UNDER EYE PUFFINESS

Do you have puffiness under the eyes? Do you have almost like a fluid build up that gathers right under under the eyes? What about discoloration or a congested feeling? Did you know that most of the time you can actually do something about it?

THE MONSTER THAT COMES IN THE NIGHT

Don’t you hate it when you wake up in the morning and those bags are worse? You went to bed fine, but you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, that whole area under the eyes is baggy. What happened? Did some monster come out of the closet and create all that mess?

If this is something that happens to you, I am going to give you some tips and tricks to help with all of that. And, let me say this in the beginning, this is not about vanity. Not only is this about self care, but it is also about your overall health and well being.

I have some discoloration and bagginess under the eyes at time. What about you? If you're like me and over 50 when that area gets too baggy, well it can be kind of aging. I don't need any help in that area!

A while back I noticed that sometimes that area got really bad and other times it got better. Once I saw that I realized I could do something about it. You see most of the time, when your body has reactions that come and go, it means that it is something in your behavior. Mostly, something you are eating or doing. I wanted to see if I could improve the whole issue.

Rather than spending a ton of energy and time covering up that area I really want to figure out what the cause was. I didn't want to spend a ton of money on expensive make up to use as spackle under that area. I knew that if I had bagginess, it meant inflammation. And, inflammation means that there could be health consequences. 

So, I dug in. I focused on that area. I created a food journal just for this. I decided to investigate.

#1 REASON - SALT

Most foods that you purchase off the shelf are salted. That salt is a white iodized salt filled with anti-caking agents and bleach to make it white. YUCK! This kind of salt is in most things. That means not only foods you buy at restaurants, chips and pretzels, but also things like cheese, breakfast cereals, protein powders, breads and crackers.

This salt is quite cheap. Most manufacturers and restaurants use it in their food to "punch up" the flavors. It is even in most sweets and baked goods. Yes, your favorite candy bar has salt i it.

Whole and real salts do not have the same effect on the body. Whole real salts have the full rainbow of nutrients in it that the body actually needs to survive. Salt is actually a nourishing food, but it must be ingested in the right form.

A beautiful Celtic salt or a pink Himalayan salt is going to give you a much different effect on your body than the white iodized salt. These whole salts won't inflame the body unless overused.

Sea Salt has a rich flavor and does not taste metallic. They aren't normally used because they are not "white" and not usually pourable. When they are, they mostly had something done to them.

If you wake up in the morning after a night out at a restaurant, and you notice that your bags are really bad, consider the food that you had. It might be the major culprit. We don't have to blame aging for this, but rather the food.

Once you pinpoint where the culprit is, you can decide whether it is worth it or not, you can decide to still continue to eat it or not. You are at choice rather than a victim. See the difference?

A great remedy to the puffiness is to use CLEAN Blend. CLEAN is filled with anti inflammatories like turmeric and yerba. Dip the tea bags into ice water and place gently over the eyes. Lay with the cool bags in that position for about 10-15 minutes. That should take the swelling down significantly.

If you are wondering if yerba mate can work for you, please note the following..... Yerba Mate has worked for millions of people for centuries.

#2 REASON - DAIRY

This is a hard culprit for most to swallow. We all grew up thinking that dairy was a healing liquid. We grew up thinking it was natural and healthy. Actually, dairy is anything but healing. Dairy leads to inflammation and mucus forming. It can inflame the nasal cavity. It is one of the biggest reasons for bagginess under the eyes.

Even if you do not have belly pain when you drink dairy, you could still have a "sensitivity" towards it. How do you know if Dairy is your issue?  You will know if you test it. Testing whether you are sensitive to dairy is simple, but not so easy. Still, it is quite critical that you test dairy. This is not just about vanity, it is about overall health in general. A sensitivity to dairy will lead to health issues in other areas.

Testing will take a few days, but the longer the test, the better. Start with three days and do not have any dairy at all. That means for those three days avoid milk, yogurt, ice cream, some chocolates, whey, some baked goods, no cream in your coffee and no creamy salad dressings.

Keep checking the area under your eyes in the mirror. You want to get familiar with what is going on. Once day three is over, take notes on how the puffiness is. Notice if there is anything there, what color the skin is, how big the area is that is swollen.

Then on day 4 (or day 7 if you can hold out) have dairy at each meal. In other words have dairy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Have it as much as you can in the forms that you normally do.

Does it make your nose run? Do you feel phlegm in your throat? Is there a cough? The next morning, upon rising, look in the mirror and see what's going under the eyes. Is it better? Worse? Compare it to the day before. If it is worse, then you know, for yourself and without spending $800 on a food sensitivity test, that dairy makes the area under your eyes worse.

To take that point a little further, if that area is worse, it also means that since that dairy is creating inflammation, it is not good for your system and creating inflammation in other areas as well.

#1 REASON - DEHYDRATION

Most think that when fluid accumulates under the eyes that it is a case of too much fluid, but in actuality, it is a case of too little water, meaning dehydration. Fluid build up and puffiness can happen if you don't drink enough water. Most of us do not get in enough water throughout the day.

How do you know if that is the case for you? Sometimes fluid build up in the ankles and other areas are a great determiner. Just remember, that for most of, noting when you are thirsty is often too late. You might already be dehydrated.

If you are someone that forgets to drink during the day try this. Rather than thinking of "hydrating" as "chugging" try to have a "little" bit of water throughout the day. Even that little bit is better then none. You might have to coax yourself to drink. If you are too dehydrated, you might not even know it.

Dehydration is sometimes masked as hunger or a craving for sweets. Some make themself a note or set a timer n their watch to take a few sips every quarter hour. In fact, those few sips might be better than chugging a whole gallon at a time.

Dehydration might also be due to a certain food you eat. It might be a mysterious food ingredient you are not even aware of. That item might effect you differently than someone else. For you, it might cause inflammation or hunger while the person next to you might not have an effect at all. Therefore, test this on yourself and use the under-eye area as what you are marking.

Once you figured out if it is a food that is dehydrating your system, you can choose whether to continue eating it or not.

BONUS SECRET TIP

I'm going to share with you a bonus secret tip. This is something that I learned from a Hollywood makeup artist. It's Preparation H! Yes, the ointment that is used for hemorrhoids. This stuff shrinks blood vessels and lowers inflammation. So using it under the eyes sometimes makes miracles happen.

Every make up artist I worked with in Hollywood had a tube of this in their bag. IT was their secret weapon to use before the make up went on if they were dealing with bags.

The way they use it is to put a little dab on each index finger, warm it up by  rubbing it together and then dab it very lightly on those bags under the eyes. Let that it sit for about 15 minutes. Those bags should be down to about nothing! Then wipe it off and put on your makeup on being careful not to tug too much on that area.

And there you have it my friends, my three major culprits to under eye bags and discoloration and what you can do about it.  Let me know if you try any of these in the comment section below. Can't wait to read what you have done.