There are several ways to get rid of eye bags and dark circles that can be tried, especially for those of you who are often tired or lack sleep. Although not dangerous, eye bags and dark circles around the eyes can make the appearance not fresh.
Eye bags and dark circles in the eye area, or also known as panda eyes, can appear with age. This happens because aging can cause a decrease in the amount of collagen in the skin around the eyes, so that the eyelids look more sagging.
Some people may feel uncomfortable with the appearance of eye bags accompanied by dark circles underneath. Especially if the complaint has caused the eyes to experience mild swelling.
To overcome this, you need to first know what is causing the appearance of eye bags that you are experiencing.
Some Causes of Eye Bags and Dark Circles Around It
In addition to aging, the appearance of eye bags and dark circles around the eyes can also be caused by the following:
1. Fatigue and lack of sleep
2. Increased amount of melanin in the skin around the eyes, for example due to excessive sunlight exposure
3. Inflammation or hyperpigmentation
4. Accumulation of fluid around the eyes, for example due to hormonal changes or too much salt consumption
5. Stress
How to Get Rid of Eye Bags and Dark Circles
Basically, eye bags and dark circles that appear around the eyes can be eliminated with the following simple treatment steps:
1. Use cold compresses
Eye compresses are known to be effective in reducing puffy eyes and disguising dark circles on the eyes. You can compress the eyes with a clean wipe that has been soaked in cold water or wrapped in ice. Compress the eyes for 10–15 minutes.
In addition to cold water or ice, you can also compress the eyes with a bag of wet green tea, cucumber slices, or a special gel eye mask.
2. Improve sleep patterns
Eye bags and panda eyes can appear if you are sleep deprived or tired. Therefore, try to always get enough sleep for 7-9 hours every night.
Certain sleeping positions can also address the eye bags you experience. Try to sleep with your head slightly raised. You can use extra pillows to support your head. This method is known to prevent the buildup of fluid around the eyes while you sleep.
3. Avoid alcoholic and caffeinated beverages
Alcoholic and caffeinated beverages are known to cause mild dehydration, disrupt sleep hours, and make eye bags and surrounding dark circles appear more pronounced. Therefore, you need to limit the consumption of alcoholic and caffeinated beverages so that the eye bags can quickly disappear.
4. Adequate body fluid needs
Adequate body fluid needs can also prevent the formation of eye bags. In addition, to avoid fluid retention, you can reduce your intake of processed foods that contain a lot of salt.
5. Meet the body’s potassium intake
Meeting potassium intake can also reduce the risk of eye bags. There are several food sources that contain potassium, including bananas, nuts, yogurt, and green vegetables.
6. Use a special eye cream
Eye creams containing chamomile, cucumber, or arnica can also be used to reduce inflammation and tighten the skin. In addition, eye creams with vitamin C, vitamin K, or vitamin E content can also eliminate eye bags.
7. Use sunscreen
Avoid sun exposure and use sunscreen daily with SPF 30. Using a concealer that has a lighter color than your skin color, can also help disguise dark circles under the eyes.
You are advised to use a concealer with SPF 15 or more. If your skin tends to be oily or acne-prone, use an oil-free concealer.
Other Treatments Based on the Cause of Eye Bags
In addition to the simple ways above, you can also consult a doctor if the eye bags you are experiencing are very annoying or have not disappeared.
To disguise or remove eye bags, your doctor may provide some of the following treatments:
1. Allergy medicine
If the appearance of eye bags and dark circles is caused by allergies, you can avoid the cause of allergies and take allergy medicine. Doctors will usually prescribe antihistamines to relieve the symptoms of allergies that appear.
2. Whitening cream
The use of whitening creams can be a solution if eye bags and dark circles are caused by hyperpigmentation or increased melanin (the skin’s natural pigment).
Usually, doctors will prescribe creams that contain skin lightening substances such as retinoids or retinol, hydroquinone, kojic acid, green tea, vitamin C, or soy extract.
3. Dermal filler
Eye bags due to aging and sagging skin tissue can be treated with dermal filler. However, how to remove these eye bags can only be done by a dermatologist or esthetician.
4. Laser therapy
To remove eye bags and dark circles around them, doctors can also perform laser therapy around the eyes. However, this therapy usually only shows results after several actions.
Laser therapy is generally only recommended if other methods have not been successful in removing the eye bags.
Eyelid Surgery to Eliminate Eye Bag Problems
If all efforts have been made but the eye bag problem worsens to the point of swelling, you may consider having eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty.
In addition to removing eye bags, blepharoplasty can also repair swollen eyelids and reduce excess skin of the upper and lower eyelids that can interfere with vision.
However, you need to consult a doctor first before performing this procedure, since eyelid surgery has various risks, such as infection, dry eyes, bleeding in the eyes, changes in the position of the eyelids, and visual disturbances.
Although it is often considered to disrupt the appearance and make the face look not fresh, eye bags and dark circles around it are not a serious medical conditions.
However, you still need to consult a doctor if the eye bags that appear persist, become larger or widened, or are accompanied by other complaints, such as eye irritation and severe swelling of the eyes.