Solutions for Eyes: Puffiness and Dark Circles. What’s a Gal to do?

I’m sure you have all heard that getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night is optimal for your health.   Sleep is our bodies’ way of renewing itself and recuperating from the stress and the daily wear and tear of life.  I honestly try to get my full 7 to 8 hours, heck, and I’d love 9 if I could manage it, but realistically women have many responsibilities that don’t always stop when the lights go off.  Between pets, kids and toys that spontaneously start *bleeping* in the wee hours, we often don’t get what our bodies need. 

I recently received a letter from a busy mother of four even busier children.  Becky writes,

Dear Jen,

I have a question for my friend the beauty blogger….what can I do about these puffy, dark eyes that I have? (Thanks in large part, I am sure to my beautiful new daughter! :)) Do you have any ideas? I am currently using a Bobbi Brown eye moisturizing cream, but it does not seem to be doing the trick. I’d love any ideas.

I completely understand Becky, the one place that really shows the lack of sleep (and our age) are our eyes. 

About the eyes.  I have tried several eye creams in the past year and what I am discovering is that a lighter cream is actually better for puffiness; this is because a heavier cream holds in too much moisture and can increase puffiness.  As a quick home remedy that I would recommend is splashing cold water around your eyes in the morning or using a cold compress or sliced cold cucumber slices for a few minutes as a way to reduce any swelling or puffiness around your eyes.

Dark circles are another issue and many creams claim to reduce them, but be very skeptical of their promises.  According to Paula Begoun (The Cosmetic Cop),

“Dark circles can be caused by several factors, and each one needs to be dealt with in a different way. Dark circles can be caused by sun damage, veins and capillaries that show through skin, irritation, and the natural dark pigment that can occur in this area. They can also be a result of natural shadows that fall within the eye area, making that area appear darker. Plus, dark circles can be a result of dry skin making the area look dull and tired.

If you have allergies, you may want to consider an antihistamine. Although uncommon, food allergies may also be to blame, but this would need to be confirmed by an allergist. City pollution can get to your eyes by the day’s end, too, so you may want to use an air filter in your home or office.”

Notice the four highlighted points of Paula’s statement.  You will want to address pigmentation, shadowing, dry skin issues and possibly even allergies to combat dark undereye circles.   Dark circles are a mult-faceted problem so by addressing each issue you can increase your chances of success.

In the coming days I will discuss some ways to select from the 100’s of eye creams on your drug store and department store shelves, and select one that will perform and make your eyes look their best!

I would love to hear from the rest of you on ways that you treat and disguise dark eye circles and puffiness. As one of my favorite Steve Miller songs plays, “There ain’t no way to hide those lying eyes,” but maybe, just maybe there is a way to diminish your puffiness and the look of dark circles!