Puffy
eyes

Everything you need to know about puffy eyes – how to prevent, treat and beat them

Read time

5 min

In a nutshell, for you:

Puffy Eyes: How to Prevent, Treat and Beat Them
What Causes Puffy Eyes?
Quick Remedies for Puffy Eyes
Removing Make-up Makes You Beautiful
Make-up Tips for Puffy Eyes
Eye Wrinkles
How to Prevent Eye Wrinkles

Puffy eyes are something we all experience from time to time, often caused by late nights, too much screen time, lack of sleep, poor diet and dehydration. If you're wondering how to get rid of puffy eyes, this guide explains what causes them and how to reduce their appearance, along with the everyday habits and eye care tips that may help your eyes look fresher, more awake and less puffy.

Understanding puffy eyes

Puffy eyes: How to
prevent, treat and beat them

There are so many causes of puffy eyes – late nights out, lovesickness, too much screen time, lack of sleep, a poor diet and dehydration. We're here to help you with tips on how to avoid puffy eyes, plus some soothing remedies for when you just can't escape them.

Puffy under eyes

What causes
puffy eyes?

Your eyelids are made of very thin skin, and the tissue beneath is loose and soft. It doesn't contain much oil but has lots of blood vessels and lymph vessels – and these all retain fluid. A lot of liquid moves around here in a very small space. When you're fresh and well rested, these aren't noticeable. But when you've been out, your body not only suffers from lack of sleep but also a lack of liquid, oxygen and minerals. As a result, lymphatic fluid is retained in the tissue around your eyes, making them appear puffy. Additionally, a lack of permeability in the vessel walls, genetic predisposition and ageing skin can also contribute to regular puffy under eyes and tear sacs.

LACK OF SLEEP

There are loads of reasons for lack of sleep. It could be thanks to a late night out, or the renowned sleepless nights that come with motherhood.

We can't help much with the lack of sleep itself, but these tips will get you ready to tackle puffy eyes and help you look fresh and perky again the morning after the night before.

As a new mum, sleep is important for both of you. Try to sleep when your baby sleeps – easier said than done, but it really helps.

On nights out, try to drink at least one glass of water with every cocktail or glass of wine. This keeps your body topped up with fluids and dilutes the dehydrating effects of alcohol.
The morning after, remember to drink more water or fresh juice to keep your body well hydrated.

What helps with swollen eyes

Quick remedies for
puffy eyes

The result of an insufficient night's sleep is puffy eyes and dark circles. Don’t stress – we’ve got some great tips for rapid recovery and long-term care for dark circles under eyes.

STAY COOL

A quick and calming solution for puffy eyes is applying something cold and soothing to the area. Treat your eyes to a cool cucumber mask – this not only reduces puffiness but also releases moisture at the same time. If time is against you in the morning, or you don't have a cucumber handy, pop a couple of cool dessert spoons in the freezer overnight and then apply for a few minutes to each eye.

woman applying NIVEA Q10 power anti-wrinkle cream

MASSAGE YOUR EYES

A little massage works wonders. Gently massage puffy areas with an anti-wrinkle cream. Apply it with circling movements from the outside in and pat it in lightly if you need to. Q10 cools and freshens your skin while allowing lymphatic fluids to slowly drain away. Just be careful with your eyes and don’t press too hard!

Explore our Q10 Energy range to help combat puffy eyes.

RESTORE WITH WATER

If you've used up a lot of energy the night before, make sure you top your levels back up again. Drink at least two litres of water, preferably at intervals throughout the day. And after a party, before you go to bed, drink another large glass of water. This not only helps flush out your kidneys but can also help ease headaches the next morning.

SLEEP IT OFF

Sleep is when your body regenerates itself the most. Around seven hours is ideal – plenty of time for those puffy eyes to start disappearing. Sleep is even more restorative when the room temperature is right and your sleeping position is comfortable, keeping stress on your body low.
The temperature in your bedroom shouldn’t be higher than about 18 degrees Celsius. Treat your eyes to little rests during the day, too – just spending a few minutes with your eyes closed can be enough.

Go to sleep with a clean face

Removing make-up
makes you beautiful

Caring for the skin around your eyes is important, as these areas are thin and sensitive. Used regularly, the right products can help hydrate, refresh, and firm delicate skin, helping the area around your eyes appear fresher and more awake.

REMOVING MAKE-UP MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of your face hitting that cool pillow with all your make-up removed. Plus, keeping it on while you sleep is the biggest beauty sin of all. Leftover make-up clogs your pores and can cause pimples. With ready-to-use make-up removal products such as make-up removal wipes, taking off your eye make-up is quick and easy. NIVEA Cleansing Wipes have a fragrance-free formula to cleanse sensitive skin particularly gently and thoroughly. They remove make-up and even take off that hard-to-shift waterproof mascara too.

Discover NIVEA Cleansing Wipes

Make-up and puffy eyes

Make-up tips
for puffy eyes

The correct use of make-up can help puffy eyes appear brighter and more awake, and these simple tips may help:

1
Don’t try to cover any puffiness with concealer, as this will only emphasise the area.

2
Don’t use a brightly coloured eye shadow – this will also emphasise puffy eyelids.

3
Apply a small amount of mascara to the ends of your lashes and use a dark eyeliner to draw an upwardly slanting line – this will help make your eyes look bigger.

4
Add a flash of colour with some lipstick.

5
If your complexion is quite pale, you can also use a light blush to give you a fresher look.

6
Use an eye cream to reduce puffy eyes where you need it.

Gentle care for beautiful eyes

Eye
wrinkles

Puffy eyes can lead to premature ageing and the appearance of wrinkles.

EYE CREAMS

The skin around your eyes is very thin and sensitive, so using eye creams that are designed for this area is important to reduce puffy or wrinkled eyes.

Alternatively, placing cucumber slices over your eyes and lying down to rest can also help reduce puffy eyes.

How to
PREVENT EYE WRINKLES

Wear sunglasses to avoid squinting when you're outside – this can cause wrinkles under your eyes.
Sleep on your back – sleeping on your stomach or side can put pressure on your face and help encourage eye wrinkles.
Resist the urge to rub your eyes throughout the day, even if you're tired.
Avoid pulling your eyelid taut when you apply eyeliner.
Get regular eye tests so you don’t squint unnecessarily.
Give yourself time to recover – once you've partied, it can be tempting to go again. Time and rest will let your body recover to help reduce puffy eyes, dark circles and eye wrinkles.