. There are so many different causes of eye bags; is there any solution?

Also Read: What Causes Our “Just Woke Up” Face?

How To Get Rid Of Them?

Eye bags don’t usually cause a person pain, and fortunately, they can be taken care of by making some simple yet effective changes in one’s lifestyle and dietary habits. For one, you should consider cutting down on the consumption of salty foods, alcohol and tobacco. Low-carbohydrate diets are also very helpful. Smoking is a strict NO if you want to deal eliminate eye bags. Furthermore, consider getting more exercise, as this can get rid of excessive salt in the body through sweating. It comes as no surprise that regular gym-goers are at a significantly lower risk of having eye bags. While sleeping, make sure that your head is properly elevated from the rest of your body. A cold compress near the eyes may also be favorable as a short-term solution, as coldness constricts the blood vessels, which prevents the flow of liquid in those tissues.

Finally, like any other medical disorder, staying happy and cheerful is the best way to naturally get rid of eye bags.

Stay as far away from stress and depression as possible. That way, you can quickly eliminate eye bags and bring back your beautiful appearance.

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References (click to expand)
  1. Periorbital puffiness - Wikipedia. Wikipedia
  2. Periorbital and Orbital Cellulitis Summary - peds.stanford.edu:80
  3. Slideshow Banish the Bags Under Your Eyes - WebMD. WebMD
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About the Author

Ashish is a Science graduate (Bachelor of Science) from Punjabi University (India). He spearheads the content and editorial wing of ScienceABC and manages its official Youtube channel. He’s a Harry Potter fan and tries, in vain, to use spells and charms (Accio! [insert object name]) in real life to get things done. He totally gets why JRR Tolkien would create, from scratch, a language spoken by elves, and tries to bring the same passion in everything he does. A big admirer of Richard Feynman and Nikola Tesla, he obsesses over how thoroughly science dictates every aspect of life… in this universe, at least.

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