What Causes Under-Eye Bags and How Fillers Can Help
For many patients, the dark circles under their eyes represent a constant source of frustration. Maybe, for you, they’ve developed over time. Or perhaps you’ve had them as long as you can remember. Either way, no matter how much rest we get, under-eye bags can make us appear tired.
Why Do I Have Bags Under My Eyes?
This condition is caused by what doctors call tear troughs or abnormalities of the skin tissue beneath the eyes. Typically, they form between where the bone ends, and lower eyelid begins. The darkness is caused by the thinness of the skin, revealing the blood vessels underneath. Believe it not, in other parts of your face (like the cheeks), fat and muscle tissue provide the fullness and lighter tone we expect to see.
What Can I Do About Them?
While makeup may, to a limited degree, brighten skin tone under the eyes, many patients will also try a long list of under-eye creams to no avail. This experience can be both frustrating and costly until you turn to a plastic surgeon for a more effective treatment: under-eye filler injections.
What Are Under-Eye Filler Injections?
Under-eye filler injections consist of hyaluronic acid, a substance that’s naturally present in healthy skin. The most common names on the market are Juvederm and Restylane. Originally used to “fill-in” a variety of facial lines, these non-invasive treatments are now also used under the eyes.
The Benefits of Under-Eye Injections.
We often mistakenly think that the source of our under-eye bags is due to the pigment of our skin. Instead, the real culprit is the loss (or lack) of fat volume underneath the skin. Injectable fillers remedy the problem by adding back the fullness that was either lost over time or never existed in the first place. Imagine the thin skin under your eyes as windows. Without fatty tissue underneath, these windows only can reveal the blood vessels they cover. Hyaluronic acid lifts the skin away from the blood vessels allow it to lighten. The result is that your under eyes look fuller, and you finally look as awake as you feel.
How Long do Under-Eye Filler Treatments Last?
You can expect injectable fillers to remain visible in your skin for 6 to 8 months. Over time, your body safely processes them. The good news is that many patients like the effect of the injections enough to have them repeated.
Are Under-Eye Injections Safe?
In the hands of a board-certified, licensed plastic surgeon, yes. The eyes are one of the more delicate areas to have injections done, so it’s important to trust in the skilled hands of a doctor who performs them several times a day versus other doctors who dabble.
To learn more about injectable fillers for your under-eye bags, be sure to contact HKB Plastic Surgery in Charlotte, NC at (704) 659-9000. Act now, and not only brighten the skin under your eyes but your spirits as well!
