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What to do for Puffy Eyes

Dhanya Joy
Puffy eyes is a common condition experienced after waking up from a deep sleep. It is characterized by swelling around the eyes and can cause some amount of discomfort. Here's how you can treat this condition.
I'm sure most of us, at some point, would have woken up with swollen eyelids, that make you look old, tired, and highly deprived of sleep. It could have been an important day, when looking your best was extremely essential, but puffy eyelids ruined it all. Dark circles under the eyes and puffy eyes are two major concerns for many.
Especially for those people for whom looking good and presentable on a daily basis is essential. Eye bags may, at times, be a mere beauty problem, but many times it indicates a serious underlying health condition as well. It can be caused due to various factors, so determining the actual cause is very essential in order to get rid of puffy eyes.

Causes and Symptoms

Puffy eyes caused due to crying is commonly experienced by many. They can also be caused due to various other reasons such as lack of sufficient sleep, excessive fluid retention or edema, stress, consumption of certain types of medication, allergies, hormonal changes, consumption of alcohol, excessive intake of salt, etc.
Other puffy eyes causes include medical conditions like eyelid dermatitis, high blood pressure, thyroid related problems, kidney infections, chalazions, blepharitis, and orbital cellulitis.
The symptoms of this discomfort include swelling of the upper eyelid, lower eyelid, or both, redness, itching, watering, and being unable to open or shut the eyes. Excessive fluid retention in the tissues (orbits) around the eyes is what causes temporary eye puffiness.

Natural Remedies

Once you have determined the cause of puffy eyes, curing it can be easy. If it is caused due to a medical condition, curing the condition causing it is the recommended treatment. For temporary eye puffiness, you can try curing it using various home remedies.
  • The most commonly used and well-known home remedy is to place cold cucumber slices on the eyelids for 15 to 20 minutes. This helps reduce the swelling around the eyes due to the cooling and soothing effect of the cucumber slices. You can also make use of refrigerated tea bags instead of cucumber slices.
  • Splashing ice-cold water on your eyelids will also help get rid of temporary puffiness.
  • Refrigerating eye creams, and applying them can help reduce the swelling as well.
  • Mix some aloe vera juice with vitamin E oil and apply it under the eyes on a regular basis. Using this can significantly reduce eye bags.
  • Another good home remedy is to soak cotton wool in ice-cold water or ice-cold milk and place it on the eyelids for 10 minutes.
  • Apply a mixture of two drops of witch hazel added to well beaten egg whites on the puffy eyelids and rinse off after a few minutes. This tightens the skin under the eyes and reduces eye puffiness.
  • Cool a rounded metal spoon in the refrigerator and place it on your eyelids.
Other simple remedies for curing and preventing puffiness include getting adequate rest and sleep, avoiding the intake of salty food, alcoholic, and carbonated drinks, and adequate intake of water. If you are prone to puffy eyes in the morning, try sleeping with your head in an elevated position. Remove all your eye makeup and wash your face well before you go to bed.
Now that you know the ways to treat puffy eyes, do not have to worry if you wake one day with swollen eyelids. If the eye puffiness persists for more than four to five days, you should seek medical assistance and get it treated appropriately.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this story is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.