Help! I Have Bags & Dark Circles Under My Eyes!

It is 6:00 in the morning, the alarm clock goes off, you crawl out of bed only to look in the mirror and see large, puffy bags under your eyes! AHHHHHHHH!!! Where did those come from?! Ok, ok, they aren't new…you've had bags under your eyes before…these just happen to be more noticeable!

Not everyone develops bags, in fact, some people get dark shadows under their eyes instead. Why? Well, that's a big question! Bags and dark under-eye circles can appear for any number of reasons including, vitamin deficiency, poor diet, lack of sleep, allergies, sun exposure, cigarette smoking, genetics (heredity), illness, medications you may be taking, the natural aging process and finally, stress! Whew! That's a lot of information to take in all at once! Let me make this simple for you… if you quit smoking, stay out of the sun, don't take any medications, sleep at least eight hours a night, take vitamins, stop growing old and eat your veggies….you will have nothing to worry about! If it were only that simple. Of course, you could always call Madonna and ask her what under eye cream she uses…I hear the brand she buys only costs $500 per ounce (but hey, she looks pretty darn good for fifty years old)!

Sorry to tell you this, however nine out of ten people develop bags under their eyes at one point or another. Honestly, I don't know which is worse, bags or dark circles…that's a tough one to call. There are many different products on the market that claim to get rid of under eye bags and circles. For example, my wife uses Skin Renew (which is made by Garnier). Every night she applies the anit-puff gel (which by the way comes in a handy tube with a "roller ball" on the end…kind of like deodorant…but don't tell her I said that). The Skin Renew gel stimulates circulation under the eye which helps to diminish dark circles and get rid of the luggage…oops, I mean bags. I must say that it appears to be working. How do I know that it is working, you ask? Well, for one thing, she seems to be much happier in the mornings and I don't hear "bag complaints" half as much as I used to!

Another product I have heard my wife talk about (with her girlfriends) is Kinerase Intensive Eye Cream. Now this stuff is quite expensive (approximately $80 for less than ONE OUNCE) so maybe that's why she started with the Garnier under eye roller (which only cost approximately $10 per tube!). Kinerase contains Kinetin which is a potent anti-aging product that smoothes the skin and fights aging. Sounds good to me…if it really works! Women claim that Kinerase helps to minimize "crows feet" and reduce under eye puffiness. All I have to say is it better if I'm going to spend $80! Then again, I am not a woman…and can you really put a price on beauty. Um, yes…you can.

If you don't have the money to spend on an expensive skin care product, don't worry…there are several all-natural things you can try that just might help! First of all, drink plenty of water! Water removes toxins from the body and helps to improve circulation (and as we know, poor circulation while we sleep is what causes dark circles and bags in the first place). Next, go buy a cucumber! As silly as that may sound, cucumbers do help to reduce eye puffiness. Why? Well, they contain, you guessed it… WATER! Every night before you go to sleep, put cucumber slices over your eyes for approximately twenty to thirty minutes. You might just be surprised at the results! Finally, eat a lot of carrots! Carrots are rich in beta carotene (and oh so yummy). Beta carotene is wonderful for the skin and healthy for the eyes!

No matter what skin care program you follow, if any…it is important to take care of yourself (your entire body…not just your skin!). Get plenty of sleep and if possible, avoid stress (I know, easier said than done!). Finally, please remember…beauty is on the inside! We all grow old…I promise you, there is no fountain of youth! So enjoy life, surround yourself with good people, and live each and every day as if it were your last….cucumbers and all.