3 Things You Didn’t Know about Under-Eye Circles & Bags

By now, certain beauty “secrets� are really well-known truths. But every day, researchers are discovering new information about hair, skin, and nail care. Case in point: those pesky under-eye circles and bags that every woman hates have more causes – and more cures – than have previously been known.

For starters, dark circles beneath the eyes can be genetic. People of Southeast Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern descent tend to have higher concentrations of skin pigment under their eyes…which means that tea bags and cucumbers won’t do a thing to help these kinds of bags. Gentle lightening creams and treatments can reduce this hyper pigmentation, though, and a good foundation or tinted moisturizer can also help cover the problem.

On the other hand, most women of other ethnicities suffer from under-eye problems brought on by lack of sleep and exhaustion. Whether or not you have them, you’ve probably noticed that dark under-eye circles look quite a lot like bruises. This is because, while we sleep, muscles of the eyes and cheeks get a chance to rest, flushing harmful fluids like lactic acid (the key ingredient in tiredness) and oxygen-starved blood from the tissue. When these muscles are stimulated for too long without rest – just think how many times you’ve blinked while reading this – they grow puffy and discolored. In short, it’s swelling.

Under-eye swelling and bags can age you overnight

So what can you do? For starters, get more sleep! But if your schedule is simply too hectic for the time being, try massage or gravity.

Gently massaging your eye area in a downward, circular motion manually moves the fluids out of the sore muscles, much like a body massage does for your legs, back, and arms. Try using a cold compress, ice cube, or stimulating cream to help speed up the process; there are now many products on the market that contain small amounts caffeine, which helps zap swelling, or use a massaging roller ball to help push the fluids out.

You can also use gravity to pull the bags and circles away. Try sleeping on a thicker or slightly raised pillow. This will allow for better drainage and possibly prevent dark under-eye circles and bags before they even begin!

Take care of yourselves,

PerfectLocks