Top Tips For Getting Rid of a Puffy Face & Eyes

Whether it’s down to the start of hay fever season, hormones, or emotions running high – nobody likes a puffy face or puffy eyes staring back at them in the mirror. Whilst facial swelling typically occurs in the cheeks and eyes, it can also affect the lips and jawline, too. Puffy eyes or a puffy face needn’t ruin your week, though. With a few simple skincare hacks here and there – including eye creams and treatments, sheet masks and face rollers – you can de-puff those eyes and get rid of a puffy face.

There are a whole host of reasons why your face may be puffy. And to treat the symptoms it’s best to know the puffy face cause, first. Allergies, infections, inflammatory conditions, and hormonal changes can all cause puffiness – the list goes on. But often our own lifestyle choices are the reason behind the pesky swelling. We’ve put together a handy checklist to help you diagnose your own puffy problem…

Hay fever

The facial swelling many people who suffer from hay fever experience is caused by exposure to pollen. It’s the allergen which irritates not just our skin (hay fever face, hello old friend) but also causes runny noses, tickly throats and itchy eyes. 

Crying

It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that a big cry leads to sore, puffy eyes. Streaming tears and drying your eyes with tissues both lead to a puffy-eyed look. Le sob.

Fluid retention

Salty foods and alcohol can lead to puffiness – so bear in mind that if you’ve been for a swanky meal the night before, your face might simply be reacting to it the morning after. Some foods like cheese, crisps, olives and other processed foods can actually trigger puffiness too. But foods with anti-inflammatory properties such as berries, leafy greens and nuts can be weaved into your diet to help with a puffy face.

Hormones/PMS

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects millions of women. And as well as cramps, emotions running higher, and spots appearing overnight, a puffy face is another tell-tale symptom. 

Age

It’s a bitter pill to swallow – but for some people, a puffy face comes with maturing. If you’re regularly waking up with puffiness, you might want to adapt your skincare routine to your skin’s changing needs. 

Dehydration 

An oldie but a goodie: have you had enough water to drink today? Dehydrating drinks like alcohol, caffeine, and fizzy drinks will limit the amount of moisture in your skin, which might explain the puffiness you’re experiencing. 

Tiredness

Perhaps the most predictable of the bunch, lack of sleep can cause your eyes to puff up and your face to swell. Sadly, knocking back iced oat lattes won’t do much to visibly decrease the puffiness caused by a late night or two – and will likely just dehydrate you further.

Our recommendations for treating puffiness of the eyes and face fall into a few core categories – masking, massaging, icing, and lifestyle changes – because you can begin to make small changes to de-puff before your BEAUTY BAY haul even arrives…

There’s nothing more relaxing than applying a sheet mask, popping your favourite true crime podcast on, and treating your puffy face to a blissful 30 minutes. We love the Holika Holika Pure Essence Mask Sheet Mugwort, which works to detoxify, soothe and relieve stress. Infused with vegetable concentrate, it rejuvenates and improves elasticity. And the miracle anti-inflammatory ingredient mugwort soothes irritation, helping to reduce oil secretion, heal wounds, and reduce puffiness while increasing the skin’s resistance to environmental and ageing factors. 

The Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Calming Serum Mask can also be relied upon to give your skin immediate relief from puffiness. Enriched with calming centella asiatica extract (AKA cica), this cooling cellulose sheet mask instantly soothes skin, minimises redness, and strengthens the skin barrier. As it’s infused with allantoin and niacinamide, this treatment offers cooling hydration for skin that looks and feels calm, hydrated, and refreshed – the perfect solution for a puffy, irritated face.

Wanting to target your puffy eyes directly? Consider under-eye masks. The florence by mills Floating Under the Eyes Depuffing Gel Pads are soaked in a caffeine extract-infused formula, and work to depuff, refresh, and wake up tired eyes and puffy skin, preventing dark circles from appearing. An infusion of green tea extract helps to soothe skin around the eyes, while cactus extract hydrates the skin. 

If you know your puffy eyes are a recurring problem, invest in the Revolution Skincare Gold Eye Hydrogel Hydrating Eye Patches – a set of 30 patches designed to help calm tired, puffy eyes. Infused with vegan collagen and colloidal gold (hello, boujee) to help lift and firm the delicate skin around the eyes. Added glycerin, allantoin, algae extract, and hyaluronic acid create a powerful moisturising concoction to draw moisture into the skin and leave the eye area looking glowing and refreshed in just ten minutes.

No time for a mask? Banish puffy eyes with the By BEAUTY BAY 4.8% Caffeine + Peptide Eye Treatment, formulated with peptides to brighten and improve the appearance of dark circles, hyperpigmentation, tiredness and fatigue, plus ferulic acid to act as a protective antioxidant. This lightweight cream texture instantly leaves your skin feeling refreshed, soothed, and moisturised, like you’ve just got your full eight hours – and can be layered underneath your usual makeup look. 

We love the ball-type massage applicator of the Innisfree Green Tea Caffeine Bright-Eye Serum, which has been designed to target dry, dull eyes and dark circles with a mineral-rich formula that treats puffiness and brightens the eye area with a non-sticky finish. Perfect for on-the-go, this gel-textured eye serum acts as a cooling and replenishing massage for tired eye skin and encourages continued circulation around the eye. Combining green tea with five types of hyaluronic acid, caffeine, and niacinamide, it moisturises and firms the skin around the eyes in a flash.

Facial massage is one of the oldest techniques in the beauty book. Inspired by ancient Chinese rituals, By BEAUTY BAY’s heart-shaped Jade Gua Sha facial massage tool is the beauty routine addition your puffy face needs. Made from 100% naturally sourced jade, it helps to reduce facial tension, aid lymphatic drainage, and increase the absorption of your favourite skincare formulas to restore swollen skin and de-puff.

Combine multiple beauty tools with the Vanity Planet Kera Cryo Facial Globes & Gua Sha, which work as cooling facial globes, a gua sha tool, and an eye serum applicator. It’a designed to soothe puffiness, ease soreness, reduce the appearance of pores, alleviate redness, and help lift and tone skin. Chill in the fridge and use daily to massage away tension, enhance circulation, and reduce puffiness

Facial icing with ice rollers or ice globes helps cool irritated skin, reduces discomfort and banishes fluid retention – all of which contribute to reducing a puffy face and puffy eyes.

Skin Gym’s Ice Cool Ice Roller refreshes your complexion, invigorates skin, and reduces the look of puffiness and redness with a cooling sensation. The results – a radiant and healthy-looking complexion. It’s travel-friendly, too, so you can pack it for your holidays without worrying. Does a cuter facial icing tool exist than the Contour Cube Mini though? We doubt it. Ice your skin on the go to contour and sculpt your face, tighten pores, de-puff eye bags and add radiance on a daily basis. Easy-to-use, this reusable contour tool also helps boost the absorption of your favourite serums. 

You can also keep your complexion looking and feeling refreshed with Skin Gym’s CryoChill Ice Beaded Face Mask. It helps reduce puffiness, calm irritation, soothe stressed skin, and prep the skin for makeup and skincare application. And all on-the-go too, thanks to its adjustable straps.

Adapting your skincare routine for summer is a tried-and-tested way to alleviate those seasonal, environmental changes that can cause our skin to switch up on us. First and foremost – the warmer the weather becomes, the more you need to be hydrating. Making sure you’re drinking plenty of water will always boost your skin’s radiance, and encourage skin cells to release any stored-up water (a common cause of puffiness) to help swelling to subside. You can also amp up the hydration with various moisturising products too. If you know your skin doesn’t love the heat, incorporating a couple of de-puffing products into your summer skincare routine will help keep facial swelling at bay.. 

There’s no two ways about it – our skin doesn’t always agree with plane environments. Jetsetters report endless skin problems from stale cabin air and a puffy face is one that always crops up. But there are a whole host of inflight skincare hacks you can tap into to make sure you’re stepping off the plane with a puff-free holiday-ready face.

Don’t let a puffy face or puffy eyes stop you from enjoying summer. Explore our range of de-puffing products – from facial rollers to eye masks – to alleviate swelling and ensure you’re feeling your best, whenever puffiness arises.