Under-eye Baggage

No, I'm not tired, hungover nor have I been crying.  And I don't have any allergies to speak of.  However, I have discovered that excessive salt causes my under eye skin to swell up to balloon proportions even taking on multiple waves of bags down to my cheeks.  Redness and itching are also unfortunate symptoms lasting up to 3 days before it all calms down.  I suspected the salt link when I had gorged on salted almonds the previous night.  However, maybe it was the almonds?  So after the "episode" subsided half a week later, I tried almonds again, this time without salt.  I woke up the next day with no reaction.  Yup, it was the salt, excessive salt.

I went to the doctor and she had some helpful recommendations, but no quick fix.  The treatment for this predicament is complicated.  First, I ice my face with a bag of peas.  Then I apply a steroid cream to the whole affected area for day.  At night I have to undo the drying effects of the steroid with soothing Aquafor or Polysporin.  Plus allergy eye drops twice a day.  The ridiculous thing is that my dog has itchy allergy eyes and he needs TLC, too - eyedrops and allergy pills which he will only take if given with a little peanut butter.  I don't think peanut butter is going to help me.

I have always had under-eye circles, aka "raccoon eyes" which are easily and daily hidden by gobs of thick goopy concealer, but this reaction to salt is just icing on the poop cake.  I read an article in the October 2012 Marie Claire issue in which Dr. David Colbert, dermatologist and founder of Colbert M.D. Skincare, explained because I have little fat or collagen below my eyes, the purple facial muscle is visible beneath the skin.  And there is a remedy - the filler called Restylane.  Just 10 or so pricks from a needle underneath the eyes and I could look refreshed, awake and possibly even glowing.  Good to know, but probably not, thank you very much.

Many times I've been told I have pretty eyes.  Even with the dark circles.  And incidentally, I have really nice hands, slender fingers and always a pretty manicure.  But at 43 with everything else sagging and turning grey, I need to hold on to something I can feel good about.  Physically, anyway.

I'm definitely going to rethink eating half a pound of Smokehouse almonds or smothering my Sesame Inn beef & broccoli with soy sauce from now on.  Unless I just enjoy waking up with the face of an alien!

Unflattering, but descriptive picture.