Dark circles and under eye bags are generally caused in adults due to poor health, stress and bad sleeping habits. But sometimes your children might suffer from under eye bags, it doesn’t mean they are under stress or have bad sleep cycle. Most children who look like stressed out adults aren’t actually worried. They are more likely to be suffering from some allergies. The good news is that, it is not a serious problem.
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Causes and Home Remedies for Bags Under Eyes in Kids
What causes bags under eyes in kids?
Under eye bags and are typically caused by allergies or sometimes when the nose is blocked, blood may not be able to flow. This expands the veins that drain from the eyes to the nose. Congestion can also cause blood to sit in the area under the eyes resulting into puffiness which is more visible depending on how light a child’s skin is. Most often the under eye bags are not due to lack of sleep or poor health.
Kids can get bags under eyes due to a number of reasons.
- Fatigue
- Heredity
- Iron deficiency
- Dehydration
- Allergies
- Nasal congestion
- Chronic sinus infection
- Enlarged adenoids
Mainly, sinus infections cause puffiness under eye in children.
Nasal congestion
The sinuses which are located just beneath the eye orbits gets infected, which eventually can lead to puffiness around the eyes. Your child may also feel an increased feeling of pressure in the same area. Inflamed sinuses affect the normal blood flow in the capillaries located behind your eyes and nasal cavities. This creates swollen blood vessels. These swollen blood vessels can also cause skin under eyes to become puffy and darken, making them appear to have dark circles and under eye bags.
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Fluid retention
Dark circles and puffy eyes are sometimes caused by fluid retention; they are more visible after a salty meal. Most obviously, lack of sleep causes blood vessels under eyes to expand, while increasing fluid retention, causing even puffier and darker eyes.
Allergies
Eye allergies related to diseases such as hay fever can also lead to swollen eyes. Other types of allergies, like reactions to certain chemical or food items, can cause swollen eyelids. Some common food allergens are wheat, peanuts, eggs, milk, soy and shellfish. Avoiding that food allergen can provide relief from allergies that can cause puffy eyes and dark circles. During an allergic reaction, some cells in the body release chemical called histamine which has adverse effects on tissues as fluid leaks from the blood vessels and gets entrap in surrounding tissues, leading to edema.
If your child’s skin reacts to any soap or perfume, it can make the skin of his face itchy. Your kid may want to constantly rub the area to get relief from the irritation. Try to identify the cosmetic allergen in that case. It would also help get rid of the puffy under-eye area.
Fatigue
Fatigue can also be a cause of tired eyes and make the under-eye area darker and puffy. Your child’s sleep could be disturbed due to health problems or anxiety disorders. Spending excessive time watching any kind of screen like tablets, television and phones can also be a cause. Try reducing his time spent watching screens.
Read More: Lazy Eye in Children: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment
How to get rid of this?
Your pediatrician can work with you in finding the cause to ensure that there are no other health issues. The best way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid allergens. Once you know what allergens cause allergies to your child, consult your doctor on how you can avoid them. If your kid is allergic to certain foods, your doctor will advise you to prevent them from eating those food products.
Many allergies can be prevented from happening. There are certain home remedies which can reduce the puffiness under the eye.
Cold compress
Refrigerate a stainless steel spoon for some time and then place it over your child’s eye to reduce under-eye bags, the cool temperature will reduce the puffiness. But this is just a temporary remedy.
Raw potato
Potato is packed with vitamin C. Cut potato into slices and places it over eyes or squeeze out potato juice and soak cotton in it and place those cotton patches over eyes. You will notice a tremendous change in those puffy eyes.
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Chamomile tea
It has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. Refrigerate the soaked tea bags and place it over eyes. Keep in mind that some kids can have allergic reactions to chamomile
Milk
If your kids have extremely puffy eyes, then you will have to follow this regime regularly. Dip cotton pads in milk and place them on their eyes and ask them to relax for 15-20 min, it will help their eyes with water retention and also will cool them.
Hydrate
Make sure you child is drinking enough water; by keeping the body well hydrated his eyes won’t get droopy.
Cucumber
Cucumbers are best known remedy for puffy eyes. Cucumbers have vitamin C and antioxidants which helps in collagen formation and also reduce under eye bags. Cut slices of cucumber and place it on their eyes.
Help your kids with proper health and lifestyle to prevent under-eye bags for a long run.
Get your child an allergy test. You will get to know what he is allergic to then try avoiding those food items or environmental conditions to prevent this problem.
If the under eye bags are due to congestion, drain out the sinuses with the help of salt water. Squeeze a few drops of it in each nostril and ask your kid to blow his nose, but better be at the safer side and consult your physician before performing this.
Warning
Consult your doctor if the child suffers from other health symptoms with puffy eyes.
Read More: Swollen Eyelids in Children: Causes and Treatment
