We’ve all experienced this. You wake up in the morning to experience puffy under-eye bags after having a salty meal or drinking alcohol. That puffiness from food or drinks generally tends to decrease as our body processes the food and alcohol. As we age, muscle weakens and under-eye skin loses elasticity. This can cause our natural eye fat pads to protrude creating some areas of puffiness and other areas of hollowing. People have tried eye cream containing caffeine and ice packs to help with swelling. Concealer can be useful for covering up darker pigmentation under the eyes and prominent blood vessels.
Some patients may be good candidates for under-eye filler, known as filler to the “tear trough,” and some may be candidates for blepharoplasty surgery.
A dermal filler, such as a hyaluronic acid based filler can be injected into the under eye area, known as the tear trough. This can help even out the “hill and valley” the protruding fat pads have created providing a natural looking contour. This is an in-office procedures that takes about 35 minutes. (20 minutes of topical numbing cream and about 15 minutes of injectable treatment time). If the bags are very large or prominent, complete correction with filler cannot be achieved and surgery may be recommended.
Blepharoplasty is surgery to the skin, muscle and fat bags (in any combination) of the upper and/or lower eyelids. As we age, our eyelid skin and muscle weakens, resulting in sagging skin or fat gathering above or below the eyelids, which can effect vision in extreme cases. More commonly, excess skin and fat is excised for aesthetic purposes to help people look less tired. This surgery can be combined with a facelift, browlift, skin resurfacing procedure, and many other procedures as well. A board-certified facial or oculo-plastic surgeon can help determine your candidacy for this procedure.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Zimm, double board certified facial plastic surgeon, please contact the office at 212-327-4600 or email info@drjoshuazimm.com.
If you are a new or current patient and would like to schedule a consultation, please fill out our secure online request here. We'll contact you to schedule your consult. You can also call our office during normal business hours (8:30-5:00pm). We will be able to answer your questions and schedule appointments for you.
NOTICE: This is only a guide and is not a guarantee of results. This article is for your entertainment only and is not being given as medical advice. Always consult your personal physician on any medical matters.
