Bruising under eyes from tight swimming goggles?

[buni1961]

hello -

I wore a new pair of swim goggles with suction to prevent leaking I'd estimate about 25-30 times this summer, 20-40 minutes per swim.  I am a long distance swimmer, female, age 447.  I noticed at the end of August I was developing these marked "troughs" under my eyes and I stopped using the goggles.  I also would have reddish discoloration/ bruising under the eyes after I removed the goggles which seemed to dissipate within a couple of hours.

I now have deep dark circles with discoloration under my eyes that is marked. I was sick for a couple of weeks with a cold/post nasal drip in October which may have made this worse.  Anyway, it has been two months since I stopped using the goggles.  I am very very worried about these awful looking troughs.  

A friend asked me three weeks ago if I had a black eye and someone else remarked I looked "very tired".

I'm very concerned that I have done permanent damage to the skin under my eyes by wearing these suction type goggles with the resultant pressure and and I'm wondering if you have ever seen this problem.  Is there anything I can do?   What is the prognosis and is it possible I have done permanent damage?

[OKYes_IMVain]

Ok, so here's my follow-up report.  I DID try swimming without goggles.  And of course I did have to remove my contacts, but that wasn't a big deal.  Here is why it didn't work for me: 1.) Less enjoyable because I couldn't see well (my daughter thought I should just keep my eyes closed under water- no that's just crazy), 2.) When I turn my head to the side to breathe I have to close my eyes, because the sensation of the water running over my eyeballs was uncomfortable, and I missed those glimpses above water, 3.) And this is the deal-breaker: I discovered there's something even more important than my vanity- My Vision!  Later in the day my vison was blurry and my eyes were sore.  I suffer from dry eyes anyway, and I could tell I had some corneal edema going on.  This swimming without goggles thing was definitley not going to work out.

GOOD NEWS:  I ordered two new pairs of goggles, and one just arrived, and I tried it this AM.  It is the TYR Hydrovision.  It has a wide phlangy skirt that rests down toward my cheekbones, but is still quite compact.  It performed nicely, hardly any marks except a little forehead line.  A little bit of leakage, but not bothersome to me.  I am very pleased.  I still have a Barracuda Wire Mask on the way, too.

I am so relieved that I can continue to look forward to regular swimming!

[DailySwimmer]

PS buni1961 - I too am Irish.  Just read over previous posts and saw that you mentioned it in an earlier one!

[DailySwimmer]

I should just add to my last post, that I didn't swim for about 5 days in a row recently and I had no under eye bags or dark circles.  They totally disappeared.  I see that some posters were talking about genetics and ageing and no doubt it's probably inevitable as we age but I definitely put it down to goggles at this stage.

I wonder do sportswear researchers and developers consult with medics and/or plastic surgeons at all.....  Might be no harm if they did.  

It would be an awful shame to give up such a fantastic way of keeping fit, healthy and in shape because it was, ironically,  making you look older!!  

I am determined to find a solution for us all - even if I have to patent an invention myself!!

[DailySwimmer]

buni1961, I'm so glad to hear you've had some success with the Aqua Sphere mask.  I bought one today and I'm really excited about my swim tomorrow.  I tried it on today (not swimming) and the suction is really strong.  It stayed on my face without even putting the strap behind my head!! With suction that strong, it's bound to leave marks but I am optimistic that the marks will fade within a very short space of time given that there is more fatty tissue in the cheeks than the eye sockets.

I didn't buy the Lady mask; just the Universal.  I will post again and let other posters know how it goes.

Isn't getting older an awful thing!!!  When I was competing in my teens, I swam for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening and never had goggle marks!  I used to wear them really tight too.  In the last 5 years or so, I noticed marks but it's only in the six months that actual bruising appeared.  I looked like I'd taken up boxing!!

I now swim to keep the body looking a bit younger but lately, it has been making the face look 10 years older than I am.  Catch 22!   I was really sad that I couldn't swim during the day if I was going out at night.  I too wear contacts so swimming without goggles is not an option.  Even if I didn't wear contacts, I don't think I could swim without goggles.  I have my face in the water constantly when I swim and it would just burn my eyes out.  

I'm expecting a few strange looks when I wear the mask in the pool tomorrow but I don't care,  it's better than looking 10 years older on land!! :-)

Thanks buni1961 for the original post.  Only for you starting this chain, I'd have thought I was the only one and probably wouldn't have got so interested in finding a solution.  I hope I've found it now.  I'd be so upset if I had to give up swimming.  It's been such a big part of my life for over 20 years.  

I'll post again anyway and give a review of the Aqua Sphere mask.  

In the meantime, I hope we can all find a way to keep doing the sport we love - without it adding years on!!

[buni1961]

I've found that I get marks from the AquaSphere Seal XP "Lady" mask as well.  In order for the suction to work and keep water out, it's inevitable that marks will appear.  The good news is that the skin on the face/cheek is not as susceptible to soft tissue damage as the skin around the eyes and the marks don't seem to have long lasting damage.  I doubt I'll ever wear goggles again and I have drastically cut down on swimming.  I noticed my original post was almost two years ago and my bruising and swelling did eventually get better but it took a LONG time.  I tried swimming without goggles but I wear contacts and since I mostly do open water swimming, keeping my eyes shut doesn't work (you gotta keep a look out for other swimmers!)

Thanks for the last poster for writing to Speedo....

I might try the newest mask out from AquaSphere.  I agree that the mask is cumbersome but after what I went through with goggles, I'll put up with it.

[DailySwimmer]

Hi,

Like all of you above, I too have started to develop dark circles and bruising from my googles.  I swim for approx 40 mins every day and have done for years. I'm 37 and  I only noticed this problem in the last six months or so and it doesn't seem to matter what goggles I use.  I think I've tried them all at this stage.  

I emailed Speedo to see if they could recommend a pair.  They suggested their BioFuse goggles.  I had tried these and felt there was some improvement but the little lock that holds the strap in place broke after about 2 weeks.  

My brother who is a Dive Master said that they put vaseline on their masks which acts as an extra seal when diving.  He suggested that if I tried this, I might not need to have my goggles so tight.  Hard to say whether there was any improvement but I now put vaseline under my eyes before getting into the pool.

I think I'm going to try a mask next but I imagine it might be a bit cumbersome.  I put in fairly hard training sessions. I hope a mask won't feel big and awkward.

Anyway, I found Speedo very responsive and efficient in coming back to me and I suggested that their designers might think about designing googles for "older" people as the bruising problem seems to be quite common once regular swimmers reach a certain age.  I got an email back from Customer Service saying that they had passed my mails on to the appropriate department.

Maybe, if more people were to send mails to Speedo, they might just come up with something!!