You wake up in the morning and stumble into the bathroom sleepily for an early morning clean-up, only to see a practically unfamiliar face staring back at you in the mirror; where did those dark baggy eyes come from?

We’ve all experienced that reflective shock at one time or another, especially as we age, leaving us to wonder after the reasons behind dark circles and loose skin beneath the eyes. There are many factors that contribute to the appearance and persistence of baggy eyes, ranging from genetics to quality of sleep, but, despite their commonality among us all, very few of us have a good understanding of their roots and the processes behind them.

source https://www.flickr.com/photos/darkstream/2345510909/sizes/o/

In the name of a perkier face, even before the sun rises, read on to learn about what causes baggy eyes, and how to battle them!

What Causes Baggy Eyes?

Like most things concerning our body, baggy eyes are a complex problem with a variety of potential root causes, any one or more of which could be playing a role with your particular early morning troubles.

The most likely source of baggy eyes on an otherwise healthy person is simple genetics – if your parents suffered from loose skin in that area, there is a decent chance that you do, too. Genetics is followed closely by lack of sleep and a vitamin-deficient diet as the potential root of both dark circles and baggy eyes; no matter the exact cause, though, the unattractive result is the same.

Even while narrowing down what conditions are leading to your baggy eyes, in particular, can be difficult, we do have a good understanding of why they occur: a combination of less-than-stellar muscles and ligaments and the retaining of water is the blame. Fluids in the face are present in all of us, keeping our skin moist and, well, alive, but too much fluid combined with a lack of elasticity in skin leads to pockets of that fluid building up, most noticeably in areas of the face where skin is particularly loose, such as under the eyes. To make matters worse, the problem only tends to worsen as you age and your skin and tissues become even looser.

So, the bad news culminates in the understanding that it is very difficult to narrow down the exact causes of baggy eyes, and the information would be nearly useless, anyway. Obviously, if you’re not getting enough sleep, or you suffer from a dietary deficiency, there are many good reasons to resolve those problems, baggy eyes probably least among them, but there are otherwise no particular preventative measures that can be taken.

Thankfully, though, there are steps that you can take to reduce the appearance of dark, baggy eyes – here is a quick look at two easy plant-based ideas:.

How to Reduce Baggy Eyes

While putting pieces of food on your face probably isn’t your idea of a good time, you’ll be surprised at just how effective these home remedies for baggy eyes really are! Reducing inflammation caused by fluid buildup is the name of the game here, and these two chilly solutions are sure to help with that:

Cucumber Slices

Take a well-chilled cucumber from the fridge and cut yourself two slices of about ½ cm each. Place the slices over your closed eyes, using your fingers to wedge them in well enough that they make contact with all of the offending skin. Leave them in place for 15 minutes, then check out the results!

Black Tea Bags

If cucumber slices don’t achieve the desired results, you can turn to black tea bags for an extra boost; the caffeine and tannins they contain are known to help battle inflammation. You’ll follow a similar process here, dousing two tea bags in cold water and then applying them firmly to your eyes for at least 15 minutes.