How to Get Rid of Puffy Eyes and Dark Circles

Dr. Eric Berg 11/10/2024

Waking up with puffy eyes can be frustrating. Effective treatment is possible.

Discover how excess insulin, not just lack of sleep, contributes to this issue.

Learn how simple dietary changes can make a big difference.

Many assume puffy eyes are due to tiredness. While sometimes true, the real culprit might surprise you.

This often goes hand in hand with dark circles under the eyes. Let's explore practical solutions for puffy eye treatment.

The Real Cause of Puffy Eyes

While fatigue, stress, or allergies are sometimes blamed, the most common cause is often overlooked: hyperinsulinemia.

This means having too much insulin in your blood, impacting blood flow and potentially contributing to eye creams being less effective.

High insulin levels are often tied to insulin resistance. This forces the pancreas to overwork.

The pancreas pumps out even more insulin to keep up, often seen in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

So how can you tighten skin around the eyes and reduce fluid pooling from high insulin?

High insulin levels can lead to other signs like dark patches on your skin (acanthosis nigricans).

This is a hyperpigmentation with darkened skin folds, like under your armpit.

How Carbs Contribute to Puffy Eyes

Carbs play a significant role. Consuming too many carbs triggers high insulin levels.

This essentially turns your body into a fluid-retaining sponge.

You might notice swelling in your ankles and retain water. This carb-rich diet causes excess sodium to accumulate around your eyes.

Sometimes it affects other areas, often leading to a potassium shortage.

Puffy eyes

Effective Puffy Eyes Treatment: A Four-Step Plan

Here's a practical four-step approach to puffy eyes treatment. This helps balance high insulin levels, addressing the core problem.

Follow this to reduce under-eye bags for lasting relief.

1. Cut Back on Carbs

Carbs are the primary driver of high insulin, making this step crucial. Consider consulting resources for guidance on how and what to eat to reduce carb intake.

2. Stop Snacking

Every time you eat, you trigger insulin release. Reducing eating frequency dramatically supports insulin health. This aids in effective puffy eyes treatment.

Reducing snacking helps minimize bags under the eyes forming, even when addressing other potential factors or considering whether to request an appointment at a specialized clinic.

3. Embrace Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting creates periods of eating and not eating.

This pattern, combined with a low-carb, ketogenic diet, can effectively treat the condition where the eyes donât close properly and even address other underlying health conditions, such as eyelid surgery for a drooping eyelid.

You can also explore eyelid hygiene treatment.

4. Increase Potassium Intake

Adding potassium-rich foods won't reduce insulin directly. However, if high insulin has been pushing potassium out of your cells and causing bloating, adding back this crucial nutrient can help balance electrolytes.

This helps prevent water retention. A chilled tea bag or ice pack can temporarily shrink dilated blood vessels and reduce swelling, providing temporary relief while addressing the root cause with potassium.

Increasing potassium through food may involve adding potassium-rich foods to your diet. Such foods include avocados, leafy greens, mushrooms, and broccoli.

before and after pinkeye healing

Puffy Eyes Treatment: Managing Expectations

By cutting carbs and incorporating these methods, you'll likely see a difference in a few weeks.

Dark circles typically diminish over a similar timeframe.

The exact time varies depending on factors like prior diet and individual responses to these methods.

For instance, the high potassium content in avocados makes them a valuable addition to your diet.

Balancing potassium intake can improve skin tone and skin color while supporting the health of blood vessels.

If you're wondering how to remove excess skin under the eyes, consider avoiding salty foods, as they can contribute to retaining water, impacting your under-eye area.

Implementing changes toward a healthy lifestyle by using chilled tea bags under the eyes could provide a refreshing and soothing effect while helping you explore more long-term solutions like removing excess skin.

Crusty Eyes in the Morning: Causes and Remedies

Waking up with crusty eyes in the morning can be more than just an annoyance; it may contribute to puffiness and discomfort around the eyes.

Crusty eyes are often caused by dried tears, debris, or minor infections that accumulate overnight.

While usually harmless, these deposits can lead to inflammation, adding to puffiness and irritation.

To reduce crustiness and puffy eyes, start with a gentle cleansing routine each morning.

Use a warm, damp cloth to soften and remove crusty buildup, helping reduce any associated puffiness.

Adding a soothing eye compress or using a mild, hypoallergenic eye cleanser can further alleviate morning crustiness.

For persistent cases, eye drops or consulting an eye specialist may be helpful to ensure no underlying issues are contributing to the discomfort.

Conclusion

Puffy eyes and dark circles can affect self-confidence. But there are ways to manage them. High insulin levels can be a major contributor.

Controlling carbohydrate intake, spacing out meals, adjusting eating times, and increasing potassium intake are effective strategies.

Implementing these simple lifestyle and dietary changes can significantly reduce symptoms.

However, remember to consider the possibility of underlying medical issues.

If your puffy eyes persist or worsen despite these changes, consult medical professionals or explore additional resources like the health library provided by institutions.

For targeted care and eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), consider seeking advice from specialized oculoplastic surgeons.

This specialized procedure involves removing excess skin and fat from the upper and lower eyelids.

It helps tighten skin, reduce under-eye bags, and address issues like a drooping eyelid, contributing to a more refreshed appearance and improved vision in some cases where excess skin impairs the eye area's field of vision.