Bags under the eyes are one of the most common signs of ageing in adults, but people are often left wondering what causes bags under eyes, and how they can get rid of them. It’s important to understand what causes bags under eyes in order to fight them off and look younger as the years pass. Here are the top four possible culprits behind those pesky under eye bags!
Causes of bags under eyes
Bags under the eyes can be caused by many factors, such as too much sleep, lack of sleep, allergies, stress, or ageing. Too much sleep leads to puffy, tired-looking eyes while not enough sleep leads to dark circles. Allergies and stress also lead to puffy, swollen eyes and dark circles around them. Ageing is a natural cause for eye bags as well because they happen when our skin begins to thin out and loses elasticity.The skin around your eyes is much thinner than other parts of your body and has few oil glands, so it doesn’t protect itself against dryness as well. As a result, environmental factors such as wind, cold temperatures and low humidity all have an impact on the delicate skin.
Genetics
Bags under the eyes can be caused by a number of factors, including genetics. Genetics is thought to play a role in about half of cases. If you have deep-set eyes or loose skin around your eyes, this may contribute to how quickly bags will form and how pronounced they will be. Likewise, if you have allergies or dry eye syndrome, these conditions can worsen the appearance of under-eye bags. Age also plays a role in the condition.
Sun damage
When our skin is exposed to the sun’s harmful UV rays, it damages our collagen and elastic fibres. These are the proteins that make up the skin’s structure. When this happens, it leads to inflammation, which can show up as dark circles under our eyes or as bags under our eyes.
Allergies
Allergies are one of the most common causes of getting bags under your eyes. If you have hay fever or other seasonal allergies, your nasal passages swell up and cause fluid to build up in your eyes. It’s hard to get a good night’s rest when you’re constantly itching and sneezing from allergies! If you suffer from sinus congestion, nose-blowing can lead to chronic eye irritation that leads to watery eyes and puffy bags below them.
When you have allergies you will produce more tears than a normal person would when they have allergies. This is because your body is trying to wash out allergens from your body and it needs extra fluids to do that.
Dehydration
People get bags under their eyes for many different reasons, but one of the most common culprits is dehydration. When you’re dehydrated, your body pulls water from its tissues and uses it to keep your brain and other organs functioning properly. So, when there’s not enough water in your body, the skin around your eyes will pull together and form a tent over the area where you have fat deposits.
Crying
Another common cause of bags under the eyes is excessive crying. Crying can cause your eyes to become dehydrated, which leads to puffiness and a loss of elasticity in your skin. In some cases, it can even lead to dark circles. If you are one who cries often, consider using an eye cream with hyaluronic acid or vitamin K to help keep those under-eye bags at bay.
Sleep deprivation
One more reason we get bags under our eyes is lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of eye bags because it leads to dark circles and puffiness. When you don’t sleep enough, the blood vessels on your face are more visible through your thin skin. And when you finally do get some shut-eye, your under-eye area still looks puffy due to fluid retention from an inadequate amount of rest. It is suggested that adults should get at least 8 hours a night but many of us don’t get that much sleep, and it affects how we look throughout the day.
Smoking
The smoke from cigarettes, cigars and pipes can make blood vessels in the eyes widen which causes fluid retention and can lead to puffiness or swelling. It may also cause increased pigmentation in this area, giving you darker under eye circles.
Age
The skin of our face is made up of three layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous fat. As we age, these layers change in both texture and thickness. This can lead to sagging skin and wrinkles. The epidermis becomes thinner and more fragile, which exposes the underlying layer – the dermis – to UV light from the sun.
