Swelling under the eyes - causes and methods of treatment

The accumulation of excess fluid in the tissues of the body causes edema under the eyes. There are not many people who have never faced this unpleasant and unaesthetic problem. Very often, this phenomenon is observed in the morning after a sleepless night, or after stresses and nervous shocks, which were accompanied by intense crying.

To find out what causes led to the swelling of the eyes - an innocuous, physiological or pathological process (when edema is a sign of any disease), a thorough analysis of this condition is necessary.

Causes of eye puffiness

The term “puffiness of the eyes” refers to the process by which excess interstitial fluid accumulates in the eyelid. A larger volume of fluid is localized in the cells of the body, the rest - in the intercellular space.When water and electrolyte balance is disturbed, which mainly occurs as a result of certain pathologies, edema occurs. The fact that they are very noticeable on the eyelids is explained by the physiological features of this area, which are as follows:

• the skin on the eyelids is very thin;
• there are no sebaceous glands;
• there are many vessels;
• muscle activity is rather weak.

You should know that swelling under the eyes and bags are different concepts. The latter are formed as a result of the fact that the skin becomes less elastic and elastic (usually these are age-related changes) and is not capable of retaining fatty tissue located in this area.

Edema is an excess of interstitial fluid retained as a result of disruptions in metabolism.

There may be many provoking factors:

1. Inflammation. The main manifestations of this process are redness of the skin, a local feeling of heat, the appearance of discomfort or pain when touching the zone of inflammation. The causes of the inflammatory process are usually some diseases: barley, furunculosis, chalazion. A common cold or a runny nose can also lead to this.In most cases, the lesion affects the upper eyelid.
2. Allergy. Puffiness can be an allergic reaction to an external factor. One eyelid usually swells, edema develops rapidly and just as quickly passes. In the role of an allergen can be any substance - a drug, cosmetic, food, flowers and plants. In addition, local reactions may occur if the allergen gets on the mucous membrane. As a result, it becomes red, itchy, burning, feeling of "sand" in the eyes.
3. Internal illnesses. Puffiness of the eyelids is one of the manifestations of diseases such as thyroid disease, pituitary, heart disease and blood vessels, kidney disease, problems with venous outflow. Similar puffiness specifically develops and proceeds. The processes localized in most cases in the zone of the lower eyelid, more pronounced in the morning, indicate kidney disease. Edemas, which appear in the evening, signaling diseases of the heart and blood vessels. In the presence of internal diseases, edemas are usually arranged symmetrically, that is, they appear immediately under two eyes.To establish the exact cause, you must visit a doctor who will prescribe the necessary diagnostic procedures.
4. Violation of hormonal and pregnancy. Increased production of estrogen, which occurs before the onset of menstruation, causes fluid retention in the tissues, which is why swelling under the eyes is formed. In addition, puffiness can occur due to changes in hormone levels, which happens during puberty, menopause, and drug therapy with hormone-containing drugs. Some women notice the appearance of edema during childbirth, especially in recent months. If swelling occurs throughout pregnancy due to excessive weight gain, you should consult a specialist. In this situation, the formation of edema can be a signal of any diseases. Most often it is kidney disease or dropsy.
5. Mechanical damage. This item includes various traumatic injuries (burns, bruises, insect bites), accompanied by tissue swelling and the appearance of hematomas.Edema can occur not only in trauma to the eyelids, but also in the head divisions located above. This is due to the fact that such lesions result in damage to the blood vessels, as a result of which, under the influence of pressure, the blood falls to the lower parts - into the eyelids. A characteristic feature of such edema is that they rather quickly pass by themselves, even if they are not treated.
6. Disturbed outflow of venous blood and lymph. Some surgical procedures on the head, especially on the face, can lead to this phenomenon. For example, cosmetic manipulations to rejuvenate the skin near the eyes can cause stagnation of blood and lymph, and this will lead to the accumulation of fluid and the appearance of eyelid swelling.
7. Heredity. If the skin around the eyes began to swell in childhood or adolescence, there is no problem with health, and there are no provocative factors, then this is most likely a genetic factor. In particular, if someone from close relatives also have the same problem.
8. General fatigue and increased eye strain. Both of these factors often cause eyelid swelling.This problem is familiar to many people who, due to the nature of their profession, have to spend a lot of time behind a computer monitor, driving a car (especially at night and under insufficiently favorable weather conditions), as well as those who read a lot in artificial light and watch TV. . All this leads to the fact that the eye muscles are tense all the time, because of which the eyelids area is worse supplied with blood. Such a violation causes the penetration of fluid into the interstitial space, resulting in the formation of edema. He does not allow to normalize blood circulation, it turns out a vicious circle. Chronic fatigue leads to the fact that the daily routine is disrupted: you cannot sleep at night, and get out of bed in the morning. The lack of rest is reflected in the appearance, including the appearance of edema under the eyes.
9. Age changes. The skin of the eyelids is very thin and sensitive. And over the years, it becomes even more subtle and weakened. Because of its fragility, the bone tissue is not able to provide support to the tissues in the same way as in youth. Because of this, they begin to go beyond normal boundaries.In addition, the older a person is, the worse his internal organs function, including the kidneys, all processes become slower. The removal of fluid accumulated in the tissues is not as fast as before. All this is the reason that in older people puffiness of the eyelids is a constant phenomenon.
10. Excess salt. Everyone knows that salt can retain fluid in the body. Especially when she gets into it in the evening, before the person goes to bed. If you regularly consume excessively salty food, preservation, there will be a constant accumulation of fluid in the adipose tissue of the lower and upper eyelids. In addition, after eating such products all the time I want to drink, because of this, an even greater amount of water enters the body, which is retained in the body, again due to salt. So, everything goes in a circle: salted dishes - water - fluid retention - puffiness.

What else can cause eyelid swelling?

In addition to physiological factors and diseases, the occurrence of edema can occur due to individual characteristics.First of all, this is due to lifestyle, the use of certain products, addiction to cigarettes and alcohol.

So, the following may cause edema:

1. Sleepless night. Those who like to have fun until the morning, at risk to see, waking up, swelling under the eyes. This is due to several reasons: the abuse of alcohol or energy drinks, artificial light, short sleep, resulting in a person does not feel rested.
2. Tears, especially at night.
3. The use of cosmetics. It should be remembered that decorative cosmetics, which is applied in the morning, should be washed off at night, it is advisable to do this at least a couple of hours before going to bed, otherwise the skin will not rest.

Methods for treating edema under the eyes

Independently get rid of the swelling of the eyelids and the entire face can be, if regularly carry out the following procedures:

1. Contrast washing. Having noticed swelling on the face in the morning, it is necessary to immediately wash it first with warm, then cool water. Through this procedure, blood circulation will improve, the skin will be filled with energy, swelling and stagnation in the tissues will disappear.
2. Gentle massaging of the face and the area under the eyes: it is necessary to massage the area of ​​the eyelids with gentle, tapping movements, as well as patting the rest of the face.
3. Massage with ice cubes. Good help from puffiness eyes compresses made according to traditional medicine recipes. However, when there is no time for cooking, you can use ice cubes to massage your eyelids.

At the moment there are a lot of tools that help locally eliminate the swelling of the eyelids and circles under the eyes. But they can be applied only after it is confirmed that the cause of the phenomenon was not any pathology. Otherwise, the desired result from the use of cosmetic procedures and popular recipes will not be, because the provoking factor will not go anywhere, and swelling will again be formed under the eyes.

Folk remedies for swelling under the eyes

Well help from swelling of the eyes, especially when they are not a symptom of a disease, recipes of traditional medicine. Below are the most effective ones.

1. Tea compresses. Both black and green varieties will do.The composition of tea contains caffeine and tannin - these components contribute to the narrowing of blood vessels, reduce edema, because they have an astringent effect and eliminate skin swelling. Speaking about the means of swelling of the eyes, it is impossible not to mention chamomile tea. The tool effectively fights inflammation, has a calming effect, relieves irritation, redness and swelling. It is possible to remove puffiness, if you apply cotton pads to the eyelids, having previously moistened them in freshly brewed tea.
2. Eye Mask. To make this cosmetic, you must chop the parsley (1 tsp) and add fresh sour cream (2 tsp), mix well. The composition impose on the problem area for 30 minutes. Then remove the residue with plenty of water. The next step is the application of the usual care products. There is another recipe for the mask of edema, which is prepared from lemon balm. You need to take about two large spoons of crushed plants, squeeze the juice. Soak two slices of bread crumb from the bread and place on the eyelids, leave for a third of an hour. Remove residues with cold water.
3. Parsley compress. The plant should be finely chopped, squeeze the juice.Take two napkins of gauze, moisten them in the juice of parsley, put on a swollen area, leave for 15 minutes.

As a preventive measure against the appearance of edema, it is necessary to ensure proper nutrition with a minimum amount of salt and a large volume of water.

The formation of puffiness in the morning is strongly influenced by the position in which the person sleeps. The best option is to sleep on the back, the head should be located slightly above the body. So the liquid will not accumulate under the eyes.

Video: how to remove bags under the eyes