When you wake up with puffy, swollen eyes even once, you possibly asked how to get rid of the bags under your eyes. Along with the morning breath, the dark circles, the bed hair and the dog-that-needs-to-pee, this is one of the most disturbing awakenings you can encounter.

The skin around the eyes is much thinner than elsewhere on the face, so it appears to show off the inside. That’s why dark circles sometimes appear — because the constricted blood vessels beneath the thin skin become barely noticeable. The muscles and tissues around your eyes often decline as you age. So, when you’re asleep, the normal fatty tissue around your eyes will fall to the bottom of your eyelids.

Having puffy eyes have a lot of factors to consider such as allergies or underlying medical problems, dehydration, inadequate rest, excessive salt intake, heavy smoking, or aging.

Worry not because some of the causes can be fixed right away. Some are obvious fixes — have enough sleep and always drink your water. But we can’t do anything about aging though. Sometimes we can’t prevent having a puffy eyes so here’s a four-part plan on how to get rid of those pesky dark circles under your eyes.

How to Reduce Puffy Eyes

1. Apply a proactive eye product before bed

Other eye creams and serums get rid of puffing (and dark circles and wrinkles) by invigorating the skin with things like peptides and other nutrients. They support firm and smooth the skin as you sleep, and make you wake up feeling far more relaxed. But nothing beats having a good night sleep, though. But remember that these aren’t magical healers that can cover up a hangover, dehydration, or lack of sleep. Rather these eye products will help combat the weakening of the skin, tissue, and muscles to keep everything nice and tight.

2. Apply a cold compress after waking up

Applying cold compress doesn’t mean you have to apply for a bare ice! You can use an ice pack or even frozen bag of peas but not ice. If you happen to use ice, make sure that you have a barrier between your skin and the ice so it won’t burn your skin. It’s the same reason why you apply ice to a sore ankle, to reduce blood flow in the area and reduce swelling.

3. Use a caffeinated Eye Cream

Like a cold compress, caffeine constricts the blood arteries and thereby acts like an anti-inflammatory agent. Applying a morning eye cream with caffeine is a simple cure for dark circles and puffiness. Bonus points if it contains the same firming ingredients as a healthy night cream, including peptides.

4. Try a Retinol

This supplements and items are highly effective against ageing. They help firm the skin and minimize wrinkles, fine lines, large pores, uneven skin tones, and so on. By integrating a concentrated retinol eye cream into your nightly routine, you will enjoy a long game of firmer, healthier skin. Usually, for weeks or months, you won’t see any spectacular effects. But certain retinol-packed skin treatments would also fulfill the short-term purposes of other eye creams.