Where do the bags under my eyes come from

asks Adryley:

A. There are lots of reasons why you can have bags under your eyes - and, if they worry you,�lots of things you can do about them. But there's no reason to worry. Does anyone think actresses like Susan Sarandon (pictured on our home page)�- star of Thelma & Louise,�Stepmom�and Twilight -�are any�less beautiful�because they no longer look 19
The skin around all our eyes is the thinnest on our bodies (only half a millimetre thick compared to two millimetres in the rest of the body) and very vulnerable.

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Q. What are the most common reasons
A. They are:

• Fluid retention. This can be caused by many things, including medical conditions (such as heart and kidney problems, thyroid diseases and high blood pressure) and PMS. Some drugs can cause it, too. It's usually worse in the morning because when you lie down to sleep, gravity causes fluid to gather in areas where the skin is thin. This can be helped considerably by propping your head up on pillows when you go to sleep to prevent you lying on your stomach and letting the fluid drain away.
• It's hereditary. Does one of your parents have baggy, tired-looking eyes, too In this case it's caused by excess fat on the fat pads on the upper and lower lids, which has nothing to do with being overweight. There's little you can do about inherited baggy eyes - except, perhaps, having the fat pads removed by plastic surgery.
• You're sensistive to something you're putting on your skin. It could be an ingredient in your face cream, such as retin-A, so swapping brands or trying a cream with less ingredients might help. It could be your cosmetics. For example, black mascara contains a dye which many people are allergic to, so changing the colour could solve the problem.
• If you're the sort of person who smiles a lot - or squints because you need glasses but don't wear them! - this can affect the muscles around the eye, causing them to grow excessively.

Q. Why do some people with baggy eyes often have dark circles, too
A. If you have bags under your eyes, they cause shadows to form underneath, giving the appearance of dark circles.

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by Sheena Miller