The Causes Of Dark Circle & Puffy Eyes Causes + Natural Remedies 

One of the most common questions I get asked by many patients is what they can do about the dark, puffy circles and bags under their eyes. Women spend more time and money buying concealers than they do acknowledging why they have these imperfections to begin with. Well, I'm here to tell you to look a little closer because there's always a reason, and many of those reasons are easily avoidable!

Here are common culprits of those pesky eye problems and a few natural remedies you should try before your next (probably unnecessary) skin care product splurge:

First things first, ask yourself: Am I getting enough sleep? If not, keep on snoozing. "Beauty sleep" is very real; it's a necessary part of any skin care routine. The nighttime is your bodies most important regeneration time. In fact, it's up to to three times faster than during the day. Most notably, the skin sees a surge in HGH (human growth hormone) in the nighttime sleep cycle. The release of HGH helps rebuild body tissues1 and spurs increased cell production to replace cells that were damaged throughout the day. 

When your body doesn't get this precious sleeping time, skin looks more sallow, tired, and the blood vessels underneath peak through, causing the mauve, purple or brown color synonymous with dark circles.

Allergies don't just present themselves in the form of pollen. Yes, environmental sensitivities can definitely show up on your skin via puffy, watery eyes, but food allergies could also be the culprit behind those puffy eyes. The symptoms of a food allergy or sensitivity can occur anywhere in your body, not just the digestive system. Obviously symptoms vary from person to person and food to food, but many times, physical manifestations of food allergies include watery eyes, itchy skin, or puffy face or eyes. Sounds unpleasant, right?

If you find that your face is experiencing anything like this after you eat a certain food, chances are your body is having an adverse reaction to the ingredient in question. For any severe reactions, I'm a big fan of allergy and food intolerance tests performed by a physician. This will tell you what, if any, foods and ingredients you're allergic to or intolerant of.

The cheaper, DIY version is to set yourself up on an elimination diet. Start by removing the most common allergens (gluten, dairy, soy, corn, peanuts, eggs, sugar) for 21 days, then slowly reintroduce one of the foods every three days. If your face puffs up after adding something back into your diet, chances are your body doesn't like it, and it could be the reason for those dark circles and itchy eyes!

There's much more to hypothyroidism than puffy eyes, but it is a common symptom of an underactive thyroid. If you find that you're experiencing other symptoms that fit with the condition, make sure to talk to your health care provider and get tested. Often in my patients who have underactive thyroids, their puffy eyes get better once the condition is treated.

Visit your doctor to find out if this is the cause of your puffy eyes or face.

How much salt are you eating? A diet high in salt can encourage fluid retention, leading to puffy eyes (along with other parts of the body). Be sure to pay attention to sodium levels in your food, especially if you're eating anything processed. Here are five easy ways to reduce the amount of salt in your diet.

As we age, our skin changes. One of those changes, is our skin may thin. When this happens, the blood vessels underneath become more prominent—as well as more susceptible to puffiness, wrinkles, and so forth.

Now that you know the common triggers for puffy eyes and dark under-eye circles, here are five all-natural remedies you can easily keep on hand in your kitchen for a last-minute treatment: