BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Get Bags Under Our Eyes?

All humans eventually develop bags under our eyes -- but why? Learn how it happens -- and about some inexpensive, unobtrusive home remedies -- in this classic episode of BrainStuff.​

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,
brain Stuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today's episode is a
classic from our previous host, Christian Sagar. This is one
that Christian was personally curious about, but that many of
us have wondered. Why is it that we get bags
under our eyes? And if we want to prevent it,
how can we do that without expensive creams, cosmetics or

(00:24):
elective surgeries. Hello there, I'm Christian Sager and this is
brain Stuff. When I was growing up, I had a
science teacher named Mr. Thayer. He had these really deep
set eyes with dark circles around them and loose, baggy
skin underneath. At the time, I thought his eyes were

(00:46):
really cool, like they made him look wise and knowledgeable.
And now I'm probably the same age Mr Thair was then,
and I've got bags under my eyes, but they don't
seem as cool now. They just make me look tired
all the time. But here's the thing, sooner or later,
all of us are going to have them. We all
get bags under our eyes. So what causes them anyways,

(01:09):
and how should we treat them? Well, there are lots
of possible causes for what's scientifically known as para orbital hyperchromia,
but the most obvious one is aging. See we may
not like to talk about this in certain circles, but
we all have fat above, below, and behind our eyes
for cushioning. This is in case something slams into your eye,

(01:31):
like say a fist, the fat will take most of
the blow and save your skull from some damage. But
as we get older, the septum orbital ligaments in our
skin decompose and all that gooey fat pushes down and out,
and the skin loosens into swollen, puffy bags. And this thin,

(01:52):
weak skin exposes the tiny blood vessels underneath, making our
fat eye bags look darker. Also, as we lose volume
around our eyes, our orbital bones are exposed, creating a
kind of depressed gutter revealing our eye sockets. If you've
already got forward set eyes and receding cheekbones, those gutters

(02:13):
are going to look even deeper. And there are reasons
other than aging that contribute to these lovely dark fat
bags under our eyes. Genetics don't help. If your mother
or father have eyebags, you probably will too. Also, any
kind of fluid build up around the eyes is going
to make the bags worse because fat cells are mainly

(02:34):
made of water. Sinus infections from allergies, for instance, which
I often get, stretch the skin under your eyes even more. Also,
crying right before bed, which I often do, has the
same effect. When you get bags under your eyes from
fluid retention like this, they're most noticeable in the morning.
Other causes of water retention under your eyes can include

(02:57):
salty food and pre menstrual hormonal chains. And let's face it,
if you're up late burning the candle at both ends.
That doesn't help either. Neither does a lack of exercise.
But if you're really looking for something else to blame,
those dark circles are sometimes caused by an excess of
melanin pigmentation deposits in the skin. So I know you're

(03:19):
all out there wondering, but Christian, what's your secret? How
do you treat your eyebags? Well? Of course, you can
always cover them up with makeup, or you can turn
to your friendly neighborhood doctor for needles and scalpels. For instance,
dermatologists often inject wrinkle fillers with awesome names like Juva,
derm and rest ale in under people's eye muscles to

(03:40):
reduce their baggage. Mix that with some botox and you'll
look years younger. It's only a couple thousand dollars every
eight months, or you can spend big and go under
the knife for surgery. The official name is bluffero plasty,
and how it works is the doctor makes a few
incisions in your eyelid, melts the fat inside of there,

(04:01):
and either removes it or repositions it. Sometimes they even
add more with fat grafts. Then they tuck in the
remaining loose skin and use lasers to firm it up.
Sounds cool, right, And if pigment is your problem, they
can blast it with intense pulse lights to destroy yourselves
and smooth out your skin. Okay, so maybe you're thinking, now, Christian,

(04:25):
I don't want someone to stab me in the eyes,
or Christian, I'm cool with the stabbing and the burning,
but that surgery sounds awfully expensive. Well, here's a couple
home remedies I can share with you. If the bags
under your eyes are from fluid retention rather than aging,
you can cool something like a cucumber slice or tea
bags and place them on your eyes. The cold will
restrict your blood vessels and reduce the swelling. Some people

(04:48):
apply a cream made of fish cartilage compounds to keep
the vessels from expanding in the first place. You can
also try sleeping with an extra pillow to elevate your
head so the fluid just d rains out of your
face while you're sleeping, or change the position you're sleeping in,
like if you have one of those weird one droopy eyelids,
that's probably because you sleep on your side and gravity

(05:11):
is taking effect. People put all kinds of stuff on
their eyelids to reduce swelling, everything from vitamins to henroid cream,
and some recommend that you quit cigarettes and put sunscreen
around your eyes because both smoking and sunlight can weaken
the collagen in your face and cause premature fat bags sagging.
So here's the deal. We may not like the bags

(05:33):
under our eyes, but they're usually harmless. But if you've
got swollen, red, itching, painful eyes, you should probably go
see a doctor. Day's episode was written by Christian and
produced by Tyler Clang. For more in this and lots
of other topics, visit how Stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff
is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts of

(05:55):
my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.