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6 ways to get rid of puffy eyes

6:14 AM, Oct 11, 2012   |    comments
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Waking up with puffy eyes can be an everyday thing.

Here are six tricks to getting rid of the bags from Yahoo!

1. Choose a caffeinated cream. Drinking a double espresso won't help under-eye bags, but applying caffeine topically can. Caffeine draws water away from the skin for a tighter appearance. You can place cool, moist black-tea bags on your eyes for five minutes or just use an eye cream that contains caffeine.

2. Witch Hazel. Witch hazel is a natural skin-tightening astringent. Soak two cotton pads in cold witch hazel and apply one to each closed eye for five minutes. Try keeping a bottle in the fridge, just in case.

3. Slice up a cucumber. Believe it or not, your mother was right - chilled cucumber slices are a good remedy for bags. They contain enzymes that reduce inflammation. Also, since the veggie is 90-percent water, it has an instant cooling effect.

4. Give yourself an eye massage. If you've ever had a professional facial, then you know how well rested you look afterward. That's because most facials include what the pros call "manual lymphatic drainage," which is a massage that helps push fluid out of the area. Using your ring fingers, start at the inner corners of your eyes and slowly massage in a slow, circular motion to the outer corners. Then, move to your temples and down your jawline.

5. Cold spoons. This low-tech solution is surprisingly effective. Place cold metal spoons on your eyes for three minutes to tighten up the skin. Another option is a bag of frozen peas - it'll contour to the shape of your face.

6. Hemorrhoid cream. Sounds gross, but the main ingredient - phenylephrine - constricts blood vessels and shrinks under-eye tissue. Apply just a bit of cream to the puffy area, being very careful not to get too close to your eye.