While a good cry every once in a while gives a boost to your mental health, showcasing the telltale face that attracts all sorts of questions as to what made you cry, is a bummer.
Since with every cry, comes the puffy eyes and red face, you are left with little to no choice.
But not anymore.
We have gathered a bunch of fool-proof tricks for you that will help eradicate the signs of that late night cry. In fact, not just the late night cry, but these tricks will help beat the swollen eyes from crying, even if you have cried just 15 minutes ago.
But before we learn how to get rid of the swollen eyes from crying, it is necessary to learn the science behind it.
There are two types of tears that your eyes produce, one that flow due to emotional crying and the other that flow when there is any irritation in the eye.
| Emotional Crying Tears | Irritation in the Eye Tears |
|---|---|
| Theses tears are produced due to emotional crying in the Lachrymal Gland. | These are basic tears produced due to irritation, by the conjunctiva, which is the white area of the eye. |
| These tears are watery than the basic tears. | These tears have a higher salt content. |
| These tears are secreted in higher quantity, hence overflow. | These tears secrete in minute quantities, therefore don’t flow, like when crying. |
Now that you know the difference, here is what actually happens that results in puffy eyes from crying.
When one cries, the watery tears start to flow. The nearby cells and tissue, which have a higher salt content, start to absorb the overflowing excess of tears via the process of osmosis, resulting in swollen eyes. To worsen the condition, the constant rubbing of eyes while crying, irritates the eyes and the surrounding layer of skin and cells, making it redder and puffier.
It all depends on how much you have cried. If it was just a small burst of cry, the redness and swelling may not last more than 10 to 15 minutes.
But if you cried a river, it is probably going to take a few hours for all the telltale signs of crying to wash off completely.
Other than that, if you are holding back your tears, possibility is that the redness and puffiness will stay, until you cry to your heart’s content. Because holding back your emotions causes stress, which leads to your nose turning red and eyes getting watery and swollen.
Just like for any other problem, prevention is the best remedy, for avoiding swollen eyes from crying.
Since crying and getting puffed up eyes is a natural process, you can’t eliminate it completely, but this tip will help you manage it.
The one and only way to prevent your eyes from getting unmanageably swollen, is to not touch them while crying. While crying, the one thing everyone does without knowing how much damage it can cause, is rubbing the eyes with our hands and wiping the tears coarsely with a tissue.
When you do that, it irritates the already swollen eyes to a degree beyond repair. Avoid that and you will notice a vast difference.
Instead of using a swiping motion to wipe the tears, gently pat dry the area.
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The solution to this however, is fairly simple:
1. Cold compress
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- For a quick compress, rub your finger over an ice, and use it to decompress the fluid under your eye.
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- Slowly and gently start pressing from the inner corner, towards the outer.
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- Repeat a few times, or until you see a visible difference.
For an even thorough compress:
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- Wrap a frozen bag of peas in towel, and place over the face for 15 minutes.
2. Teabag compress
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- If you shudder from placing cold things on your face, you can make use of those green tea bags you had once purchased to help shed some kilos. You didn’t put it to use, to help flatten that tummy, but you can definitely deflate those puffy eyes.
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- In a pot of hot water, steep a couple green tea bags and let sit for five minutes.
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- Take them out, squeeze all the excess water and place them over the eye lids.
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- The antioxidants present in green tea will help narrow the blood vessels, losing all the puffiness, within minutes.
3. Anti-inflammatory mask
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- If all fails, this mask will be your savior.
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- Grab an egg white and whisk it until its foamy.
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- Add a couple drops of Witch Hazel.
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- With the help of a cotton ball, apply under the eyes, making sure none of it goes inside the eye.
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- The astringent properties on the egg whites along with the effect of witch hazel, will immediately reduce the puffiness under and around the eyes and tighten the skin.
The red nose and eyes, are all part and parcel of your crying spree.
1. Redness from the whites of the eye
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- Due to all the crying and rubbing, the whites of our eyes tend to turn red, which is what we call bloodshot eyes. A simple solution to this problem, is rinsing your eyes with cold water.
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- If that doesn’t work, use over the counter eye drops. A coupe drops and the redness will be gone as soon as you put them in.
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- Yes, this is the same trick, makeup artists use to make their eyes look wider and brighter. For more such tricks, read How to get bright and shiny eyes.
2. Redness from under the eye
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- Many people opt for makeup when it comes to screening away all the redness from under your eyes, but apparently that is the worst they could do. The extra layer, irritates the skin further.
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- Instead, opt for the age old trick of keeping slices of cucumber and potatoes.
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- For the best effect, use both cucumber and potato. First use the cucumber for 15 minutes, then potato, for another fifteen.
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- The redness as well as the remaining puffiness, will all be gone. In fact, the skin will feel fresh and tighter than before.
3. Redness from the nose
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- For redness over the nose, you will need a coverage, such as makeup.
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- But not heavy foundations. A very light and moisturizing concealer that can hide the redness.
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- A green or yellow tinged concealer works best when it comes to toning down the redness.
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- I repeat, DO NOT use any foundation for the while, as it will irritate the skin further.
If it was an overnight affair, make sure to prop your pillows high and rest your head over it, while sleeping. This will further help draining all the excess liquid from your eyes, thanks to the gravitational pull.
