Is it a secret weapon or an old wives’ tale?
. Alas, it’s tempting to turn to more affordable beauty hacks, like smearing the hemorrhoid cream Preparation H on puffy eyes, in an emergency. But is Preparation H a real secret weapon or an outdated old wives’ tale?can be incredibly difficult to treat, in part because they’re so common. Puffiness—which is swollen, often red skin under the eyes—is usually due to bloating, dehydration, fatigue, allergies, hormones, or genetics.
In theory, Preparation H seems like it should work. The cream restricts the blood vessels, which can reduce redness, and it contains 1 percent hydrocortisone, an anti-inflammatory that in theory might temporarily reduce puffiness. But this is a time to heed the package’s warnings about proper usage and keep it off your face: Preparation H has a number of ingredients that can cause injury if you accidentally get some in your eye and cause extra irritation to the sensitive skin around the eyes.
So what about using plain hydrocortisone cream? That’s also risky: As with Preparation H, you don't want to accidentally get the stuff in your eyes. In fact, the label onuse the product in, or near, your eyes.
The best way to get rid of undereye puffiness is to address the underlying roots of the problem. To do that, you need to:Drink enough water and minimize intake of salty foods, which can also lead to dehydration and water retention.“Puffiness around the eyes is a pretty common complaint, especially as we get older and lose support of muscle structure and fat,” Stevenson says.