Q. My daughter suffers from under eye puffiness. Her eyes can also be quite sore at times. Have you any suggestions? A. This common problem can be quite tricky to solve, as finding the culprit can require detective work. However, through late spring and summer, one likely possibility is hay fever, which can affect your eyes quite badly (as Sarah knows all too well). If you can stop the hay fever symptoms, then the puffiness tends to subside.

Another possibility, which may also exist on its own year round, is dry eyes from working at a screen. A soothing eye mist can help enormously (both with dry and hay fever eyes) and you can spray it on to closed eyelids over waterproof eye make up so you don't end up with panda eyes. One option is Murine Refresh & Soothe Eye Mist/£9.99 for 15 ml, does exactly what it says on the label.

Dry eyes need hydrating as our body does so it’s important to sip lots of still pure water through the day. Taking an Omega-3 supplement may help eyes, too. A good diet, rich in oily fish, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds plus fats such as butter and olive oil, also lots of fresh salads and fruits (particularly red, pink and purple ones, eg strawberries, raspberries and blueberries).

Some cosmetic ingredients can cause sensitivity and this is where your daughter needs to turn detective to pinpoint the exact ingredient/s (which can include natural ones as well as synthetic chemicals) and eliminate them. This is so individual that we can only suggest trial and error. Sarah’s eyes invariably swell up if oil gets in them – so that’s cleansing oil out – and also, strangely, the herb eyebright, which is often included in natural skincare.

It’s not just the ingredients in cosmetics: people often forget that cotton wool, for instance, is processed using a lot of chemicals and may contain tiny scratchy bits as well.

Another underlying cause of puffy eyes (also fingers) is food sensitivity, often to gluten, or just wheat. So your daughter might undertake an elimination diet and see if cutting out gluten-containing foods helps. There are FreeFrom counters at most big supermarkets now. She can find more information on foodsmatter.com, the online resource for people who suffer food allergies and intolerances.

Having a bowl of water by radiators and on her desk helps to refresh the air in rooms. Lying down with a cool wet flannel over your eyes, or a pair of warm moist chamomile tea bags (infuse as usual, allow to cool slightly then squeeze out excess water). We also find that Trilogy Very Gentle Calming Serum/£29.50 for 30 ml soothes and calms eyes. Wide-open eyes by definition exhibit less puffiness.

Product-wise, this autumn sees the 2017 Beauty Bible Awards with 90 categories of products including eye treats. Some of these really do help with puffiness so keep your eyes on our website, beautybible.com.

It is also worth your daughter talking to her GP in case there are any tests he/she can suggest or give other advice.

Image: unsplash/Katarzyna Kos