Concealer vs. Treatment
As I’ve discussed numerous times on this blog, usually the only truly effective way to treat eye bags is through surgery. This is because eye bags form as a result of sagging soft tissue – such as muscle and skin – and if they’re bad, it’s unlikely any cream will do the job. Even though eye bag removal surgery is highly effective, it can also be expensive in some parts of the country. Since it’s cosmetic, you will also have to pay for it completely out of pocket.

Meanwhile, eye bag concealer is a very inexpensive solution. The drawback is that it’s temporary and will only improve the appearance to a certain extent. If the eye bags are really bad, all the smoke ‘n mirrors in the world won’t make them totally disappear. But if you can’t afford surgery (and in times like these, who can?) then I would have to agree that a good eye concealer is better than doing nothing at all.

How To Choose an Eye Bag Concealer
There are countless under eye concealers made today. Why? Because there are plenty of people suffering from the same problem you are! The best eye concealer for eye bags will incorporate these three qualities:

Long Lasting: This is especially important for a couple reasons. First of all, your eyes and face moves when expressions are made, so you need something that can withstand that all day long. Secondly, you want it looking good from the time you get to work until the time you leave.

Smooth Texture: The last thing you want is to look like you have makeup caked on under your eyes. Not only does this look bad, common sense says it also can’t be that good for your skin. This is why you will want an eye bag concealer that goes on smooth, not one that is clumpy and thick.

Light Color: Because the eye bags cast a shadow under them, it’s important to have a color that will drastically lighten the area. Although it may seem like an unnatural color choice, often times eye concealers with a light pink color are the best.

Q: Are Eye Bags Hereditary?

A: When it comes to aging, almost everything is hereditary to at least some degree. Whether it’s wrinkles or just changing skin due to age, most of these things are something you have your parents to thank for. But are eye bags hereditary too?

The Answer? Yes and No

You probably hoping for a more clear cut answer, but the truth of the matter is that sometimes eye bags are caused by hereditary reasons, sometimes they’re due to lifestyle, but usually it’s a combination of both.

Yes – When Eye Bags Are Caused By Hereditary
For most people, indeed heredity has a lot to do with their formation. As we age the skin on our face (and entire body for that matter) becomes thinner. When skin is thinner, it reveals the underlying structures more clearly. Combine that with the pull of gravity over the years, and the muscle and other tissue can sag and come together in what we unofficially have deemed eye bags.

To make matters worse, we also lose facial fat as we age. When there is less fat directly under our eyes and less on our cheeks, it can make our bags appear even more prominent.

No – When Eye Bags Are Caused By Lifestyle
There are quite a few things we do that can perpetuate the formation of eye bags. Many of them are obvious and you can probably guess them – partying, lack of sleep, overworking yourself, unhealthy eating, etc. These are all common sense things that not only make our eyes look awful, but also our bodies. Not to mention, they mentally impact our performance daily when we are living this way.

What You Can Do
Whether or not eye bags are hereditary for you, there’s one thing you should do either way, and that is to get plenty of sleep. Even if that won’t prevent them outright, it’s likely that it will at least slow down and postpone them. Or if you already have them, it should help slow them down from getting worse.

But if you want to know hot to get rid of bags under eyes that are already there, then that depends on the severity of them and their causes. When genetics is at play and you are doing everything in your power to not get them, then you unfortunately may have to go under the knife if they are really bad. The good news is that eye bag surgery is an effective solution.

If they’re not that bad, then you may want to first try using a good eye bag treatment. Either way, don’t beat yourself up for getting them because you’re not entirely at fault. Instead of dwelling on that, focus on taking action to correct the problem instead.

Q: Are Eye Bags Permanent?

A: Lets face it, when there are problems in life… we never want them to be permanent. This is especially true when it comes to aesthetical issues which we do no desire. We want to hear good news… that the problem can be fixed. Will you be living with eye bags permanently or are they a problem that will go away?

The truth is they can be permanent or temporary, here’s why…

Temporary Eye Bags
Sometimes, eye bags may creep up suddenly due to temporary causes. For example, if you had some unforeseen stressful circumstances in your life that caused you to be sleep deprived for an extended period of time, this will definitely trigger the formation of eye bags. Fortunately, if those circumstances are only very short term, then the accompanying physical attributes should reverse on their own once you return to a healthy lifestyle.

Permanent Eye Bags
Are eye bags permanent for some people? Absolutely. In fact, most of the time this is the case. This is because heredity has a big part in whether or not they form in the first place (something you can’t control). In addition, if you constantly are not getting enough sleep and living a stressful lifestyle, it’s going to contribute to the formation of eye bags without a doubt over time. When this happens, they probably won’t go away on their own. That’s because the actual tissue in the area changes and alters (think Bill Clinton before and after his presidency!) Once this occurs, the only solution is eye bag surgery.

What Your Options Are For Both Cases?
If you have temporary eye bags due to your recently stressful lifestyle, changing those circumstances are your best bet to reverse the eye bags. If you would like something help, you may want to consider using an eye bag cream. If you have permanent eye bags which have developed over the years, then they will almost certainly be permanent unless you get eye bag removal surgery. So whether you have temporary or permanent ones, there are things you can do to get rid of each of them.

Q:  I would like to know how to prevent eye bags. What would you recommend?

A: Well, if you’re trying to prevent them (and don’t currently have them) that is a good sign! Because once you get them, it can be difficult to get rid of them. As with all problems in life, prevention is the best solution, but can you really prevent eye bags? Let’s find out…

Causes You Can’t Control
Unfortunately, some of the biggest causes of eye bags are something you cannot control. Just like heredity determines what your skin type is and what your eye shape is, it also has a lot to do with the formation of bags under eyes due to aging.

In fact, you can compare eye bag puffiness to wrinkles – they have a lot of similarities. There are obviously things you can do to prevent them, but at the end of the day, your genetics plays a big part in them too. That’s why some people age gracefully seemingly without trying, while some others are more susceptible.

Causes You Can Control
So one of the biggest causes is something you cannot control, therefore it may be impossible to prevent eye bags entirely. However there are a few known behaviors that contribute to aging.

Getting plenty of sleep is vital – your body produces essential hormones while you’re asleep. Cell renewal takes place during this time. Therefore it’s important to get your eight hours, as hard as that can be.

Poor lifestyle choices can also be things that can accelerate problems. If you want to do everything you can to prevent eye bags, that means you shouldn’t smoke, drink lightly and infrequently (or not at all), and eat healthy along with a physical regimen you routinely follow.

Conclusion
Fortunately if you already have them, there are a number of solutions nowadays for eye bag removal. If you don’t have them, you’re best bet would be to follow the above advice and add anti aging vitamins to your daily routine. Remember, with proper care you can look great for many years to come!

George Clooney before removing his dark bags under eyes via surgery (which he has admitted to)

Q: What causes dark bags under eyes and what can be done to improve them?

A: Under eye bags are common cosmetic problem for the elderly, sometimes even the middle-aged. It’s considered to be a very unattractive problem that makes a person looked aged well beyond their years. Let’s take a look at some of the known causes, as well as what can be done to make them better.

What causes dark bags under eyes?
Unlike regular eye bags (which are not dark) these are actually two problems; when they’re combined, they can be particularly troublesome.

The Dark Color
The first problem is the dark eye bags; the black, dark color that goes along with the bags. There are a couple different causes of this. First of all, the blood in these capillaries is not flowing correctly. Blood is supposed to flow in one direction, but when the veins weaken it can lead to backed up oxygen-deprived blood (which is darker in color). In reality this type of blood is a very dark red, but
through the layers of the skin, it can appear almost black.

The second cause of the dark color is the shadows created by the eye bags themselves. Since they protrude out from your face, they can cast a small shadow underneath. This in itself is a bad enough problem, but when combined with the above issue, it can lead to particularly dark bags under eyes.

The Eye Bags
The other aspect of this problem is of course the actual eye bags themselves. These “bags” are actually fat and tissue which have sagged over time, coming together to create what is known as under eye bags.

But what causes this phenomenon? Well, there are a few known causes. First and foremost would be heredity. Yes that’s right; it’s something that you may not be at fault for at all. There are also lifestyle choices which can also play a part; not getting enough sleep, too much drinking, and not making healthy dietary decisions. Whatever the case may be, the bottom line they’re already there… now it’s time to figure out how to get rid of bags under eyes.

Treatment
The available treatments basically fall under two categories; surgery and creams. Vitamin K eye creams are known to helpful in improving dark circles. This vitamin in the topical form is known to be beneficial in helping with problem capillaries. This is why most eye cream for dark circles contains this ingredient. It can help with the dark color, but not with the actual bags themselves.

To treat the bags, unfortunately the most effective method appears to be eye bag removal surgery. Fortunately, this is not an expensive procedure and the recovery is usually minimal. Since the excess tissue is actually taken out and removed, eye bag surgery is known to be extremely successful and effective.

Before you treat this ugly condition, you need to understand what causes it. Many people blame themselves, thinking it’s something they are doing in their life that is causing them. It is true that not getting enough sleep can make them more pronounced, but it’s almost guaranteed that lack of sleep in itself is the reason for these nasty eye bags.

Cause
The truth of the matter is that it’s usually caused the natural aging process. Certain people seem to be genetically dispositioned to develop them. So don’t beat yourself up over those under eye bags because they’re probably not your fault.

What these bags actually are actually bags of fat. Now remember, fat in itself on your face is not a bag thing. Think back to your younger days – you had more fat on your face than you do today. Now what makes these particular formations of fat so unsightly is their distribution. Because the ligaments in the area have weakened with age, the fat in the area has sagged down and collected in one place… and they look like bags.

Surgery
So how do you cure bags under eyes? Well, if you want to completely get rid of them once and for all, you can undergo a surgery called blepharoplasty. The problem with this procedure though is that it costs a lot of money – ten thousand or more – and there are some significant risks to consider. What the surgeon does is cut along the crease under your eye. This in itself is extremely dangerous when you consider that the blade of the scalpel is just a slip away from cutting your eyeball. You then have to consider the lengthy recovery process. And even if that goes as planned, there’s still the significant risk you may develop a permanent scar where the incision was made. The likelihood of this is even greater if have darker skin. With all those risks, this should probably be used as a last option. Why risk your health and pay a ton of money unless you absolutely have to?

The Final Note
We have had some groundbreaking discoveries in the skin care industry the last decade. For the first time ever there are solutions out there to fill wrinkles and even out skin tone. Lucky for us, there also have been significant advancement in eye creams and treatments. Among them is there a cure for bags under eyes? Well, that depends who you ask. But one thing for sure is that there are amazing treatment options out there available today without a prescription. There are serums which use powerful ingredients to attack the root cause of the problem. Considering that they are surprisingly affordable, they’re worth a shot.

First of all you should realize that most home remedies are not going to produce miracles. But they may be able to produce a little temporary improvement. If want more significant or permanent results, you may want to consider surgery. Or for an affordable and easy at home treatment, there are exciting new specialty eye bag removal creams that were developed specifically for this problem.

Here are some of the at home remedies for bags under eyes:

Tea Bag Method
In a cup of hot water put a couple chamomile bags of tea. Let the water cool down to a temperate to a luke warm temperate so it won’t burn your skin. Toss in two cotton balls and soak them for a minute or so, then place them on your under eye bags for 15 to 30 minutes. Again, be careful that the water is not too hot. Also not that tea may irritate some people’s eyes.

Potato Method
This can actually be done in two different ways. You can do this similar to the tea method, but instead use potato water. How do you make this? Well I’m no cook so I may not know the absolute best way, but what I would recommend is cutting up some unwashed (so the juices remain intact) and then placing them in a small cup of water. If you want to get really creative, you could maybe use a blender or something. Then soak the cotton balls in the juice and place them on the bags under your eyes.

Alternately, you can just do the simple way and just place some fresh slices of a potato under your eye.

Vitamin E
One technique that has been mentioned is rubbing the oil of vitamin E on your eye bags before you go to bed. This is probably good for your skin anyways, whether it is effective or not. You don’t need to go out and buy a bottle of oil if you already have vitamin E capsules in your medicine cabinet. Simply puncture or cut open the capsule and what’s contained inside is the oil. Being that you don’t need to use much, this will save you the expense of buying a bottle of it.

Cucumber Slices
This is of course one of the most widely known beauty routines. Anytime you see an ad of a spa or a movie with a woman in a spa, you are likely to see them with cucumber slices over your eyes. But do cucumbers help puffy eyes? Well, they may offer soothing qualities but many doubt if they do anything to actually relieve dark circles and bags.

Sleep
This is by far the most effective at home remedy. While the above methods will only offer minimal relief or none at all, getting a good night’s sleep regularly can help improve this problem.

The Final Note
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, unfortunately these at home remedies probably aren’t going to give you anywhere near the desired results. You may want to consider some of the eye bag treatment methods out there. The past few years there have been exciting developments in under eye creams that can offer relief and are also extremely affordable.

Lucky for you, cosmetic eyelid surgery is known for delivering great results. After all else fails, many turn to cosmetic eye surgery to get rid of under eye bags once and for all.

There are also other options out there, too. But before we talk about the other treatments for bags under eyes, let’s take a closer look at this surgical procedure. What is it, what are the risks, and how effective it is.

What is eye bag surgery?
Well the official name of this procedure is blepharoplasty. That name is derived from what healthcare professionals call the condition; blepharochalasis. But the rest of us just call this nasty condition eye bags. So how does the surgery work? Well first of all incisions are made below the lower eyelash. Once the tissue is exposed, fat and extra skin are then cut out. Your skin is then sutured back together, minus the extra tissue.

What are the risks?
Now this may sound easy on paper, but there are many risks, complications, and drawbacks one to consider. For starters, eye bag surgery is by no means cheap. It will set you back at least several thousand, sometimes even more than ten thousand dollars.  Since it’s cosmetic insurance doesn’t cover a dime of that. But even if the costs are not a concern, you need to contemplate the risks.

Not everyone is suitable for this operation. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or certain heart and thyroid conditions, you are at a much higher risk for complications. Because the surgeon’s scalpel is merely millimeters away from the surface of your eyeball there are risks such as a detached retina or the eye being accidentally punctured or cut.

Even if your eye bag removal surgery goes as planned, you have to plan for a recovery. Plus, there are some scary post op complications to keep in mind. There is significant recovery time you have to take into account. If you want to be discreet about your operation, this could mean taking quite a long break from your work and social schedule. But one of the scariest scarring. The last thing you want is a scar around your eyes. This is an important area of your face that people look at the most. With lower blepharoplasty, the incision made under your eye may turn into a scar. Unfortunately this is even more likely to occur if you have olive or darker skin.

How effective is it?
If the surgery goes as planned and there are no complications, it is usually produces the desired result. But before you spend thousands of dollars and subject yourself to such scary complications, you may want to check out some of the exciting new products on the market which are specifically designed to treat under eye bags.

The Final Note
Surgery is not the only way to treat your eye bags. Fortunately for us, we live in a time where science is developing some pretty amazing methods for treating signs of aging. Recently some great eye creams and serums have come out that contain ingredients that are clinically proven to be effective. Generally these are only available online and at dermatologist offices because they cost a little more to make, so the profit margin isn’t high enough to sell them at the store.

Well for starters, it’s important to make note of two very important points. The first is that this is an extremely common condition, so please don’t feel like you are the only one suffering from it. The other thing you should know the genetics plays a big part in whether or not you develop bags under you eyes. With that said, let’s take a closer look at the various causes and what you can do to treat them.

Heredity – If this is not 100% responsible for your eye bags, it probably is the biggest factor contributing to them. Yes, it can be disappointing to learn that what’s causing these is something you cannot control. When we get a flabby stomach we know we have to work out to change it. But with these, unfortunately there is no exercise you can do to miraculously change it. Luckily there are effective options out there for treating them.

Habits & Behavior – This is most likely the second biggest cause of bags under eyes. How we live our daily lives truly does affect our aesthetics. There are several had habits you should try to break. Some of these include: Excessive Drinking: As you already know, alcohol is horrible for your body. It flushes out important nutrients. It also dehydrates you, and water is a very important element your skin needs to look and function at its best. Because you are dehydrated, your skin nerves dilate to get water that’s needed for your vital organs to function. The result is often a puffy, drawn out appearance.

Sleeping Too Little: It may be cliché to say, but we’re not joking when we say sleep is important. The reason for this is because certain biological processes occur only when you are sleeping. These include various functions that help repair and rebuild your body’s cells. Too little sleep means your body isn’t able to do it’s nightly “construction work.” This can result in accelerated signs of aging, which includes under eye bags.

Healthy Diet: Again this is another cliché, but your skin cells and its support structures need certain nutrients for optimal performance. That means eating a healthy and balance diet daily.

How To Get Rid of Under Eye Bags
Lucky for you, there are various methods of treating this annoying condition. Of course it’s recommend you follow an optimal lifestyle. But even if you are already doing that, they still may be a big problem since genetics plays a big part. So what else can you do?

Using an Eye Bags Cream
There are many products that have been created specifically to fight eye bags. Unfortunately you probably can’t buy the best creams at your local stores. This is because the ingredients which are most expensive are usually costly to produce, so you won’t find them in great quantity in products you can pick up at the store. However there are specialty skin care manufacturers which produce products that don’t cut corners and contain the necessary ingredients needed. They are typically found at specialty online beauty retailers and cosmetic physician offices.

Your treatment should include two components. The first one is to try and live a lifestyle that won’t contribute to the problem. This includes getting a full night’s sleep as well as eating a nutritional diet. Of course this is easier said than done! The second component involves using an advanced topical under eye cream or serum to reduce the dark spots and stimulate collagen production in the area.

Styles of Living
In the hustle and bustle of today’s world, it’s completely understandable that these tips can be difficult to follow. However it’s strongly recommended you try to at the very least improve your habits and schedule if you can’t improve it 100%. Here are some of those tips:

Sleep – This is a vital part of not only preventing and treating bags under eyes, but also the rest of your physical appearance. You see, when you sleep certain molecular processes take place in your body and cells are repaired. When you don’t get enough sleep, this isn’t able to occur to the extent that it should. This applies to your entire body, but in terms of your appearances, long term this is a big contributor to wrinkles and other signs of aging. This is why it’s so important to try and get 8 hours of sleep. If that’s not possible right now, at least try and increase your sleep by a small amount – liking going to bed a half hour earlier. Any improvement is better than no improvement.

Diet – Again, in today’s world of fast food this is not easy to follow. But fruits and vegetables contain powerful nutrients and antioxidants that help fight signs of aging. Try and add more of these foods to your everyday diet. In the morning on the way to work, grab some fruit to eat in the car. At lunch or dinner, try and have a salad with leafy greens, carrots, and tomatoes. Olive and flaxseed oil are also great things to consume on a daily basis.

Sun Exposure – Try and limit your exposure to the sun. Even regular daily exposure accelerates the aging process of your skin cells. So wear a sunscreen everyday. Wear big sunglasses that cover the areas where under eye bags develop.

Ultimate Eye Cream?
In the last decade, there have been a number of exciting advancements in skin care products. A number of powerful anti-aging substances have been discovered. However, you shouldn’t just be using a face cream under your eyes. Why? Because the skin here is much thinner and delicate than the rest of your face. Also, you want to target the specific problems in this area – which are usually darker skin tones and loss of fat. Generally speaking, the ingredients that have been clinically proven to be treat these symptoms are expensive to produce, so you won’t find them in the products you find at drugstores. But there are a number of effective treatments you can buy online from specialty skin care companies that contain the proven ingredients which stimulate collagen production and lighten skin pigmentation around the eyes. Right now the two hot ones that have everyone buzzing are Teamine Eye Cream and Kinerase Intensive Eye Cream.