How do you take out eye bags? I am always OT (over time) kasi. Thanks! —Angela

When we don’t get enough sleep, it shows. And most of the time it’s around our eye area. This shouldn’t shock us, because the skin around our eyes is the thinnest and most delicate, which make it more susceptible to dark circles, fine lines and, yes, eye bags. What you should know, though, is that eye bags do not just happen because of lack of sleep. Factors like fluid retention caused by pregnancy, diet and consuming excessive salt and alcohol can cause the eye area to be puffy, as well as allergies, crying and an oncoming infection.

Luckily, we’ve found many effective ways to help reduce the appearance of eye bags. Below is a list of remedies that have worked for me before—hopefully they work for you, too.

Apply eye cream. Surely you’ve scoured the beauty counters at least once before in search for the perfect eye cream. There are so many different kinds out there that it seems like a daunting task. I’ve found that what usually works are creams that contain ingredients like cucumber extract, chamomile and caffeine. These are very effective in reducing puffiness around the eyes.

Apply cold compress. Wearing a cooling eye mask (the ones you stick in the refrigerator is perfect) is a pretty effective way to de-puff your eyes. Applying cold compress on the area helps constrict blood vessels and prevents fluid from flowing into the tissue around the eyes. This will help minimize your eye bags in a hurry. Another tip that has worked especially well for me is putting your eye cream in the refrigerator and applying it when it’s cool.

Cut up a cucumber. We’ve seen this trick done countless times in movies and it makes us wonder if it really works. Well, it does. Cucumbers act as a natural astringent and provide short-term relief on the eye area. The veggie is also packed with water, which helps hydrate the skin. For visible results, leave it on for about 10 minutes.

Add another pillow. Sleeping with a low pillow can cause eyes to be puffy, which is why it is so important to find a pillow with just the right elevation. A gravitational redistribution of fluid occurs when your head is too low when you sleep. Adding another pillow to help prop up your head should prevent this from happening.

Drink more water. As I’ve mentioned above, water retention is one of the culprits that cause eye bags. Cutting down on salt, caffeine and alcohol will help minimize this as well as adding a couple more glasses of water to your daily intake.