How Iced Coffee Can Reduce Dark Under-Eye Circles
By Sarah Kinonen. Photos: Getty Images.
Confession time: I've become a bit of an insomniac within the past year. Every night, the time I creep into bed gets later and later, and when I do eventually climb into my Casper, I end up tossing and turning for what feels like hours. Needless to say, come morning, the lack of sleep is clearly evident on my face: I've got what you'd call permanent dark under-eye circles. Ugh.
Believe me, I've tried just about everything to hide them: extra coats of concealer, various shades of color correctors, and, when desperate enough, a deeper BB cream shade. But I've got to be honest here: Sometimes, the makeup just doesn't cut it — which is why when I recently heard a rumor that iced coffee — as in the beverage I should have permanently IV-dripped into my veins — could help clear up my purple-ish half moons, I was all ears.
Apparently, the idea is that coffee, when frozen into ice trays, can be used to de-puff and de-purple under-eye issues. Curious of the caffeinated drink's efficacy, I asked Elizabeth Tanzi, founder and director of Capital Laser & Skin Care and associate clinical professor, department of dermatology at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., about the science behind the at-home hack. "The caffeine can constrict blood vessels, while the cooling can reduce swelling," she tells Allure.
Before you start chilling your strongest brew, Tanzi warns that while the trick does work, it's not an end-all-be-all treatment for under-eye bags. "It can be somewhat helpful, but don't expect miracles," she says. What might work better? Altering your diet. "It may not be 'sexy,' but a low-carb diet can help reduce facial puffiness, which, in turn, helps under-eye circles," Tanzi says. "It costs nothing, but does require a bit of discipline."
Turns out, discipline might be exactly what this insomniac needs.
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This story originally appeared on Allure.
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