Do you ever think that the skin under and around your eyes makes you look tired or old? If you are wondering how to improve your under-eye skin, you are not alone. Requests about under-eye treatments are one of the most common questions that we get at our regenerative aesthetic clinic.
Although, high salt diet or allergies can cause temporary under-eye puffiness, the most common cause of under-eye problems is natural aging. Since everyone ages differently, we first have to determine what the underlying problem is that makes your eyes look tired or old. The good news is that there are many solutions to the under-eye issues.
Here are the 7 most common issues that can cause your under-eye skin to look less than perfect. You may have one or more of these problems:
2. Under-eye hollow
The passage of time and aging cause volume loss in the face. For example, when you lose weight you can become more hollow under the eyes. With aging in the face, you not only lose fat, but also bony support, and collagen.
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Fillers:
HA (hyaluronic acid) fillers can correct the hollow under the eyes; these are similar to the natural sugars made by your skin cells. Hyaluronic acid causes the sponginess of your skin. This jelly-like substance is injected into the under eyes to plump up the skin. HA gels can also be injected where the cheeks and the under-eye meet to fill in and smooth the area.
Another way we use fillers is to support the cheeks and temples which in turn supports the under-eye tissue and makes it less wrinkled.
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PRF:
In our clinic, we also use your own platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) as a natural regenerative filler which will correct the volume loss by naturally regenerating your own collagen. PRF injections under the eye have the added benefit of improving dark circles.
Another natural filler for the under-eye is your own fat which is harvested from where you don’t want the fat and transferred to the under-eye where you need the fat.
2. Skin Laxity around the eyes
“Older” skin gets looser and laxer with time causing it to fall and wrinkle more easily. In fact, we start losing Elastin, Collagen, and Hyaluronic acid in our 20’s and the trend is ever downward unless we stimulate the skin to naturally make these substances again. Elastin is what makes your skin snap back like a fresh pair of yoga pants versus an old pair. Collagen makes your skin thicker and robust. Losing collagen makes for thin crepey skin. Hyaluronic acid is what makes the skin spongy and plump. Losing HA causes the skin to look dehydrated and dull.
Thankfully with the advances of regenerative medicine, we can naturally stimulate the skin to tighten using non-surgical modalities.
Highly effective treatments around the eyes include Radio Frequency, plasma fibroblast, or laser resurfacing to name a few. These energy-based treatments all stimulate the natural production of your own elastin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid.
Sometimes the patient needs a more drastic correction of the extreme skin laxity by surgical removal of the loose skin.
3. Under Eye Puffiness
Also known as festoons, the under-eye bags present different degrees of severity. With the loss of skin firmness, the tissue around the eye relaxes and the fat under the eye bulges out, hanging over the underlying ligament. This extra bulge of fat can be shrunk and reduced using energy modalities such as radiofrequency micro-needling.
Non Surgical blepharoplasty using plasma fibroblast is also a good alternative to surgery for moderate festoons. We can additionally inject hyaluronic acid fillers where the under-eye bags and the cheeks meet, to smooth the transition and improve the appearance of the bulging.
4. Dark Circles
The dark appearance under the eyes can be due to a few different reasons. One is the shadow created by the volume loss, which we have discussed above. Another is a darker pigmentation of the skin due to natural genetics. Darker pigmentation under the eyes is most commonly seen in certain genetic backgrounds such as Middle Eastern. Laser resurfacing, Chemical peels, anti-pigmentation creams, and PRF injections are some of the effective treatments for this problem.
5. Visible blood vessels
Sometimes the dark shadow under the eyes is due to increased vascularity visible from under the very thin skin of the eyes. If visible blood vessels are contributing to the darkness under the eyes, the treatment would be the use of a vascular laser to reduce the blood vessels and dark appearance.
6. Expression wrinkles
Although most people come in asking for Botox to fix the wrinkles under their eyes, injecting muscle relaxants such as Botox, Dysport, or Jeuveau directly under the eyes can sometimes make the problem worse, because it weakens the muscle which supports the skin under the eyes. However these muscle relaxants are helpful in relaxing the expression lines in the crows feet: lines on the side of your eyes, which are created by squinting, can contribute to the aged look.
7. Sagging facial skin
Another way to address the under-eye skin looseness is to tighten and lift the facial skin around the eyes as well as under the eyes. PDO threads are a good way to accomplish such a lift. Smooth threads placed under the eyes will create a scaffolding so your body can build your own collagen around the threads. We also place barbed threads in the upper cheeks and temples to lift and smooth the skin under the eyes.
How to Choose a Doctor
With so many different treatment modalities available, it is important to make sure you find a knowledgeable practitioner who is able to assess the underlying cause of your particular under-eye issue. Sometimes patients need a combination of different therapies to treat their under-eye bags or dark circles.
The under-eye tissue is one of the most delicate parts of the face and improper procedures can cause serious complications. Having a complete assessment by an experienced and skilled practitioner is the only way you can have a treatment that is safe and effective for your specific concern.
At Allurant, we take the time to fully assess your face and determine the best course of treatment to safely maximize your results.
Call today for your complimentary consultation at 858-222-1444