UNDER EYE PUFFINESS

Under eye puffiness, also known as under eye bags, can be caused by various factors such as fluid retention, allergies, lack of sleep, stress, aging, and improper diet. Puffy eyes and dark circles are quite common these days because most people who work in front of computers or smartphones tend to forget maintaining healthy eating schedule and sleeping patterns. Hypertensive patients often complain about puffy eyes because of the increased blood pressure in the general area of the head.

Causes

Since the skin around the eyes is very delicate, compared to skin in other parts of the body, it is a highly sensitive area. Swelling of the eyes occurs due to many factors such as trapping of fluid in eye tissue,  accumulation of fat in the skin beneath the eyes, stress, hormonal changes, allergy (irritation from contact lenses), dermatitis or sinus, aging, high blood pressure, less consumption of water, long term use of antibiotics or intake of excess salt.

• Excessive intake of Kapha-aggravating foods such as dairy products, fried and oily foods, and refined sugars.
• Poor digestion and elimination, leading to the accumulation of toxins (ama) in the body.
• Excessive consumption of salt, which can lead to water retention.
• Lack of sleep or disturbed sleep patterns.
• Emotional stress and mental fatigue.

If you eat regularly in front of the television, computer or mobile phone, chances are you aren’t chewing and digesting food properly.

Puffiness under the eyes may also imply oversleeping, sleep deprivation or adrenal exhaustion.

Inflammatory and Pitta aggravating substances such as alcohol, tobacco, spring allergies, and infections may cause puffiness around the eyes.

Symptoms

Swollen eyelids, itching in the eyes, puffing of the eyelids, redness of the eye region and difficulty in opening or closing the eyes are the common symptoms of puffy eyes.

 

Home remedies

Take cotton wool and make two thick square pads. Soak them in cucumber juice or rose water. Lie down and place the soaked pads over the eyes.  Keep them for 15 minutes.

Potatoes soothe and shrink puffy eyes. Place slices of raw potatoes over the eyes for 15 minutes, and wash off with cool water. Place two slices of cool cucumber over the eyes for 15 minutes. (High water content in cucumber helps reduce swelling.)

Press the region of the eyebrow and the eye socket with the middle finger. This method is effective in curing puffy eyes as it stimulates the lymphatic system and drains the excess fluid.

Ayurvedic treatments

• Apply Rasnadi choornam or Kachoradi choornam as lepa: Mix 3-5 gm of Rasnadi choornam or Kachoradi choornam with butter-milk to make a paste and apply over puffy eyes. Wet the surface with the same paste when it gets dried. Wash with cold water after 30 mts.
• Use Karutha gulika or marma Gulika: Karutha gulika has to be crushed and made into a paste by adding butter milk. Apply it over the eye bags and retain for 30 mins.
• Wash the eyes with Triphala decoction: Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Bibhitaki (Terminalia ble1ica) and Harithaki (Terminalia chebula)  are the three fruits contained in Triphala.
• Apply juice of Aloe vera or leaf of Moringa oleifera over the eye bags.

Nasya or pratimarsha nasya is oil insufflation and can be used daily in case you are allergic. You can put two drops of sesame oil, mustard oil, or pure ghee into each nostril morning and evening.

Eye care: Apply rose water or cucumber slices on your eyes to soothe and reduce puffiness. You can also use Ayurvedic eye creams or oils, such as almond oil or coconut oil, to massage the under-eye area gently.

Neti pot: Practice Neti, a nasal cleansing technique, to relieve congestion and improve Kapha imbalances. A neti pot can help flush out all that extra moisture in your sinuses from seasonal allergies, colds, or infections. It looks like a small teapot. Simply pour mildly salted, warm water into one nostril and let it drain out the other.

Stress management: Practice stress-reducing techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises to calm the mind and balance the doshas.

Herbal remedies: Ayurvedic herbs like triphala, turmeric, amla, and brahmi are known for their rejuvenating and detoxifying properties.

If you are allergic, use eye drops or splash cold, filtered water over your face and eyes to reduce irritation whenever you are exposed to any allergen, dust or pollen. You can use pure rose water, triphala water, or amla water to wash your eyes.

Applying iced compresses when your lids are swollen may help get rid of those puffy eyes.

Place cucumber slices or chilled tea bags over closed eyes. Not only can this help reduce puffy eyes, but it can also be very relaxing. Chilled, dampened tea bags with a drop of lavender essential oil work well.

 

Exercise

Exercise is a natural way to reduce signs of aging and can promote a youthful glow to the skin. Inverted yoga poses such as shoulder stands and back bends, can help increase circulation to the face. They help carry away excess fluid and relieve swelling.

Diet

Increasing collagen levels can help your skin look firmer, increase smoothness, and help your skin cells keep renewing and repairing normally.

Collagen-rich foods include dark green vegetables, red vegetables, orange vegetables, berries, soy protein, white tea, egg protein, bone broth, meat-based soups, fish like tuna or salmon, and herbal supplements like garlic, amla, gotu kola, aloe vera, and pomegranate.

 

Preventive Care:

• Sleep at least 7-8 hours a day.
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water. When a person is dehydrated the body starts storing water as a defence system. This will add to puffiness around the eyes.
• Increase the amount of fatty acids, especially from flaxseed oil and fish oils, in diet. Essential fatty acids help reduce inflammation through-out the body.
• Rinse face with chilled water a couple of times during the day.
• Don’t drink a lot of fluids before going to sleep.
• Reduce intake of sodium containing salt.
• Soak tea bags in cold water, and place them on the eyes for several minutes.
• Avoid applying wrinkle removal cream near the eyes. The cream may close the pores in the skin, leading to hydration in that area and results in puffiness of the eyes.
• Avoid anything that triggers an allergic reaction. For example, sleeping on a feather pillow can cause puffiness under the eyes.
• Avoid rubbing your eyes.

 

Puffy eyes can also be due to an underlying medical condition. So consult your ayurvedic Physician for getting better Results. The underlying disease conditions should not be ignored by any chance.

In Uvas Ayurveda one of the reputed Ayurvedic centre in Bangalore, we treat such diseases and we have got good results as well. Here we conduct all types of panchakarma therapies like vaman, Virechana ,Basthi ,Nasya, leech therapy, Sirodhara, Sthanika Basthi, Dhara , Navara kizhi etc and it is conducted by the experienced therapists under the guidance of Ayurvedic Physician.

Uvas Ayurveda is also a School of Ayurveda and conducts many ayurvedic online and offline courses for the Ayurvedic enthusiasts to gain more knowledge and helps to understand Ayurveda in Deep. We conduct courses such as Garbha maata Sanskar , Ayurvedic cosmeteology, ayurvedic therapy course, Diet and Nutrition ,Obesity course etc.