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The appearance of your face, this content often implies, directly correlates with your health and how well you care for it. Sometimes it goes even further. One creator I came across recently argued that a bloated \u201cmoon face\u201d is a sign of a malfunctioning liver. \u201cYour liver is your detoxing organ, so if you\u2019re inflamed and you\u2019re puffy, it\u2019s likely that you\u2019re not detoxing properly. Looking after your liver can get rid of so much of that puffiness and inflammation.\u201d Another kicked off a video by saying, \u201cYou\u2019re not ugly, you\u2019re not puffy, you just have cortisol face. I was so inflamed from so much stress and anxiety; it caused my face to swell up all the time.\u201d (Unsurprisingly, the video was made in partnership with a company selling \u201ccortisol-reducing\u201d supplements.) Some creators go even deeper down the rabbit hole, suggesting that a puffy face is a telltale sign of an autoimmune or hormonal disorder like adrenal dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome, or Hashimoto\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s true that how you feel is sometimes reflected in your face. But as board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, explains, mild facial bloating is a normal and necessary function of the human body: \u201cFacial puffiness is far more normal than the internet would have us believe.\u201d She says it can be caused by a number of everyday factors including but not limited to sleep deprivation, stress, allergies, diet, travel, and even sleeping position. Genetics, of course, impacts your overall facial structure, too; some people just have naturally full undereyes. But in most people, facial bloating and undereye puffiness are usually just reactionary. \u201cInflammation doesn\u2019t always signal disease; sometimes the face is simply responding to life,\u201d Dr. Gohara says.<\/p>\n
Framing perfectly normal facial swelling as evidence of an underlying health problem is, at best, disingenuous. Can we all admit that we\u2019re not really looking to get healthier when we\u2019re seeking out ways to depuff our own faces? I think, subconsciously or not, most of us just want to be hot; I can\u2019t judge that in a society where hotness has the power to open doors and change lives. When I have too many martinis and wake up looking visibly worse for wear, the first thing I do is consult TikTok for an anti-bloating gua sha routine. I don\u2019t do it to feel healthier; I do it to give the illusion that I have healthier habits than I do. By scraping my bloated face with my little rock, I\u2019m hoping to erase the previous evening\u2019s hedonism and look like someone who went to bed on time and woke up for a 5 a.m. run. If I were really looking to improve my health, I might have actually gone on that run instead of inspecting myself in the mirror for puffiness. Or, you know, consulted an actual doctor for advice.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only natural to want to look more put together than you feel\u2014or to feel pressured to meet today\u2019s hyper-snatched beauty standard\u2014but trying to find a medically significant reason to justify this desire can be harmful. Dr. Gohara can tell you exactly why: \u201cThe problem is that online culture has moralized these natural fluctuations, equating puffiness with poor health or lack of discipline,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve confused wellness with worthiness, but the face is not a report card.\u201d<\/p>\n