How do I fix my puffy eyes?

You might need to try a multi-pronged approach, says the Kit’s editor-at-large

“I have always had puffy eyes, as opposed to dark circles. My grandma had me put tea bags on them, but nothing ever really helped. I just wear glasses now to sort of hide behind. What should I do?”—James, Toronto

This is the time of year when most of us are left feeling a little puffy. I was lucky enough to bookend an all-you-can-eat beach vacation with family dinners and a couple of boozy nights with friends, so while my eyes aren’t the only things feeling a little swollen, they certainly are the most noticeable. The old trope holds up: The eyes are the windows to the soul and often let you know if your lifestyle has slipped out of alignment.

Why is that? “Well, the eye area is as delicate as very fine tissue paper, so anything you’re experiencing is going to be exacerbated around the eyes,” explains beauty leader Stephanie Gee, who is one of the founders of Gee Beauty, a painfully chic destination for curated beauty finds and treatments in Toronto and Miami.

What are the common culprits that could make you swell like a balloon at a parade? Stress, lack of sleep, loading up on salty foods, allergens, dehydration, sinus congestion, hereditary predispositions and on and on.

It’s an extensive web of irritants to parse — especially when you’re already tired and bloated. But the big picture is this: “The overarching challenge is that there’s a lack of circulation,” Gee explains, causing inflammation to get trapped in the tissue around your eyes instead of being sent on its merry way. “So while you might not be able to fix every issue, especially hereditary ones, you can definitely improve the look and reduce the intensity.” That knowledge alone is soothing.

So your first step should be to try to get your blood moving and your fluids draining, Gee says. “Massage is going to be very helpful for that area,” she explains. “Work on patting the area gently with the fingertips, doing a light flutter motion or a circular motion around the eyes to give yourself a bit of a massage.” Tools — like the Instagram-famous jade rollers — can also be helpful and super stimulating, while also remaining gentle on the delicate skin. Gee’s go-to is the Gua Sha style, which, for the uninitiated, essentially resembles a bowl scraper used by bakers. “It helps to flush out excess water and inflammation, if you use a gentle amount of pressure and work it in an upwards and outwards motion,” Gee says. (In a pinch, you can also apply a cold compress to the area, which could help temporarily ease some swelling — the reason spa-goers applied cool cucumbers.)

Though your grandmother suggested tea bags as a treatment, there are a lot of more targeted products on the shelf these days. “I often wear patches under my eyes as I get ready for work or an event,” says Gee. Her favourites are clear, so you can even slap them on while on a flight or under sunglasses while walking the dog. (Sometimes multitasking is good; sometimes it means you’re half-reading an email while drinking tepid coffee and misspelling your kid’s name on a form.) These handy mini-masks deliver potent skincare right where you need it most and can act as a kick in the pants to your regular routine.

When it comes to your daily regimen, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind, Gee says. First and foremost, make sure your products are gentle (fragrance-free and ophthalmologist-approved are also a bonus). Puffy eyes can be a symptom of a sensitivity to an irritating product, after all. Also, if you wear makeup, you must pledge to take it off every night before bed — another common cause of unhappy eyes.

Then, opt for high-quality serums over eye creams, Gee suggests. They tend to have more active ingredients — the heavy-hitters that can tackle pesky issues — rather than lotions, which are geared more toward simple hydration. Finish things off with a sunscreen specially formulated for use around sensitive eyes, Gee says, since these formulas are non-migrating and won’t run into your eyes. (SkinCeuticals makes her Holy Grail SPF product.)

Oxygen-based and radio-frequency treatments can also help de-puff your eyes, as well, if you’re up for splurging on a spa day.

“Oxygen can help with circulation and the overall hydration of the skin, and radio frequency is basically a heat-based treatment that helps to work on that circulation and promotes natural collagen,” Gee says.

Lastly, make sure your lifestyle is in check: drinking enough water helps flush out your system, but adding a little lemon to your water will boost the antiinflammatory effects even further, Gee says — as will working up a little sweat. “Any activity, from walking to strength training, will help increase circulation and get rid of water retention.”

It may seem a bit blink-inducing to hear that the solution to puffy eyes can be found on a Zumba sign-up sheet — not this year, Satan! — but that might be oversimplifying a tad. In reality, the best thing you can do for your eyes, and yourself, is to be realistic and reliable. “There is no doubt that every little thing helps,” Gee says, “but only when you’re consistent.”