Non-Surgical Eye Bag Treatment with Filler Injections

Hylaluronic Acid fillers are nothing short of magic. They have revolutionized not only aesthetic medicine, but how plastic surgery is practiced as well. They allow doctors to not only restore lost volume, but also improve skin texture, and sculpt the face in ways never before possible without going under the knife.

Fillers have changed the way we rejuvenate the undereye area – an area always of concern. While beauty standards differ in men and women (men have it way better: some imperfections are perfectly fine), it is universally agreed that dark eye circles, eye bags and contour irregularities in the under eye area make us look tired, old, and unattractive – both in men and in women.

Yet, the undereye area is the most problematic area on our face. The thin skin makes wrinkles appear very early in life. In addition, the rich blood supply causes the horrid bluish discoloration commonly seen in dark eye circles. Not surprisingly, the undereye area is one of the top complaints of the patients I see.

What Are “Eyebags”?

Many people blame eyebags on the lack of sleep, but the causes are something much more fundamental: time, genetics, and gravity.

As we age, the skin and muscles under the eyes become weaker. Eventually, the fat starts to herniate, or protrude outwards. At the same time, fat deposition has been show to increase under the eyes. Together, these form the “eyebags” as we know it.

However, the eyebag problem is more than just the fat under the eyes. With ageing and gravity, the fat in our cheeks start to sag downwards, causing a hollow in the mid-cheek area. The protrusion of orbital fat, coupled with the loss of cheek fat, gives rise to the “tired appearance” which affects so many of us, starting from as early as the late twenties.

How much each of us are affected varies, depending on our lifestyle, and genetics. It has, in fact, very little to do with a night of restful sleep. Hence, the most common complaint I hear from may patients with this problem is : “No matter how much I sleep, people still say I look tired!”

Fillers As a Non-Surgical Treatment Alternative for Eyebags

Many people are initially surprised when they learn that fillers can help improve the appearance of eyebags. “Won’t fillers make me look even puffier?”, I am often asked. But let me explain.

Fillers are used to treat the mid-face area: they help to restore the lost volume from cheek sagging. A lifting filler such as Restylane Perlane is used for this purpose.

With the restoration of lost cheek volume with fillers, the eyebags will already immediately become better, but that is not all which fillers can do. Filllers are also placed in the tear trough: the hollow under the eyes right under the eye bag, to smoothen out the contours.

Different fillers behave differently. Hence, for best results, I often layer different types of fillers in the undereye area for best results, to prevent lumps, and to prevent excessive puffiness. The undereye area is one of the most unforgiving areas because of the thin skin, and caution needs to be exercised when treating this area. With its excellent hydrating and wrinkle reducing properties, a filler such as Restylane Vital Light helps complete the job but evening out the final minor skin irregularities.

The procedure is very comfortable with a numbing cream, and can often be done with a single injection point, using a cannula: a blunt tip long needle, which allows the doctor to reach many areas in the mid-cheek easily. The result is minimal bruising, minimal swelling, and excellent results, which lasts a year, or even longer. The video below shows how the procedure is done:

Filler injection techniques have come a very ling way since its early days, when my patients left my treatment room bruised and battered: “Doctor, I love what you did for me, but I cannot have a black eye every few months!!” Fillers now allow us to treat eyebags, which affect so many of us, much better, without the need for surgery. Not every case of eyebags is suitable for the treatment, of course. More severe cases of orbital fat protrusion will still require surgery to remove and reposition the excess fat; and more severe cases of cheek sagging may require, in addition, a cheek lifting procedure such as the Silhouette Soft Threadlift. Have a conversation with the doctor of your choice, to find out more about how you can benefit from the procedure.