Reducing Eye Bags with Hydration

Reducing eye bags with hydration has been a recent discovery for me. People advised me all the time not to drink water before bed in order to reduce puffy eyes. This could not be further from the truth. I came to realise that eye bag removal surgeries and eye creams, no matter how effective, are just temporary solutions to getting rid of eye bags. Water is key to hydration, and fluid balance is paramount for de-puffing eye bags with longer-lasting results.

By hydrating from the inside out, we are maintaining a whole lot of balances in our body. I am not an expert into the whole water homeostasis of things, but as counterintuitively as this sounds, consuming more fluids indeed helped in de-puffing eye bags instead of bloating them.

Puffy Eye Bags caused by Dehydration

Firstly, understanding how dehydration causes puffy eye bags gives grounds for the necessary lifestyle and dietary changes to reduce eye puffiness; although in my case, was by chance. The temperature has gotten unbearable these months, and with me not drinking enough water, have led my body to reach the point of heat exhaustion. Excessive sweating means there is more fluid loss than usual and that was when dehydration struck me.

Soon after I began making it a point to drink water regularly (in fact much more often than my usual because I am always not hydrating enough hence explains my chronic eye bags), I realised that my usually swollen under eyes have become less noticeable. As someone who has gone through a ton of eye creams and been doing lymphatic drainage massages, I surprised myself by not knowing this sooner.

Water Loss vs Water Retention: How They Affect Eye Bags Differently

There are many ways through which our body loses and retains water, such as perspiration, certain medication and even digestion. As someone who drinks a lot of coffee and snacks frequently, I’ll just be focusing on the dietary effects in this post.

Caffeinated and diuretic food and drinks, as well as high sodium intake can contribute to water loss and water retention respectively. Consuming caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea, as well as diuretic foods like asparagus and cranberries, can result in a person urinating more often, causing fluid to deplete. Our body attempts to conserve water when we get dehydrated, and this can cause fluids to accumulate in body cavities. Our eye socket cavity can become fluid-filled and results in the swelling of the under eye area.

Salt on its own is not the culprit of dehydration, in fact the body needs salt for fluid balance. However sodium is a major compound of salt, and only poses an issue when an excessive amount of sodium is consumed. The body then retains more water to dilute the excess sodium to maintain the correct balance, leading to fluid buildup. This causes issues like bloating or swelling, including facial puffiness and eye bags.

Fluid Balance is Key to De-puffing Eye Bags

Fluid balance is really the key to de-puffing eye bags. If you are a lover of processed foods, adequate water intake is crucial to flush the excess sodium out. This way the sodium level is balanced, and the body will know not to amass any extra fluid, thus reducing the chances of baggy eyes. If you consume a lot of caffeinated beverages, hydrate yourself more to replenish the fluid loss due to frequent peeing for optimal fluid balance.

There is no need to note the amount of water you drink at intervals or certain times of the day. On normal days I just made sure I take sips throughout the day to stay constantly hydrated. This usually works out to be around 2 litres daily. On days when I know I’ve consumed more sodium or caffeine than usual, I’d take in 50% more fluids, i.e. 3 litres instead of 2 litres of water for that day.

Maintaining fluid balance also helps in regulating our blood pressure. I’ve learnt that the state of dehydration can increase our blood pressure especially night, so I do not avoid water even when it is just before my bed time. In the case of fluid retention, blood flow can get obstructed, and high blood pressure can arise. Contrary to beliefs (at least for me), sufficient fluid intake not only does not wake me up to pee in the middle of the night, it actually helps me to sleep better. As it turns out, consuming water as per normal at night does not worsen my eye puffiness. However, this may differ from person to person depending on other health factors.

Hydrating Eye Gel Complementary to Water Drinking Regimen

I’ve always been told that hydrating (as opposed to eye serums) eye gels or creams are too mild for my eye bags. Beauty advisors would also discourage me, a woman in her 40s, from getting any water-based eye gels as they are more suited for younger skin. Thankfully, my stubborn but quite often accurate instinct tells me there’s room to debunk this preconception.

The Su:m37 Water-full Timeless Water Eye Gel Lifting Essence has enhanced my eye bag de-puffing regimen considerably. For those who’d seen or read my previous eye bag tutorials or blogs, my right eye puffiness has always been quite severe. I mean, just look at the above photo now. My regular drinking of fluids and using a hydrating eye gel not only work on de-puffing eye bags but deflating my them significantly. I’ve also noticed that the result sustains a much longer time compared to using eye creams alone that only have temporary effect on de-puffing eye bags.

De-puffing eye bags is all about Hydrating from the Inside Out

That was when I realised that those swollen puffy eyes are just thirsty for water! It doesn’t even matter if the eye gel is lightweight or mild; so long as it serves the purpose of keeping the under eye area supple and hydrated. You literally just need to hydrate your skin from the inside and out. Sufficient moisture content and fluid balance is really the best natural remedy for puffy eyes.

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Disclaimer: The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical/ dermatological advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare/ skincare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment. Talk with your healthcare/ skincare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Nothing contained herein is intended to be used for dermatological/ medical diagnosis or treatment.