My undereyes have been puffy for as long as I can remember. As far back as high school, I would apply frozen spoons or cucumber slices to the area hoping to shrink the bags. Since then, I’ve tried to eradicate them with lotions, potions, concealers, lasers and even had my own plasma injected into the area. And while I’ve had some luck camouflaging those pesky, puffy pouches, nothing has worked as a long-term solution. Enter: gua sha, the ancient technique that’s been practiced for centuries. Always eager to try anything in the name of beauty, I decided to stop sleeping on this trend and give it a try. 

Why Using Gua Sha Can Treat Puffy Eyes

Like with a lot of skin issues, there can be many factors that contribute to puffiness under the eyes. Some of the most common culprits include allergies, genetics, aging, lack of sleep and lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking alcohol and consuming too much salt. While some of these causes can be controlled (or at least mitigated), others are just a fact of life. Sometimes the puffiness under the eye is the result of fluid retention, but it can also be caused by fat deposits under or around the eye — which can be a lot harder to treat. Lucky for me, my puffiness is a fluid issue, which makes me a good candidate for this gua sha technique.

By now, you’re probably well aware of the ancient Chinese therapeutic method of gua sha. It’s known to have several health and beauty benefits — from naturally lifting the face to reducing the look of cellulite and even scalp massage. When it comes to the issue of puffy eyes, gua sha is said to improve lymphatic flow and reduce puffiness under and around the eyes by moving the stagnant fluid out of the area. As I mentioned, I have dealt with puffy eyes since I was a teenager, so I was determined to give this method a try. See below for my results!

Treating My Puffy Eyes

I attribute my issues to a few things, namely genetics (thanks, Mom!), food allergies and a (self-diagnosed) sluggish lymphatic system. Lucky for me, salt doesn’t make them worse, because I’m not sure even vanity could curb my sushi addiction. I also tell myself that a little caffeine and a couple of cocktails aren’t exacerbating things. Maybe I’m in denial but I’d rather try less extreme solutions than cutting out all of my small vices. 

Because the level of puffiness fluctuates based on a few lifestyle factors and seems to be more about water retention than anything else, my esthetician recommended trying gua sha at home to help move the stagnant fluid from the area to flush it out of my system. She performed it on me during a facial and talked me through the process so I could repeat it on myself in between spa appointments.

My At-Home Gua Sha Routine 

I’ve tried using a gua sha tool on my face in the past to lift the look of my cheeks and help define my jawline. I have noticed small, temporary improvements to the look of those areas, but nothing permanent. Like with a lot of facial massage techniques, the results tend to only last for a few hours. I love to perform them before a big event where I want to look my best, but I’ve never been good about keeping up with the practice on a regular and consistent schedule. This time I committed to trying it for 30 days in hopes of creating a daily habit that might garner longer-lasting results. I followed the steps outlined here and have added a few extra tips that helped amp up my results: 

Start with a cold gua sha tool, straight out of the freezer. This cold therapy hack helps lessen inflammation and swelling by reducing blood flow to the area. And it just feels so good. 

I apply Hibiscus Ultra Lift Eye Cream to the area under my eye and my eyelid. It’s a lightweight eye cream that contains ingredients like caffeine that reduces the look of puffiness, plus ice wine and green algae that tighten the appearance of skin. It’s also cool and soothing upon application and provides just the right amount of slip to allow the gua sha to glide along the delicate eye area without tugging the skin. As an employee of Eminence Organic Skin Care, I’ve tried a lot of their eye products, and have been a fan of this cream on its own, so adding the gua sha to the mix takes it to the next level for me. I dab it on the eye area from the outside of the eye in, and then up and along the brow bone.