If your face appears puffy, it’s worth examining your lifestyle habits. Your diet, stress, and even the way you apply your skincare could be causing the dreaded bloat, which can age your appearance and make you look unhealthy and less attractive. Ahead, some common culprits you aren’t even aware of that are puffing you up.
1. Fluid Retention
Excessive sodium intake from foods like processed meats, canned soups, and salty snacks can cause the body to retain too much water, leading to facial puffiness and stomach bloating. Similarly, some makeup products may contain sodium-based preservatives, which can also train your skin to retain fluid, leading to a puffy appearance. Be mindful of how you apply skincare and makeup, and by choosing the right food so that you can minimize puffiness and keep your face looking fresh and well-defined.
2. Dehydration and Over-Hydrating
Not drinking enough water can cause the body to hold onto water as a survival instinct, resulting in a bloated and puffy face. While it’s true that staying hydrated is good for healthy skin, it’s also true that overdoing it with hydrating masks, serums, or creams can oversaturate your skin and lead to water retention. Balance your hydration levels by choosing the right products for your skin type. If you notice puffiness, scale back on hydrating products and see if it improves.
3. Using Products and Facial Tools Wrong
Rubbing or tugging at your skin when doing your skincare regime or your makeup can cause irritation and fluid retention, leading to a puffy appearance. This is particularly true around your eyes, where the skin on your face is the most sensitive. When you apply products to your face, do it gently, using light, tapping motions instead of vigorous rubbing. It’s not just applying skincare wrong, but also using skincare tools wrong that can also make your face puffy, too. Facial rollers, gua sha tools, and other skincare gadgets can cause fluid buildup if you use them too heavy-handedly.
4. Excessive Alcohol
We know that a glass of wine at the end of the day can take the edge off, but too much alcohol can cause dehydration and inflammation, leading to a puffy face and bloated stomach. This is because alcohol causes you to be dehydrated and dilates blood vessels, which causes fluid retention and inflammation in the skin. If you excessively drink, you’ll have a bloated appearance, particularly around the eyes and cheeks.
5. Sleep Deficiencies
Not catching enough z’s every night? People will be able to tell because you’ll have a puffy face. Insufficient sleep can lead to fluid retention and increased stress hormones, causing puffiness in the face and bloating in the stomach. Not getting enough sleep means that your body will struggle to regulate hydration levels without adequate rest.
6. Raging Hormones
When our hormones fluctuate, so does the way our body works. Whether it’s during menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause, hormone changes can lead to water retention and bloating. Many women experience bloating and fluid retention in the days leading up to their menstrual period due to hormonal changes. So, if your face looks puffier than usual, it may just be a case of your hormones wreaking havoc.
7. Constant Stress
Chronic stress is not only bad for our mental health, but it actually impacts every part of our body, too. When we stress for days or weeks on end, we can accidentally cause a spike in our cortisol levels. High cortisol is pesky and can cause fluid retention and digestive issues, leading to a puffy face and bloated stomach – just to name a few of its side effects.
8. Food Intolerances
If you’re finding that your face looks extra puffy or perhaps you’re excessively bloated, a bad reaction to food may be to blame. Intolerances to certain foods, such as dairy or gluten, can cause inflammation and bloating in the stomach, as well as facial puffiness. Try to look for patterns in the food you’re eating and cut those foods out to avoid looking puffy and bloated.
9. Overeating and Eating Too Fast
Whether you skipped lunch or you’re about to eat your favorite meal, sometimes we chow down our food too quickly without stopping to think. Eating large meals can stretch the stomach and cause bloating, while excessive calorie intake can lead to facial puffiness. It also prevents proper digestion, which can contribute to bloating and discomfort. Try to mindfully eat your food and chew your food thoroughly to avoid becoming puffy in the face and the belly.
10. Poor Gut Health
Having bad gut health can affect your life in so many different ways, including warping your appearance. An imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut can lead to digestive issues and bloating, which can also cause systemic inflammation and puffiness. Include probiotics and healthy foods in your diet in order to avoid looking puffy and protecting your gut health.
11. Medication and Medical Conditions
Certain medications, such as steroids, can cause fluid retention and lead to a puffy face and stomach bloating. But it’s not just medications; certain medical conditions, such as kidney disease, liver disease, or heart failure, can also cause fluid retention and result in a puffy face and bloated stomach. IBS and Crohn’s disease are also big offenders for puffy faces and bloated bellies,
12. Constipation Bloating
Whether it’s irritable bowel syndrome, food sensitivities, or a poor diet, if you aren’t clearing your bowels in a healthy, regular manner, you could be retaining too much fluid. This causes the stomach to bloat due to the buildup of waste and gas in the intestines. As a result, you may also experience a puffy face as a result of your fluid retention.
13. Lack of Physical Activity
Sedentary lifestyles are the new smoking. Sitting down all day can wreak total havoc on your health all over. However, one of the worst effects this type of living can have on your well-being is that it causes you to look bloated and puffy. Not getting enough exercise can slow down digestion and cause water retention, leading to bloating and puffiness.
14. Allergies and Allergic Reactions
Having allergic reactions can cause inflammation and swelling in various parts of the body, including in your face and stomach. Whether it’s ingredients from your skincare products or makeup, fragrances, preservatives, and even certain chemical compounds, these can all cause your face to puff and swell up. Patch test new products on a small area of skin before applying them to your face to see if they cause a reaction.
15. Carbonated Drinks
Sodas are delicious, they’re great with every meal, and they’re the perfect little treat. However, drinks with carbonation can cause gas to build up in the stomach, leading to bloating. This, combined with how much sugar is in certain drinks, can also contribute to a puffy appearance if the gas buildup is significant. If you want to get rid of a puffy appearance, opt for water or another flat drink.
16. Too Much Sugar
Who doesn’t like sugar? From cake to soda to cookies, sugar is hugely addictive and even releases endorphins in our brains. However, consuming high amounts of sugar can cause an insulin spike, leading to fluid retention and inflammation. Insulin spikes can also contribute to having a bloated belly and a puffy face. If you want to stop looking puffy and bloated, try cutting sugar out of your diet.
17. Protein Deficiency
A lack of protein can lead to a condition called edema, where excess fluid builds up in tissues, causing puffiness in the face and bloating in the stomach. Protein can be found in everything from meat to eggs, it’s an important part of our diets for a ton of reasons but it can also help you avoid looking bloated and puffy.