25 Nov Are Baggy Eyes Genetic? | 8 Remedies to Get Rid of Bags Under Eyes
Already tried thousands of remedies for baggy eyes, but nothing works? Maybe it’s time to check if genetics could be at fault!
According to recent reports, genes control a major part of our anatomy including the orbital anatomy.
So, are baggy eyes genetic too?
There are quite mixed opinions on whether baggy eyes could be due to the involvement of genetic factors.
But today, we clear out all of these doubts with the help of one such study that evaluates the significance of genes in the anatomy of the eye.
Are Baggy Eyes Genetic? – The Science and Study
If we look at the anatomy and physiology of the eye, there could be various ways through which genetics can influence bagginess around the eyes:
- Mutations in the genes regulating the skin type
- Genes governing the production of collagen and elastin
- Effect on growth factors
However, indications for specific genetic factors influencing the sagginess of eyes came from a prominent study.
Study on Genetic and Nongenetic Factors for Baggy Eyes
The study was mainly focused on the intrinsic and extrinsic factors causing sagginess of the eyelids.
Since sagginess is a significant factor that results in baggy eyes, it also gave results to help us highlight genetic influence on the latter.
Two independent population-based cohorts were used in the study. The first population came from a district in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and the second population comprised twins from all over the UK.
In total, 5578 people from Rotterdam, and 2186 twins from the UK participated in the study.
Other than measurements used for extrinsic factors, heritability analysis, and the genome-wide association was used to assess genetic factors.
Results:
According to the results, 61% of the twins showed an inheritance of the condition. On further meta-analysis of the genome-wide association study, a C allele variant of a gene close to the growth factor TGIF1 was found to be associated with the inheritance process.
Hence, if the question was how are baggy eyes genetic, we can say that the gene that affects eyelids can be behind baggy eyes too.
other than the genetic factor involved in causing sagginess and puffiness around the eyes, there can also be other factors involved.
What Causes Bags Under Eyes? – 6 Reasons Other Than Genes
To understand how under-eye bags are formed it is important to understand the healthy infraorbital structures.
The eyes are surrounded with:
- Ligaments
- Bone
- Soft tissue
- Muscles
- Vessels
- Eyelid skin
Any changes or abnormal effects on these structures from extrinsic or intrinsic factors lead to the development of baggy eyes.
Some of these factors that contribute to changes in the structure surrounding the eyes are:
- Aging
- Fluid retention
- Lifestyle habits
- Allergy
- Blocked tear duct
- Medical conditions
Right below you’ll find the explanation of some of these common causes of bags under the eyes.
#1. Aging
The ligaments and bone together form a support system for all the soft tissues present in the face.
But as you age, there is a loss in the volume of bones, and hence all these ligaments start tightening up around the rim of the eye.
Now as growing age also causes a decrease in the amount of fat, the ligaments tether, and the space around the rim becomes hollow.
Such hollowness cause shadowing leading to the appearance of dark circles.
#2. Fluid Retention
The eyelid skin appears to be transparent because of its thinness and hence it shows the underlying vasculature and the muscles.
Because of the thinness of the eyelid skin, fluid retention around the eyes shows swelling and puffiness.
Fluid retention could be due to various reasons like:
- Atopy
- Having salty meals
- Waking up after long hours of sleep
- Aging changes like subcutaneous fat atrophy
The retention could sometimes look darker in color because of byproducts of the hemoglobin moving out from the vessels.
It could also be because of increased permeability of the blood vessels.
#3. Poor Lifestyle
Lifestyle habits including a poor sleep cycle, smoking, and drinking can also influence the condition of baggy eyes. In fact, it is among one of the most common causes of bags under your eyes.
Smoking
A study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery claims that smoking leads to premature baggy eyes.
These results came to notice after an analysis was conducted on twins with a smoking history where one had high smoking history and the other had none.
Apart from these the rest of the lifestyles and exposures were similar.
According to the results, twins with a smoking history showed worse eyelid bags on the upper lid as compared to the other twin.
These results suggested that since smoking actively destroys the collagen fibers and hence weakens the structure around the eyes, it could be an active cause of puffy eyes.
Poor Sleep Cycle
Lack of sleep in your daily routine can dilate the blood vessels surrounding the eyes. As they dilate the blood flow towards your eyes increases and the volume of blood increases.
Because of the thin layer of skin present around your eyes, there appears a dark tint around your eyes.
Further, the extra volume of blood makes your eyes look baggy and appear puffed.
#4. Allergies
Allergies can be a reason behind swelling and puffiness of your eyes, as during any allergy there is more production of histamines to fight allergens.
This increases the release of fluids like the tear to wash off the allergen. These fluids can start accumulating in the sinus area present around your eyes and cause your eyes to swell up.
Some of the most common types of allergies that result in swelling of your eyes are:
- Chemicals
- Perfumes
- Pollen
- Dust
- Animal fur
Some of these allergies are seem pretty harmless, though you need to keep them in mind if you’re susceptible to any of these.
#5. Blocked Tear Duct
The tear duct is located near the waterline of your eyes and functions to remove the naturally forming tears in your eyes.
However, sometimes there could be a blockage in the tear duct, hence causing an excess accumulation of tears around the eyes.
This can lead to:
- Watery eyes
- Swelling under the eye
- Infection of the eye
Some common causes of blocked tear ducts are:
- Not removing eye makeup
- Infections
- Trauma
Besides some other medical factors are also responsible for baggy eyes.
#6. Medical Conditions
Certain medical conditions result in the puffiness of the eyes:
- Grave’s Disease – It is characterized by the abnormal hormonal levels of the thyroid in the body. Thirty percent of people suffering from the disease face eye symptoms including baggy eyes.
- Mononucleosis – A viral infection that’s often spread by cough, kissing, and sneezes. Its common symptoms include watery eyes, sneezes, coughs, and swelling under the eyes.
- Infections – There are various types of infections that could cause either one baggy eye or both baggy eyes. However, initially, the infection occurs in one eye and then spreads to the other. These infections primarily are pink eyes, stye, chalazion, and periorbital cellulitis.
Despite these causes of baggy eyes, there are still ways to prevent the swelling from spreading and put a rest on your baggy eyes on any day.
How to Get Rid of Bags Under Eyes?
Although there are many ways with which you can give rest to your swollen eyes, if you ask us how to get rid of genetic eye bags naturally the answer might not please you.
Generally, we haven’t seen any genetic under-eye bags curable.
However, you can still try out some of the most popular natural ways of treating under-eye bags:
How to Get Rid of Under-Eye Bags without Surgery? – 8 Remedies
Following are some of the home remedies and tips you can try to get the appearance of baggy eyes under control.
#1. Filler
Fillers are given through injections to smooth out the surface around the eyes. Usually, a filler material like hyaluronic acid is used for the treatment and is carried out under a doctor’s supervision.
#2. Topical Solutions
The topical solutions involve using skin care with special ingredients that help reduce the puffiness around the eyes.
Retinols – also famous as Vitamin A is used in skin care range designed for the night. They help reduce the puffiness around the eyes by boosting collagen formations and their reorganization. Hence it improves the quality of the skin.
Caffeine – Topically you can use caffeine with the help of tea bag compression. caffeine has antioxidants that increase blood flow and slows down the aging process. According to a study, using caffeine topical gel helps reduce lower eyelid edema and pigmentation too.
#3. Cold Compress
A common cause of puffy eyes is dilated blood vessels, using a cold compress helps constrict the blood vessels and hence reduce swelling
You can use the following for a cold compress:
- Cold spoon
- Cucumber
- Wet cloth
Some claims suggest using some lightening creams can also work wonders in addition to cold compress.
#4. Lightening Products
Many lightening products like the one containing hydroquinone help reduce the appearance of the bags around the eye.
However, they are only used at night.
RELATED: Are Under Eye Creams Worth It?
#5. Enough Sleep
Make sure you enjoy a quality sleep of 6-8 hours to reverse the puffiness caused due to lack of sleep.
You can try the following for better sleep:
- Using the correct type of mattress
- Keeping away from technology one hour before you go to sleep
- Avoiding caffeinated beverages a few hours before bedtime
- Taking meals two hours before you go to bed
Sleeping well is, anyways, a healthy lifestyle habit you need to adopt for overall health.
#6. Laser Resurfacing
In this treatment, layers of skin are removed using a laser that also stimulates the growth of new collagen for firm skin.
#7. Chemical Peel
Similar to laser treatment but a solution is used to dissolve the skin layers for tighter skin.
However, the results depend on your skin type and could take longer to show.
#8. Concealers and Cosmetics
Though it’s not a solution that is going to help you out in diminishing the bags, it helps hide them.
Use foundation and concealers to blend up the crease and pigmentations under the eye.
You can even try color correctors to mix up any pigmentation caused by the formation of under-eye bags.
Yet, these treatments don’t provide you with a permanent solution to bags under the eye.
How to Remove Eye Bags Permanently?
If you are searching for how to get rid of genetic eye bags (permanently) then the following might be the best solution for you:
Blepharoplasty – is a surgical process where surgery is done to make changes to the subcutaneous fat layer present beneath your skin. The fat layer is readjusted to smooth out your skin around the eyes and muscles are tightened up. Generally, the treatment waves goodbye to under-eye bags for the whole life.
Conclusion
Under-eye bags are aesthetically not desirable at any age but can they be reversed?
Well, that completely depends on the cause behind the baggy bags, as the cause could be extrinsic or intrinsic.
In most cases, the reasons are either genetic or aging.
Though the aging process-induced eye bags are mostly reversed, there still lies confusion in the case of hereditary eye bags.
Yet, if we closely look at the solutions available for eye bag treatment these days, we think that the surgical option is the best for hereditary eye bags.
This is mainly because till now no creams have been efficient enough to change what a genetic mutation has resulted in.
Basides, you can always try the above-mentioned home remedies for baggy eyes or under eye bags. For a start, try them and see if any of them work for you.
If you’ve any more questions, do not hesitate to post them down in the comments section below.
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