WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Get Bags Under Our Eyes?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today's episode is a

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<v Speaker 1>classic from our previous host, Christian Sagar. This is one

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<v Speaker 1>that Christian was personally curious about, but that many of

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<v Speaker 1>us have wondered. Why is it that we get bags

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<v Speaker 1>under our eyes? And if we want to prevent it,

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<v Speaker 1>how can we do that without expensive creams, cosmetics or

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<v Speaker 1>elective surgeries. Hello there, I'm Christian Sager and this is

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff. When I was growing up, I had a

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<v Speaker 1>science teacher named Mr. Thayer. He had these really deep

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<v Speaker 1>set eyes with dark circles around them and loose, baggy

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<v Speaker 1>skin underneath. At the time, I thought his eyes were

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<v Speaker 1>really cool, like they made him look wise and knowledgeable.

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<v Speaker 1>And now I'm probably the same age Mr Thair was then,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've got bags under my eyes, but they don't

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<v Speaker 1>seem as cool now. They just make me look tired

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<v Speaker 1>all the time. But here's the thing, sooner or later,

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<v Speaker 1>all of us are going to have them. We all

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<v Speaker 1>get bags under our eyes. So what causes them anyways,

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<v Speaker 1>and how should we treat them? Well, there are lots

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<v Speaker 1>of possible causes for what's scientifically known as para orbital hyperchromia,

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<v Speaker 1>but the most obvious one is aging. See we may

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<v Speaker 1>not like to talk about this in certain circles, but

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<v Speaker 1>we all have fat above, below, and behind our eyes

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<v Speaker 1>for cushioning. This is in case something slams into your eye,

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<v Speaker 1>like say a fist, the fat will take most of

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<v Speaker 1>the blow and save your skull from some damage. But

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<v Speaker 1>as we get older, the septum orbital ligaments in our

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<v Speaker 1>skin decompose and all that gooey fat pushes down and out,

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<v Speaker 1>and the skin loosens into swollen, puffy bags. And this thin,

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<v Speaker 1>weak skin exposes the tiny blood vessels underneath, making our

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<v Speaker 1>fat eye bags look darker. Also, as we lose volume

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<v Speaker 1>around our eyes, our orbital bones are exposed, creating a

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<v Speaker 1>kind of depressed gutter revealing our eye sockets. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>already got forward set eyes and receding cheekbones, those gutters

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<v Speaker 1>are going to look even deeper. And there are reasons

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<v Speaker 1>other than aging that contribute to these lovely dark fat

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<v Speaker 1>bags under our eyes. Genetics don't help. If your mother

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<v Speaker 1>or father have eyebags, you probably will too. Also, any

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<v Speaker 1>kind of fluid build up around the eyes is going

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<v Speaker 1>to make the bags worse because fat cells are mainly

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<v Speaker 1>made of water. Sinus infections from allergies, for instance, which

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<v Speaker 1>I often get, stretch the skin under your eyes even more. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>crying right before bed, which I often do, has the

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<v Speaker 1>same effect. When you get bags under your eyes from

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<v Speaker 1>fluid retention like this, they're most noticeable in the morning.

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<v Speaker 1>Other causes of water retention under your eyes can include

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<v Speaker 1>salty food and pre menstrual hormonal chains. And let's face it,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're up late burning the candle at both ends.

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<v Speaker 1>That doesn't help either. Neither does a lack of exercise.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you're really looking for something else to blame,

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<v Speaker 1>those dark circles are sometimes caused by an excess of

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<v Speaker 1>melanin pigmentation deposits in the skin. So I know you're

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<v Speaker 1>all out there wondering, but Christian, what's your secret? How

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<v Speaker 1>do you treat your eyebags? Well? Of course, you can

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<v Speaker 1>always cover them up with makeup, or you can turn

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<v Speaker 1>to your friendly neighborhood doctor for needles and scalpels. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>dermatologists often inject wrinkle fillers with awesome names like Juva,

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<v Speaker 1>derm and rest ale in under people's eye muscles to

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<v Speaker 1>reduce their baggage. Mix that with some botox and you'll

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<v Speaker 1>look years younger. It's only a couple thousand dollars every

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<v Speaker 1>eight months, or you can spend big and go under

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<v Speaker 1>the knife for surgery. The official name is bluffero plasty,

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<v Speaker 1>and how it works is the doctor makes a few

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<v Speaker 1>incisions in your eyelid, melts the fat inside of there,

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<v Speaker 1>and either removes it or repositions it. Sometimes they even

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<v Speaker 1>add more with fat grafts. Then they tuck in the

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<v Speaker 1>remaining loose skin and use lasers to firm it up.

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<v Speaker 1>Sounds cool, right, And if pigment is your problem, they

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<v Speaker 1>can blast it with intense pulse lights to destroy yourselves

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<v Speaker 1>and smooth out your skin. Okay, so maybe you're thinking, now, Christian,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't want someone to stab me in the eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>or Christian, I'm cool with the stabbing and the burning,

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<v Speaker 1>but that surgery sounds awfully expensive. Well, here's a couple

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<v Speaker 1>home remedies I can share with you. If the bags

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<v Speaker 1>under your eyes are from fluid retention rather than aging,

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<v Speaker 1>you can cool something like a cucumber slice or tea

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<v Speaker 1>bags and place them on your eyes. The cold will

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<v Speaker 1>restrict your blood vessels and reduce the swelling. Some people

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<v Speaker 1>apply a cream made of fish cartilage compounds to keep

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<v Speaker 1>the vessels from expanding in the first place. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also try sleeping with an extra pillow to elevate your

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<v Speaker 1>head so the fluid just d rains out of your

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<v Speaker 1>face while you're sleeping, or change the position you're sleeping in,

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<v Speaker 1>like if you have one of those weird one droopy eyelids,

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<v Speaker 1>that's probably because you sleep on your side and gravity

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<v Speaker 1>is taking effect. People put all kinds of stuff on

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<v Speaker 1>their eyelids to reduce swelling, everything from vitamins to henroid cream,

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<v Speaker 1>and some recommend that you quit cigarettes and put sunscreen

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<v Speaker 1>around your eyes because both smoking and sunlight can weaken

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<v Speaker 1>the collagen in your face and cause premature fat bags sagging.

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<v Speaker 1>So here's the deal. We may not like the bags

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<v Speaker 1>under our eyes, but they're usually harmless. But if you've

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<v Speaker 1>got swollen, red, itching, painful eyes, you should probably go

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<v Speaker 1>see a doctor. Day's episode was written by Christian and

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tyler Clang. For more in this and lots

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<v Speaker 1>of other topics, visit how Stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts of

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.