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Are Men Or Women More Prone To Eye Bags? An Aesthetics Expert Explains

Hannah Frye
Author:
July 28, 2023
Hannah Frye
Beauty & Health Editor
By Hannah Frye
Beauty & Health Editor
Hannah Frye is the Beauty & Health Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including beauty, women’s health, mental health, sustainability, social media trends, and more. She previously worked for Almost 30, a top-rated health and wellness podcast. In her current role, Hannah reports on the latest beauty trends and innovations, women’s health research, brain health news, and plenty more.
Portrait of a young fine looking man, outdoors.
Image by Brat Co / Stocksy
July 28, 2023
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Biology plays a huge role in skin health. Some folks are more prone to acne, others more sensitive to fragrance, some are born with larger pores, and so on. This same idea applies to skin aging as well. 

Aesthetics rejuvenation specialist Lisa Goodman, MPAS, founder of Goodskin Clinics, recently shared one interesting finding on the Clean Beauty School podcast: Men are more prone to under-eye bags than women. To come, Goodman explains why this happens and what to do about it. 

Are men more prone to under-eye bags?

In the episode, Goodman explains the five elements of facial aging she focuses on, including bone development. That's right: How your skin ages is related to how your bones age as well, not just what wrinkles show up on the surface. 

This mechanism is actually what makes men more prone to eye bags, she says. While there's likely nothing wrong with eye bags from a health perspective, it can be a common insecurity for people, so understanding why it happens may bring you some peace of mind—and help you figure out how to prevent it. 

"[Men] tend to lose more bone around their lateral orbital rim," Goodman says. In turn, this means there's less support for the tissue there, thus creating larger eye bags.

On the flip side, she says, women tend to lose bone in the mid-face and next to their nose, which is why they may have a longer upper lip with age. According to Goodman, this is "one of the telltale signs of aging that most people don't even realize." 

This doesn't mean women can't have prominent eye bags and men can't lose bone density around their nose—however, these patterns do help explain why men and women tend to have different facial aging features. 

What to do about it

There's nothing wrong with eye bags, so don't stress about them if they don't bother you. However, if you want to support your bone density from here on out, there are actionable steps you can take. 

We've covered this in-depth before, which you can read here, but we'll summarize three essential steps below: 

  • Stay on top of calcium & vitamin D intake: Two nutrients that play a pivotal role in bone health.
  • Practice weight training: Practices that place more mechanical load on your bones than they experience in daily life, such as strength training, running, hiking, and stair climbing, may stimulate bone growth and increase bone strength, research suggests1.
  • Limit toxins when you can: Avoid tobacco and nicotine and limit alcohol intake.

You can also invest in eye creams to help limit the appearance of puffiness momentarily. Look for ingredients like peptides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, and caffeine in your eye creams to target puffiness

In addition, support your skin's collagen levels from within to ensure the surface stays tight and toned, no matter what happens below. Make bone broth or collagen supplements a daily part of your routine—here's a list of our favorite options on the market for healthy skin aging.

The takeaway

Men may be more prone to under-eye bags because they tend to lose more bones around their eyes. To learn more, tune in to the episode and dive deeper into the nuances of facial aging beyond surface-level wrinkles. 

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