Why Your Face Looks Puffy and What Helps You wake up, look in the mirror, and your face just looks... off. Puffy around the jaw. Swollen under the eyes. Kind of flat and dull, even after a full night of sleep. Most people blame it on salt, alcohol, or just getting older, and they move on. But a lot of the time, the real issue is that your lymphatic system has slowed down and fluid is sitting in your facial tissue with nowhere to go....