How To Outsmart Tired, Puffy Skin

Bloated, puffy skin is no fun for anyone. But it doesn’t have to ruin your day. Just get ahead of the game with some deft lifestyle habits and smart skincare moves.

We’re sure you’ve been there; woken up with a bloated or puffy feeling to your face that certainly wasn’t there the night before. What is that all about? All you’ve done is gone to bed… right? Well, actually you might have had a few too many wines with dinner, or perhaps not had the best night’s sleep. But still: unfair.

The good news is that, more often than not, puffy skin is a temporary bugbear – unless some other underlying condition is at play, of course, in which case it’s always wise to seek professional help.

If you're well aware that your puffy skin is self-inflicted, however, here’s what you need to know about might be its cause, plus what to do about it…

What Causes Facial Puffiness?

A puffy face is usually thanks to a build-up of excess fluids just below the surface of your skin. This happens when an imbalance of water causes fluids to leak through your blood vessels and into your skin. And don’t worry, we know that all sounds pretty horrific, but it’s totally harmless.

So, what triggers this fluid retention in your skin? Well, it can be due to any number of reasons, but the usual suspects are mostly to blame – aka emotional stress, a lack of sleep, poor diet choices, your hormones and alcohol.

5 Effective Ways To De-Puff Your Face

The good news is there are some pretty easy fixes for facial puffiness – some of which will gift you with almost-immediate results. Scroll on for five of our favorites...

1. Try A Daily Facial Massage

Massaging your face is one of the best ways to not only up your glow factor in an instant, but to help reduce swelling. If you spend just three or four minutes massaging your skin during your morning cleanse, for example, you'll instantly boost circulation and accelerate lymphatic drainage which helps remove toxins and fluid build-up. Simply use the pads of your fingers to work your cleanser all over damp skin, then press your fingers into the brow area and slide them up in circular motions to your forehead. Repeat this a few times, before moving down to your cheeks, working from each side of your nose, out towards the hairline. Again, do this a few times, then continue with the same motion around your chin and jawline. To finish, smooth your fingertips up your neck.

You could also try a gua sha stone to help sculpt your skin and reduce unwanted puffiness. Gua sha stones are flat, smooth crystals made from jade or rose quartz which you place flat against your skin and gently glide around the contours of your face. They're awesome for encouraging the transportation of excess fluids and toxins from the tissues in your skin.

Whatever you go for, try to give your face a quick massage every morning. Trust us, you'll start to notice a real difference almost immediately.

2. Enjoy The Chill Factor

Cold temperatures are incredible for constricting your blood vessels and helping to reduce puffiness and inflammation. But, while TikTok might have you believe that iced facials are the future, we’re not sure that dunking your face in a bowl of iced water for as long as you can bear it, and repeating this teeth-chattering process for 10 whole minutes is such a good idea! In fact, it can cause facial redness and irritation if you’re not careful, so we’d strongly advise against it.

Instead, try a final rinse with cool water after cleansing or keep your moisturizer in the fridge to help de-puff your skin at the end of your morning routine. You can even keep facial massage tools like a gua sha stone or jade roller in the fridge for extra de-puffing powers. And if your eyes are showing the most signs of puffiness? Lie back with a couple of cold teaspoons or slices of cucumber over each eye. It’s amazing how effective some of those old beauty tricks are!

3. Drink More Water

Since fluid retention is the issur here, it makes sense to drink plenty of water every day. The simple fact is that by keeping your body hydrated you will reduce the need for your tissues to hold on to fluids so much. It’s just common sense. And science. 

Experts agree that an average adult requires between 2.7 and 3.7 liters of fluid a day. However, it’s worth remembering that not all of this needs to come from glugging pure water. Certain foods like watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes and spinach contain a ton of water and drinks like milk, unsweetened fruit juices and caffeine-free teas all count towards you daily intake and are just a beneficial as water.

4. Embrace A Great Facial Serum

When it comes to what goes on your skin, there are some awesome ingredients out there to help keep your skin hydrated while reducing inflammation and puffiness. Green tea, for example, is a pretty good one, as are caffeine, peptides and, our current favorites, electrolytes.

Electrolytes are essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium which, when dissolved in water, conduct electricity – which is where the name comes from. Electrolytes are vital for your health as they keep your body hydrated and balanced while aiding in tissue repair and regulating nerve and muscle function. When it comes to skincare, topical electrolytes have the same moisture-quenching benefits. Their electoral charge helps drive water into the skin while simultaneously giving energy to other active ingredients to help deliver them to exactly where they’re needed. The result? Healthier, more hydrated skin. Bingo!

Try applying our new Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum daily. It's chock full of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes to help keep your skin at its optimal best. You could even use a cold jade roller or some ice globes to supercharge the ingredients and further reduce swelling. But you don't have to – it's a wonder serum even without the extra help!

5. Assess Your Lifestyle Habits

Finally, think about some of your lifestyle habits and how they might be contributing to any facial bloating. Alcohol, for starters, can be terribly dehydrated for your skin so keep that in check whenever you can – or try alternating booze with glasses of water. This is a great trick and also makes hangovers much easier to bear!

A high-sodium diet is another reason your body will hang on to extra fluids so cut down on salty snacks and avoid cooking with salt. In fact, try to limit yourself to no more than 2,000 milligrams a day.

Finally, too much stress and very little sleep can be hell on your skin, causing your levels of cortisol (aptly named the stress hormone!) to sky rocket.

And cortisol is a known culprit for triggering puffy, inflamed skin. Say no more...