Bags or Puffiness Under Your Eyes

This is a very common observation with almost all of us. At some phase in our lives, we may all notice baggy swelling getting developed under our eyes. It can be felt as slightly puffy cushion swellings, which gets heavier as the day progresses.

Most people report that the swellings gravitate throughout the day, worse in the evening times.

Lets sneak into the causes leading to these bags under our eyes.

Natural Or Age Related Cause

In most cases, getting bags under the lower eyelid is a natural part of aging. It’s something as getting wrinkles over the skin. Some people may have a higher tendency of developing it, or may develop it earlier than others. That’s it.

This bagginess would be seen to some extent in almost all of us.

The reason is gradual degeneration of structures supporting our beautiful eyes.

Muscles : Our eyes are beautifully framed and supported by various delicate muscles, which not only enable lid movements or also provide a framework keeping the area taut. As we age up, these muscles may weaken and become loose or lax. This laxity results in their kind of hanging down, affecting the overall look.

Fat Pads : The next is the subcutaneous fat, present all around our eyes in the form of beautiful pads. These fat pads are accurately placed under the lower eye lid and other relevant places, as shown in the figure, acting as a packing material which beautifully shapes up our eyes.

As we age up, these fat pads sag down with gravity, as if hanging under their own weights.

Skin : Next is the skin, which contributes by wrinkling down, as in any other area of the body.

Fluid Retention : Apart from this, there may be some fluid retention in the region. This is may happen due to hormonal changes and organ degeneration that occur as we age up.

So, all theses mechanisms finally lead to bagginess under our eyes, which gradually increases as we age up.

Diseases Linked to Bags Under The Eye

Bagginess may sometimes not be natural, but due to some disease. So, its always better to get yourself evaluated by a doctor to form an exact diagnosis.

Getting Less Sleep

If you’re not sleeping enough or not getting a good sleep at night chronically, you may develop slight puffiness under your eyes. This is just a sign of tiredness and asks for rest.

Such a swelling may start reducing as you give yourself better sleep.

High Salt Intake

More than required salt intake or taking too much of processed food stuff may also cause this condition. This is also a signal that your kidneys are over loaded with their job of removing excess salt.

Dehydration

Not drinking enough of plain water may be bad for your long term health. It would not only give you bags under your eyes, but also start affecting other vital organs of the body.

Kidney Condition

Diseased, inflamed or injured kidney, which is not working optimally may manifest itself as bagginess under the eye. This is an alarming sign of water retention and calls for immediate evaluation.

Allergies

Those who have suffered from any allergic conditions may have noticed redness in their eyes with slight puffiness. Such conditions get better by taking over the counter anti allergens.

Crying

When you cry, your tear glands produce excess of secretions. As they flow down your cheek, they may also get retained under the eyelids, giving a swelled up appearance there.

Blocked tear Ducts

If the duct draining out tears gets blocked due to some debris collection there, tears produced would start getting collected, giving a swelling under the eye. Such swellings are usually painful and need immediate drainage.

Eye Infections

Infections of the eye or eye lids may also give you swellings over the area. Such swelling are not bilateral. They would only appear over the affected eye.

Hypothyroidism

Sub optimally functioning thyroid gland leads to water retention in the body. You may notice puffiness over feet, under eyes and other regions.

Alcoholism / Smoking

People addicted to any of these conditions may be seen with this symptom. This does indicates internal damage, which is surfacing out gradually.

Management

• Get yourself evaluated by a doctor to know why you’re developing this bagginess. Is it just age related, or is there any medical condition that calls for treatment.
• Sleep adequately, if you have these bags. Also drink plenty of water to aid your kidneys clear up the mess.
• You need to restrict on salts only if you think you’re taking excess of them.
• Avoid smoking and abstain form alcohol. It would be better to restrict your caffeine intake as well, as the chemical is dehydrating.
• Gentle cool compress may reduce these swellings to some extent, however, they may re appear the next day.
• Cosmetic surgeries may be performed to tighten the muscles out there and replace the fat pads.