Your eyes reveal a great deal about you. When you’re feeling sad, your eyes are likely to reflect that. When you don’t get your full seven to eight hours of sleep, your eyes are going to let the world know.
Eyes can make you look tired for other reasons, too. For example, early signs of aging can cause puffiness, bags and under-eye hollows to develop. Allergies or a stuffy nose can give you visible dark circles.
Whether you need a nap or are dealing with the signs of aging, here’s what you can do to wake up tired eyes and get a more refreshed and rejuvenated appearance.
What’s the Reason for Tired-Looking Eyes?
There are numerous reasons you might have tired-looking eyes. If your eyes look puffy with dark circles, one of the following issues might be the culprit:
You’re Not Drinking Enough Water
The skin around your eyes is thin, hypersensitive, and can wrinkle more easily if you do not hydrate yourself properly. Drink more water if your eyes look tired and puffy.
Excessive Salt Intake
If you eat a lot of salt in your diet, it can make your eyes look tired. Salt in large amounts can cause water retention in the body, making your eyes and the skin around them look tired and feel heavier.
Long Hours of Screen Time
If you strain your eyes too much by looking at screens for hours on end, it can dilute the blood vessels and puff up the skin around your eyes. Take breaks and consider wearing blue light glasses to reduce eyestrain.
Allergies
Seasonal allergies, animal fur, and pollen sensitivities are also causes of puffy and tired-looking eyes. Pollen and animal fur in contact with the eyes can dilate the blood vessels and cause inflammation.
Quick Fix Options for Tired Eyes
Sometimes, you wake up in the morning with dark shadows under your eyes or with large bags beneath the eyes. Quick fix options aren’t permanent, or even very long-lasting solutions to puffy, tired eyes. But they can be enough to help you look presentable and ready to take on your day.
Cooling Eye Mask
A quick fix for puffiness beneath the eyes is to apply something cold to the area. Your options include the convex side of a chilled spoon, cucumber slices or even ice cubes. Some people like to keep their eye cream in the refrigerator. Doing so not only helps it “depuff” the under eye area, it can also prolong the shelf life of the eye cream.
Concealer
If dark circles are bringing you down, a quick fix treatment for them is to cover them up with concealer. For some people, using concealer is easier said than done. It’s all about getting the color right. Stick with a product that matches your skin tone, rather than choosing one that’s a shade or two lighter. When you apply the concealer, pat it to blend it in, rather than rubbing it. Rubbing can cause more irritation in the under eye area, making dark circles even worse.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil can help certain skin issues due to its anti-inflammatory elements. It’s also an effective alternative to dark circles under the eyes while also preventing further aging signs from developing like fine lines & wrinkles. You can rub coconut oil on the problem area, leave it on through the night, and wash it off in the morning as part of your daily routine.
Injectables for Tired Eyes
Quick fixes are great when you’re on the go or when you only have to deal with dark circles or under eye puffiness sporadically. But what should you do if you’re waking up with dark circles on a daily basis?
Odds are, you’re going to want something a little longer lasting. If your dark circles are due to a hollowing in the under eye area, often caused by a loss of fat and bone from that area, an injectable filler can help to minimize their appearance.
Fillers such as Juvederm Volbella or Restylane can help to reduce the appearance of dark circles and hollows under the eyes for up to nine months. They are made from a smooth hyaluronic acid, so it’s less likely to form bumps beneath the delicate eye skin. The smoothness of the filler also allows for better control during the injection process.
Surgery for Tired Eyes
If you’re looking for a longer-lasting solution, or if you have signs of aging on the upper and lower eyelids that make you look tired, a surgical treatment might be your best bet. Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, can help to pep up tired eyes in a few ways.
The surgery can be performed on the upper or lower lids, or on both at the same time. Upper eyelid blepharoplasty is performed to reduce drooping or hooding of the upper lids. As you get older, the eyelids can get heavier and start to sag. The sagging can give you a sleepy look. In some cases, heavy, drooping upper eyelids can also interfere with your vision.
In the lower eyelid area, blepharoplasty can help to reduce puffiness and the bags that develop as a result of a build-up of fatty tissue. A lower eyelid lift can also help to smooth deep creases that form in the area under the eyes.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
To learn more about your options for tired looking eyes, contact the Aesthetic Surgery Center to book an appointment with Dr. Anurag Agarwal. He has been featured on many of the major news networks, including ABC, NBC, and FOX, as a recognized expert on a variety of plastic surgery topics. Dr. Agarwal believes that educating and communicating with patients are the keys to helping them achieve successful, natural-looking results. Book your appointment at the Aesthetic Surgery Center, located at 1175 Creekside Pkwy, Suite 100, Naples, FL, by calling 239-420-8141.