Bags Under the Eyes and Swollen Eyes: Treat Them with Quick Home Remedies

We all want to look our best, especially in certain critical situations like a job interview or a first date. Unfortunately, even minor cosmetic problems like eye bags can spoil the positive impression we are trying to make.

Tea bags. Black tea and green tea both help relieve the problem of bags under eyes. The caffeine in black tea helps shrink capillaries and lessen swelling while green tea contains substances that relieve inflammation and redness. Steep the tea bags in hot water for about five minutes then let them sit for a bit until they become comfortably warm to the touch. Apply them to your closed eyes for ten to fifteen minutes.

Potato poultices. Wash a potato and peel off its skin. Grate it as finely as you can and wrap the gratings in a clean piece of cloth. Put the potato poultice on your eyes and let it stay there for about a quarter of an hour. You can also just slice a clean potato in half and put each half on your eyelids. Many people swear by the effectiveness of potatoes in relieving inflammation; in fact, the humble potato has long been used in folk medicine to treat health conditions that include swelling as a symptom.

Cold water. What if you don't even have the time to steep tea bags or to make and apply a potato poultice? You will be glad to know that even just plain cold water can help reduce the size of your under eye bags in a short amount of time. You can either submerge your face in a basin full of cold water for seconds at a time, or splash it on your skin repeatedly for a minute or so. The cold liquid will shrink the blood vessels underneath the skin around your eyes, thus making the swelling go down.

These self-treatment home remedies can provide relief in a pinch, but remember that there are other options you can consider for a more long-lasting solution. If you have a persistent problem with bags under the eyes, talk to your dermatologist about the best treatment available that will work best for you.