You know the popular saying: The bags under my eyes are designer? Well, I’ve had designer bags since I was a child. Seriously. In most of my baby photos till about age 6, you can see the bags under my eyes. For some people it isn’t an overtime thing, but instead hereditary. Sadly, even if I get an adequate amount of sleep and eat a healthy diet, the under-eye puffiness doesn’t always disappear. In fact, they darken, discolor, or become puffier with age. Figuring out the cause of the under-eye puff will be paramount to treating it properly.

Essentially, the eyes are the most vulnerable place, most seen by the sun and are the most susceptible to various changes that affect their appearance. Sometimes it’s due to genetics, allergies, lack of sleep, fluid retention, sun exposure, or a power diet. Unfortunately, there is no catch-all fix to de-puff eyes, but there are certainly more effective treatments to help control eye puffiness. As someone who has tried multiple solutions, I have put together the below guide to help you beat eye puffiness.

Don’t sleep on a cold spoon

This one will cost you nothing because chances are you have a spoon in your house. It is one of the oldest hacks in the book. Basically leave 2 clean teaspoons in your freezer and when you wake up puffy, simply press a spoon against your eyes for a few minutes. By doing so, you will help constrict the vessels and reduce inflammation in the area. Make sure you wet the spoon before applying as it will be quite cold and potentially stick to your face if you don’t. PS: Cold skincare really works wonders.

Water, water, water

To keep puffiness at bay, stay hydrated. When you are dehydrated, your body will hold onto all the fluid it can, which can lead to more under-eye puffiness.

Don’t underestimate an eye cream

Investing in a good eye cream is a great tactic to minimize the appearance of under-eye bags. Look for a good moisturizing eye cream with ingredients like green tea, caffeine, niacinamide, peptides and other antioxidants that will help reduce inflammation and constrict blood vessels to reduce puffiness. Some of the drugstore eye creams also have special peptides that stimulate collagen to help improve wrinkles and other signs of aging as well.

Tap your way through

And when you apply that eye cream, make sure you tap it on instead of rub the cream or moisturizer. Tapping will help encourage lymphatic drainage.

If nothing else works, call your dermatologist

Say you’ve tried all of the above and nothing else is working. Try calling your dermatologist and see if there is a surgery or treatment that you could be put on. The most common is radio frequency micro needling, which inserts tiny needles over numb cream to heat the dermal tissue, reduce fat, and tighten skin to provide a smooth and firm surface.

Sometimes, it might just be the simplest thing like not getting enough sleep. Help yourself by creating the most optimal sleep environment.