How to get rid of bags under eyes

It’s a scenario many of us have found ourselves in– waking up in the morning, looking in the mirror and coming face-to-face with puffy under-eye bags.

The original version of this article was reviewed by Dr. Corey L. Hartman, dermatologist

But let’s not confuse temporary morning puffiness with true under-eye bags. They have different root causes and it takes more work to find solutions for bags under eyes.

In this article, we’ll lay out the reasons why they develop in the first place and share ways to improve the appearance below. Let’s get into it!

What you can expect:
What are bags under eyes?
What causes bags under eyes?
How to get rid of bags under eyes?

What are bags under eyes?

Bags around eyes are a stubborn, visible bulge beneath one or both eyes. They tend to feel squishy on touch and typically protrude next to the surrounding skin. Most people equate under-eye bags to puffy eyes, but remember that they’re not the same.

Temporarily bloated under-eyes can occur at any age. Often allergies, water intake, sleeping position, lots of crying or diet (like too much salt or alcohol) are the culprit. The good news is that you can reduce puffiness with skincare products and lifestyle pivots.

However, permanent under-eye bags tend to occur as we age. This is because, over time, the eye’s supportive fat pads begin to shift downward, dropping beneath and protruding from the immediate under-eye area. The result is permanent puffiness that won’t go away no matter the remedy. Dermatologist Dr. Hartman confirms, saying, “Blepharoplasty (a surgical procedure) is the only effective treatment to get rid of true fat pads causing eye bags.”

What causes bags under eyes?

When we’re young, the fat pads beneath the eyes – there are three – are held securely in place. A combination of time, sun damage and gravity are the main causes of bags around eyes. This is because these factors weaken the ligaments that work to anchor under-eye fat pads in place until they start to push outward. This is also what happens with hernias beneath the skin.

This shifting of fat pads usually happens gradually, but people can experience a sudden onset. In some cases, the under-eye bags become larger, often bulging out over the top of the cheekbones before shrinking back to their normal size (AKA a festoon or malar bag). This change in size and appearance is due to fluid retention from allergies, sinus issues or habits like smoking – but heredity aspects can play a role. This happens because these under-eye bags create pockets where fluid can more likely accumulate, exacerbating this condition.

Pro-ageing UV rays can also worsen bags under your eyes because they cause skin thinning and sagging. Just another reason to protect the eye area with SPF and UV protective sunglasses all year round.

How to get rid of bags under eyes?

When it comes to eye bag concerns from fat pads, there is no quick fix.

So if you’re wondering whether your eye bags will go away, the best eye cream can’t decrease malar bags or malar mounds because these are permanently displaced fat pads beneath the skin. Nothing topical can address them. Even though there are skincare products that claim to target this concern, only cosmetic surgery and certain laser treatments can help. Cosmetics for this concern may provide a brief tightening effect via constriction of the skin around the eye area, but this tactic can backfire since it irritates the skin over time.

The specific surgical procedure to fix this concern is blepharoplasty, which is an effective treatment for under-eye bags. Blepharoplasty can be performed on both the upper and lower eyelid areas. If your only concern is bags underneath, you would have a lower blepharoplasty. In this procedure, a surgeon uses one of two primary methods to access the drooping fat pads and supportive tissue and both methods leave only tiny, discrete scars. In this case, the surgeon works to remove bags under eyes by literally taking away the fat pads, resulting in a smoother and less droopy appearance.

In some cases, the surgeon removes excess fat and skin before the remaining fat pad is secured back into its original place. For younger patients, it’s typically a much simpler process of repositioning and securing the fat pad to keep it from pouching beneath the eye. After a brief recovery period, the under-eye bags are gone. We repeat: gone!

More and more, the research says that treating malar bags via hyaluronic acid injection is a viable non-surgical option, though we’d wait on more studies to establish the efficacy. Dr. Hartman says, “Treatment with hyaluronic acid fillers is used to fill any associated volume loss and can mask protrusion of the fat pad. For some patients, this is a temporizing measure to prolong blepharoplasty, but for many it is sufficient to prevent surgery altogether.”

If possible, you might like to try discussing with a cosmetic surgeon to determine which solution is best for you to fully remove bags under the eyes.