Puffy Eyes vs Eye Bags: What you think is swelling eyes may not be bags

In daily life, we often use eye bags to describe swelling of the eyes, but in fact, puffy eyes and eye bags are two different situations.  Although they all appear under the eyes, there are obvious differences in causes, appearance, duration and methods of improvement.  If you are often told by friends that "I didn't sleep well last night" but can't tell whether it is a bag or a swollen eye, then this article will help you understand it once.

1. What is Puffy Eyes?

Puffy eyes refer to temporary swelling of the periophthalmic tissue, which usually occurs at the upper or lower eyelid location.  Its formation is mainly related to moisture retention, poor blood circulation or allergic reactions.

Features: Sudden appearance, usually obvious when you wake up in the morning, and gradually fades away at noon or afternoon.

Common reasons:

• Deficiency of sleep or improper sleeping position - lying flat for a long time causes fluid accumulation in the eyes.
• High-salt diet - I ate too much salty food the night before, such as hot pot, barbecue, instant noodles.
• Allergic reactions - pollen, dust, cosmetic irritation leads to periophthalmic edema.
• After crying - the secretion of the tear glands increases and tissue fluid oozes out.
• Hormone changes—such as before and after menstruation, during pregnancy.

Case:

Xiao Wang is a white-collar worker who usually works overtime until late at night.  One morning I looked in the mirror and found that my eyes were swollen like "buns".  She was worried that it was bags in her eyes, but in the afternoon, the swelling obviously subsided, which was actually a typical puffy eyes.

2. What are Eye Bags?

Eye bags refer to the persistent bulge formed by the sagging skin of the lower eyelid and fat bulge, which is a structural change.  Unlike swelling, the bags in the eyes will not disappear by themselves, but may worsen with age.

Features: It looks like two small "bulges", which exist no matter morning and evening.

Common reasons:

•  Aging – loss of collagen and elastic fibers around the eyes, and loose skin.
•  Fat Transfer – Orbital fat in the lower eyelid protrudes forward.
•  Genetic factors - Some people have obvious eye bags in their twenties.
•  Long-term fatigue and bad living habits - accelerate periophthalmic aging.

Case:

Ms. Zhang is 42 years old this year. Even if she slept for 8 hours, her current "bulge" is still obvious.  After examination, the doctor confirmed that it was moderate eye bags and needed to undergo orbital septum fat release surgery to fundamentally improve.

Puffy Eyes vs Eye Bags: Five Differences

4. How to improve Puffy Eyes

Since swelling eyes are mostly caused by lifestyle, the focus of improvement is to reduce swelling and prevent:

• Ice Compression: Apply eyes with an ice spoon or ice pack for 5 minutes in the morning.
• Reduce salt intake: Avoid heavy flavors for dinner.
• Elevate the sleep pillow: reduce fluid retention in the eyes.
• Use Caffeine Eye Cream: Helps speed up blood circulation.
• Allergy management: Avoid known allergies and take anti-allergic drugs if necessary.

5. How to improve Eye Bags

After the eye bags are formed, skin care products alone are almost irreversible. Common ways to improve include:

Medical beauty methods

1. Hyaluronic acid fills the tear groove

Principle: Inject hyaluronic acid into the tear groove below the eye bag, and by filling and raising the depression, a smooth transition is formed, visually "weakening" the boundaries of the eye bags.  It is suitable for people with mild eye bags, obvious tear troughs but not loose skin, usually young or middle-aged women aged 25-40.

Operation procedure: The doctor will inject hyaluronic acid with a blunt Cannula or fine needle on the tear trough, for about 15-20 minutes.  It has a slight needle sensation, basically no recovery period is required, and may have mild redness and swelling, which generally resolves in 2-3 days.

Advantages and Disadvantages: The effect is immediate, the safety is high, and reversible (dissolving enzymes can decompose hyaluronic acid).  It lasts for 6-12 months and requires regular replenishment, so it cannot handle severe eye bags.

2. Thermogee / Ultrasonic Knife (Finding Medical Beauty)

Principle: Use radio frequency waves to heat the dermis and fascia layer to stimulate collagen regeneration and contraction, thereby firming the skin.  It is suitable for people with mild and moderate sagging skin, early eye bags, and obvious fine lines.

Operation process: Clean the eyes, apply surface anesthesia, and perform energy injection along the eye area for 30-45 minutes each time.

It has a mild prickly and heat feeling, with almost no recovery period, and some people may have a brief soreness and swelling.

Advantages and Disadvantages: Non-invasive, no incision is required, which can delay bag weighting in the eye.  The effect on fat-bulging eye bags is limited and requires multiple treatment courses to consolidate.

3. Orbital septum fat release (internal/external)

principle:

Incision method: Enter from the conjunctiva incision on the medial side of the lower eyelid, release or redistribute the bulging fat to the tear trough position to achieve a smoothing effect.

External incision:

Incide along the lower eyelash line to remove fat while removing excess skin and partially loose muscles.

 Applicable population:

Incision method: young people with good skin elasticity but moderate fat bulge.

External incision method: middle-aged and elderly people with loose skin and more wrinkles.

Operation procedure: Local anesthesia or intravenous anesthesia, the incision is hidden, the operation schedule is about 40-60 minutes.  The swelling and bruising after the operation are more obvious, and generally basically subsided in 7-10 days.

Advantages and disadvantages: The effect is long-lasting, and one surgery can last for many years or even for a long time.  The recovery period is long and the price is relatively high, and an experienced doctor is required to operate.

4. Baby resection of the eye

Principle: By inciting the skin of the lower eyelid, the excess fat, loose skin and part of the muscles are directly removed, and the flatness of the lower eyelid is reshape.  Suitable for middle-aged and elderly people with severe eye bags and obvious skin sagging.

Operation procedure: Local or general anesthesia, incite along the lower eyelash line, remove the loose tissue and suture it.  The swelling after the operation is obvious and it takes 1-2 weeks to recover.

Advantages and disadvantages: thorough improvement and lasting effect.  The trauma is severe and the recovery time is long. If the operation is improper, valgus or scars may occur.

Preventive suggestions

•  Ensure adequate sleep and avoid staying up late.
•  Drink plenty of water every day, but reduce your water intake before going to bed.
•  Quit smoking and limit alcohol to avoid accelerating skin aging.
•  Pay attention to sun protection to reduce the damage to periophthalmic collagen by ultraviolet rays.
•  Use electronic products reasonably to reduce eye fatigue.

 7. Summary

Puffy eyes are short-term reversible swelling, and eye bags are structural changes that require medical beauty or surgical treatment.  Many people confuse these two situations, resulting in choosing the wrong way to improve.

If you swell in the morning and disappear in the afternoon, it may be just swollen eyes, and adjusting your routine and diet can improve.

If your bulge is long-term and becomes more and more obvious, it may be a bag of eyes and you need to consider medical beauty or surgery.

Eye status directly affects the spirit of the whole person. Only by distinguishing and handling it correctly can you look young and energetic.  If you plan to try minimally invasive improvements, you can choose to use safe and stable brand consumables, such as Diaminy’s eye-specific needles and fillers, to make the effect more natural and lasting.

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