Do you have bags or dark circles under your eyes? That can be quite annoying. Some men suffer from extremely deep and dark pits under the eyes that sometimes make them look ten years older. In addition, you may suffer from swollen bags under your eyes. Not a pretty face in the mirror either. Fortunately, there are plenty of measures you can take. We will of course share it with you!
What are puffiness and dark circles and what is the difference?
The skin under your eyes is thinner than elsewhere on your face. This makes you see signs of stress, aging and damage earlier. In fact, puffiness in men is a mild swelling under your eyes. Not nice, right in your face.
Dark circles are nothing but changes in the pigment in the skin under your eyes. So where bags under the eyes are kind of cute pads, dark circles are simply just dark circles. Two different things that are often confused. But both are equally disturbing. Time to tackle them.
Causes puffiness and dark circles
Fortunately, for both problems, there are a number of things you can do to reduce or even eliminate them altogether. For that it is useful to know what the causes of those tea bags under your eyes can be.
How do dark circles under the eyes arise?
The causes of dark circles under the eyes in men are diverse, but all have to do with the thickness of the skin around your eyes. The skin around your eyes is a lot thinner. Your skin is on average 2 to 3 mm thick all over your body. Under your eyes this is only 0.5 mm (!) The dark color can be genetically determined, but is often due to a lack of moisture. The skin then becomes even thinner and you can see the colors of the blue blood vessels and gray periosteum of your skull through the skin. This creates a dark circle. We can't make it more beautiful than it is. Below are a few provoking factors that can make your dark circles worse or appear:
Fatigue
When you don't sleep enough, the fabric collagen is broken down. This substance keeps the skin firm. If you remove this substance due to too little sleep, dark circles will appear.
stress
When you are stressed, your body produces more cortisol. This is a stress hormone that can seriously disrupt the moisture balance of the skin. A moisture deficiency and thinner skin under the eyes are the result.
You drink too little
When you drink too little water, the skin under your eyes becomes drier and thinner. It is the biggest cause in people with dark circles under their eyes.
Old age
Your skin becomes thinner as you age. The older you get, the more you can see dark circles. As you get older, your body will produce less and less collagen (which we just talked about). So your skin becomes less firm as you get older.
Alcohol
Do you drink a lot of alcohol? We've got some bad news for you. That is not exactly nice for the skin around your eyes. Alcohol has a dehydrating effect, making the skin under the eyes thinner. The skin becomes drier and thinner and will therefore also become darker.
Caffeine
The caffeine substance narrows the blood vessels and also has a dehydrating effect. When you drink a lot of coffee, you can certainly suffer from dark circles.
Rub your eyes
Rub your eyes hard. Oh man, what a wonderful feeling every now and then. But it can also damage the blood vessels under the eyes if you do this often. This makes them more visible and gives you a darker color.
Sitting at the computer a lot
When you look at a screen all day long, the blood vessels around the eyes get a lot of stress. They work harder without getting any rest. Your blood vessels enlarge thanks to cortisol that is released to absorb the tension. But the dark circles are getting so much worse. Do you have an office job? Take a break every hour with your eyes off the screen. Also a nice excuse to tell your boss.
Other causes of dark circles
When your skin under your eyes is darker, this may also have a different cause for some people. You may suffer from hyperpigmentation. The dark circles are then slightly browner in color. This is because more melanin is produced in the skin under your eyes. This can have various causes such as allergies, medicines, a lot of sun and hormonal changes. If you suspect that you are suffering from this, ask your doctor for advice.
What to do about dark circles?
Now you may be wondering 'what helps against dark circles?' Well, now that we know the main causes, here's what we can do to keep the skin under your eyes as healthy as possible:
- Drink enough (min 1.5 liters per day)
- Get enough sleep, about 8 hours a night
- Moderate alcohol, caffeine and smoking
- Don't stare at a screen too much
- Improve your blood circulation by moving
- Relax enough
What is the best remedy for puffiness and dark circles?
Adjusting your lifestyle is of course the most important, but luckily there are also remedies on the market to remedy your bags and dark circles! We have listed our favorites for you.
Baxter of California - Under Eye Complex
The winner of the Men's Health Grooming Award Winner 2016. This eye cream from Baxter of California is specifically targeted to restore the skin under the eyes. The product nourishes the skin with caffeine, seaweed and vitamin E. Although it is not good to drink, caffeine is very good to rub on your skin. It shrinks the blood vessels and gives your skin a boost that makes dark circles disappear. Free from parabens.
Recipe for men - Under Eye Gel
Minimize dark circles and bags under your eyes with this 100% eye gel from Recipe for men . The gel is made with carefully selected herbs, minerals and peptides. These moisturize, firm and soften the skin, reduce dry lines and increase the elasticity of the skin. This gives the eye contour area a rested and refreshed look.
Patrick's - EB1 Eye Balm
This 100% eye balm from Patricks is packed with active ingredients that hydrate and strengthen the skin under the eyes. Prevents skin aging and very easy to use. Free from parabens, sulfates and phthalates.
What causes bags under the eyes in men?
There can be several causes for bags under your eyes. One is simply unlucky with his genes, the other can change a lot by adjusting part of his lifestyle.
Genes and Aging
The puffy bags under the eyes are actually an accumulation of fluid and fat. That combination of moisture and grease is there to protect your eyes. It serves as a kind of cushion. At a wall, there is a curve outward. In some people, the eye socket is smaller, making it actually too small for the pad. That fat under your eye is normally held together by a connective tissue. When you get older, this connective tissue slackens and the accumulation therefore sinks down, leaving you with a wall. You see this more quickly in people with a smaller eye socket. So this is genetically determined.
Sleeping too little or too much
Sleeping too long can also cause terrible bags under the eyes in men. When you lie in bed too long, you don't have enough blood flow and more fluid builds up under your eyes. Too little sleep causes your body to retain too much fluid. So you will never get rid of those bumps.
Always lie on your side or stomach
When you sleep on your stomach or side, a lot of fluid can sink to the accumulation under your eyes. Add to that the gravity that can pull extra on the bags and you create thick pillows under your eyes over time.
Eating too much salt
When you eat a lot of salt, your body retains extra moisture. You will see this very quickly under your eyes. There is an increasing accumulation of moisture, which gives you thick bags under the eyes.
Alcohol and smoking
You could probably guess this one. Alcohol and smoking disrupt the moisture balance in your body. This is the first thing you will see under your eyes.
allergies
Do you often suffer from a cold, sensitive skin or watery eyes? Then you might have an allergy. Your eyes quickly become swollen with these kinds of complaints. After becoming swollen, the skin around your eyes is loosened even more, making it easier for fat and moisture to sink under your eyes.
What do bags under the eyes say about your health?
In principle, it does not necessarily mean that you are unhealthy if you have bags under the eyes. It may be that you have been given slightly less good genes (as far as bags under the eyes are concerned). However, you always know best how your bags arise. Is that after a 'men's weekend' with little sleep and a lot of alcohol? Is that after your kids have been keeping you awake for months? Is that after you've decided to sin for a month and chewed way too many salty shawarma rolls? Then you know which point of your health can be the cause of your bags under the eyes. So if you're just like a father, try to take more naps, if you've started sinning with fast food, grab a healthy cookbook from your drawer. Most bags tell you something about your health, so look carefully for the pattern of your bags.
How do you get rid of bags under your eyes without makeup?
Time for a short course on "getting rid of bags under the eyes for men". Some men are very handy with a make-uppie, the other does not want to start. Both is fine. Fortunately, there are more options to get rid of your bags under the eyes than just make-up. There is not a specific approach, but there are several aspects you can try to get rid of bags under the eyes. Bags under the eyes of men could therefore be a thing of the past in no time.
Reduce the swelling under your eyes
You can reduce the swelling under your eyes by cooling and caring for it. For example, you can:
- Placing cucumber slices on your eyes: this has a cooling effect.
- Put cold wet (green) tea bags on your eyes: green tea contains EGCG which could have a beneficial effect on the swelling under your eyes. This has never been proven, but according to many specialists it helps.
- Cooling your eyes with a cold compress: Put something cold on the swelling every morning to reduce it.
- Use the Recipe For Men – Under Eye Gel to improve the health of the skin around the eyes and reduce puffiness.
Change unhealthy habits
- Eat less salt
- Sleeping on your back: Try to sleep on your back as much as possible. As a result, moisture has no chance to sink down under the eyes.
- On average 7-8 hours of sleep
- Drink and smoke in moderation
- Move enough
Can you massage away bags under the eyes?
Yes, this is possible! If you've ever heard of lymphatic drainage, you know how it works. Use both ring fingers to apply pressure under your eyes. Start by applying light pressure from your inner corners and slowly work your way to the outer corners. In this way you follow your natural lymph flow. Repeat this about 10 to 20 times and finally sweep the waste through your temples to the sides of your throat and down.
We've gone through the causes, tips, and our favorites. But if you still have questions, which is of course always possible, know that we are happy to help you! You know where to find us, let us know. If you order your 'under eye tea bag remover' before 21:00, you will find it on the doormat the next day.
Good luck!
Your friends, The Alpha Men