Overview
If you wake up with puffy eyes, even if you’ve gotten a full night of sleep, your condition may have a variety of causes. Puffy eyes can be caused by sagging skin underneath the eyes due to old age or heredity, or an accumulation of fluid underneath the eyes from diet, lack of sleep or allergies. In most cases, puffy eyes can be treated at home, says the Mayo Clinic. For more drastic treatment, your doctor can perform surgery to permanently reduce your puffy eyes.
Step 1
Cut back on salt, caffeine and alcohol. Consuming too much of these can cause water retention, making fluid pool underneath the eye area.
Step 2
Prop your head up with pillows to allow for fluid drainage, recommends the Mayo Clinic. Adding more pillows under your head can help the fluid underneath your eyes drain.
Step 3
Rinse two black tea bags in cool water, then wring them out and place them over the eyes for five minutes, recommends Laura Hittleman, director of beauty for Canyon Ranch, in “Cosmopolitan” magazine. The caffeine in the teabag temporarily firms the skin underneath the eyes, making them less droopy.
Step 4
Get an allergy test to determine which environmental or food allergies are causing your eyes to accumulate fluid. For a temporary fix, take an antihistamine if you must be around something that you are allergic to.
Step 5
Consult your cosmetic surgeon about eyelid surgery, which can help reduce the appearance of puffy eyes. Your cosmetic surgeon can remove excess skin from underneath the eyelid to tighten the area.
