Puff Piece

When You Get A Solid Eight Hours Of Sleep And Your Under-eye Areas Are Still Puffy, It Might Be Time To Seek Out A Professional. Courtney Dunlop Uncovers Surprising Reasons For Eye Bagsand New Treatments That Can Help

If eyes are the windows to the soul, then our souls must really need a nap, because dermatologists and plastic surgeons say one of the most common complaints they hear from patients is that their eyes look tired. Typically, this prompts a discussion about under-eye circles, caused by discoloration on the surface or blood vessels visible through thinning skin, but there’s another issue that may be the true problem: saggy or puffy eye bags.

“The skin under the eyes is the thinnest on the body,” explains Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon Sarmela Sunder. “You’re fighting the downward pull of gravity, and the thinner skin loses the battle faster than an area such as the cheek.” It’s also susceptible to everyday agers like sun damage, which can, over time, cause the skin to droop or protrude, creating a semicircular line of demarcation between the cheek and the under-eye. “At one point in everyone’s life, it becomes an issue,” continues Sunder. “For some, it shows up as early as their 20s,” usually because of a genetic predisposition. The thing is, not all eye bags are created equally, so they often require different plans of action, depending on their cause. Read on to find yours and send those bags packing for good.

CAUSE: Fluid Buildup