Racoon Eyes...

[SiouzQ.]

Every morning I wake up with what looks like shiners under my eyes! Very frustrating, as I am for the first time in many a year actually taking care of myself with excellent eating habits, working out at the gym 3-4 times per week (I'm up to one hour of intense cardio!) and making sure I have at least seven or eight hours of sleep, which in itself is a miracle! Gone are the bar nights for the most part, and very, very little alcohol and cigs anymore. I have even quit caffeine! So basically, I have undergone a radical lifestyle change in the last six weeks and I feel quite good, aside from a sore hip and achy muscle issues.

I think I've read that circles under the eyes are somewhat hereditary, but does anyone know of any tricks to minimize and reduce the bruised, puffy look? I do wear a little makeup and concealer when I go to work but I am becoming very aware that makeup on women of a certain age (I'm 49) starts to look, well, just bad. I hope to soon someday get the guts to go bare-faced but I still struggle with acne issues!

I'm sure I'm not alone in this! I just want to look healthy, fresh and vital!

[pinkytoe]

Mine are hereditary but much more evident in the winter when I am indoors more and therefore pale. Though I don't like makeup, I swear by Max Factor Erase when they are really bad. I find mine are more obvious too when/if I eat something saltier than usual the evening before. Congratulations on the healthy changes!

[Float On]

Apparently they can be caused from heart problems, allergies, illness, vitamin k deficiency, and the list goes on.
I've only tried it when my allergies act up but black tea bags (black tea is highest in tannin) helped my eyes when puffy. You might try a eye creme that is high in K, you might not be getting enough with being indoors more in the winter.

[Bootsie]

I hear ya! I've always looked young for my age but then SMACK, my eyes started betraying me. I'm trying a few things that have helped. I'm not an expert in anything, just a puffy-eyed lady...

* Get enough sleep
* Drink flax seed oil
* Put moisturizer on eyes before going to bed. I've been experimenting and found that Vaseline works best for me. Go figure.
* If wearing make-up, go light. And remove as soon as possible. I'm finding the make-up dries out the skin around my eyes.
* Take burdock. Burdock helps the liver and in turn helps the skin. I'm finding that burdock helps my skin quite a bit, both with the puffy eyes and with my break-outs. (I still get pimples, too). My tween daughter is starting to get pimples and the burdock helps her, too. You can get a tincture, but we like the capsules. Of course, you can eat burdock too, as a green.
* Tea tree oil on your break-out areas. Don't use it around your eyes as it's very drying, but use it on oily areas prone to breakouts. Some people find it too harsh for their skin, but it works really well for me.
* Drink plenty of water.
* There is a product called AlkaThyme. I use it as a compress on my eyes when they are tired or particularly puffy. It's tingly and refreshing (and you can swig and swish it for a mouthwash). Teabag compresses or even just a wet washcloth compress also can feel great. I like cold compresses when feeling puffy-eyed.
* I look worse if I don't get some sunshine on my face. I need a dose of sun regularly and in the winter I need to make an effort to get it. Worth the effort, though, as the sunshine feels good and puts me in a good mood.

I'd love to hear some other solutions that others may have. This puffy-eyed thing surprised me when it started happening to me.

[SiouzQ.]

Thanks Bootsie! Good tips! My skin and hair suffer so much in the winter and I will be experimenting with different things slowly to see what works. Now I am only wearing make-up on work days and I ALWAYS take off the make-up when I get home, especially the eye stuff, like mascara. I definitely look my best in the summer when I get that sun-kissed look and I like the humidity because it makes my hair curl! Right now, the air is so dry that it hangs limp and frazzled, no matter what I do. And I seem to have to dye it more and more often! I work with all younger guys and it really kind of urks me how much they judge women (of any age) by their looks and their hotness factor! Apparently, they think I am still pretty "hot" but there is a part of me that wishes I just didn't care, but then I feel that I would get no respect...I guess I still kind of enjoy the attention, as I am a performing musician but being on stage invites all sorts of judgments...I do feel better about myself when I make the effort to look as good as I can, within reason (and within budget and time constraints).

[bae]

Mine were from sleep apnea.