Puffiness occurs due any or all of the following reasons:

- Liquid retention. This may be caused by allergy, irritation, illness, and lack of sleep or tiredness.

- Redistribution of fat caused by aging (surgical measures may be necessary).

- Genetics Puffy eyes are inherited and are caused by improper lymph circulation or peculiarities of one's body.

- Internal disorders Kidney, stomach or nervous system disorders often manifest themselves with puffy eyes.

First of all, rule out the forth reason. Then, see if any of these risk factors are present in your life: too much stress, lack of sleep, late and lavish dinners and overindulging in salty and smoked foods. Sometimes puffiness is caused by even more trivial reasons, such as a wrong pillow. Raising your head slightly above the body level should help. Pay attention to cosmetics you use for your eye area. Those with thick and heavy texture may also cause puffiness.

If, despite your perfect state of health, good eating habits, adequate amount of sleep and right cosmetic choices, you still end up with those baggy circles under your eyes, then the cause of the problem may be anatomical. In some people, membrane that separates the skin and underlying fibers is very thin. It thins out even more with age, bringing the fibers closer to the skin and thus giving your face that puffy look. In this case, massage done by a professional can be quite effective.

Unless cause by internal disorders or genetics, puffiness under eyes can be prevented. Cosmetologists recommend paying attention to the delicate eye area starting at 20-25 years of age, especially, if your relatives have this problem.

Avoid such risk factors as stress, unhealthy foods, beer and strong alcoholic beverages - they all lead to water retention. You may want to limit your fluid intake as well.

Look for light eye creams and gels with arnica, vitamin K, collagen, elastin or hyaluronic acid.

Homemade treatments can also be effective. To reduce puffiness and improve circulation, mix 2 teaspoon of sour cream and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped parsley, put mixture in cheesecloth and apply to the eye area for 10-15 minutes.

Another easy recipe is grated potato, applied in the same manner as the sour cream eye mask. These masks will produce visible improvements if done 1-2 times a week.

Herbal compress is another natural treatment you can do at home.

Cover 1 tsp of sage leaves with 1/2 cup of boiling water and let stand for 10 minutes. Filter the infusion and divide it into two parts - warm and cold. Soak two gauze pads or cotton balls in each bowl and apply to eyes: 10 minutes warm and 10 minutes cold. Do this procedure every night during a month. Sage can be substituted by chamomile or dill weeds.

Finish treatments with your favorite anti-puffiness eye cream.

All of the above measures, including massage, are also very beneficial in preventing wrinkles and brightening the skin. You don't have to wait for puffy eyes or wrinkles to show up. Do something good for your skin now to keep it from aging.

(C) Natalie Katsman, 2004