Have you ever wondered why you wake up puffy after a late night? Is your face a tip-off to your boss after a late night at the bar? Morning puffiness has many causes; some are entirely outside our control, while others are within our control. Here’s why our faces puff up in the morning and how to fix it.
Gravity Often Causes Facial Puffiness
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Dr. Zakia Rahman, a clinical professor of dermatology at Stanford School of Medicine, said that gravity pulls all of our fluids down during the day. At the end of the day, people can have swollen feet or legs. Our face is more likely to swell when sleeping since gravity doesn’t pull fluids down to our feet or legs when lying flat.
Some Conditions Cause Puffiness
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Rahman said people with hay fever, allergies, eczema, and asthma might experience puffier faces. When you have allergy flare-ups, your face may puff up in the mornings (this is why your eyes swell in spring). Our faces can become puffy due to inflammation, Rahman said. Allergies, eczema, asthma, and hay fever are closely associated with inflammation.
In addition, rosacea sufferers have puffy faces. She said rosacea causes puffiness and redness as blood vessels constrict, expand, and leak fluid.
Genetics Also Plays A Role
Rahman says you’ll likely experience facial puffiness in the morning if your parents, grandparents, or other ancestors did. Morning puffiness may also be genetic.