“No matter how much concealer I use I still always look tired”
This is a very common concern for patients of all ages.
There are 3 things that cause the under-eye area to appear dark:
Thin skin: the skin underneath the eye is the thinnest in the body. Its translucence means that you are actually seeing the underlying orbicularis oculi muscle and blood vessels and this gives a purplish discolouration to the area. This appearance can be radically improved with a good concealer.
Extra Brown Pigment: some patients have extra brown pigment (melanin) that accumulates around the eye, (particularly in non-Caucasian skin), and this too can be largely covered with make-up.
Hollowness or concavity, also known as ‘Tear Trough Deformity’
Where the first two can be hidden effectively with concealer, the third can never be hidden this way.
hollowness or ‘tear trough deformitY’
The third cause of dark under-eye circles is a shadow due to a hollowness or concavity in this area. No matter how much concealer you use, a shadow will always persist. We call this a Tear Trough deformity and it can often be treated very successfully with dermal fillers. In younger patients, this appearance tends to be due to genetics; you may notice a similar appearance in your parents or siblings. When tear trough shadowing appears later in life, it is due to changes in the shape of the bony eye socket, and to loss of fat and supporting tissue under the skin.
Under eye swelling
Ageing can also lead to softening of some of the retaining ligaments around the eye. This causes protrusion of fat from within the socket giving a swelling above the tear trough (an eye bag).
CONsULTATION & TEAR TROUGH TREATMENT
Consultation
Dr Fitzgerald will examine you carefully and advise you as to what you can expect during the procedure and the likelihood of a successful result. For patients with significant eyebags, she may advise that surgery could be a more appropriate option.
Treatment
Tear trough correction can be carried out using either a tiny needle or a cannula (a blunt-ended needle). Dr Fitzgerald, is experienced in both techniques. She will make an assessment as to which will be most suitable for you.
Small amounts of dermal filler specifically designed for this delicate area (Teosyal® Redensity II) are positioned deeply, to lift the tissue and improve the shadowing.
Because the skin is very delicate in this area, even the smallest manipulation tends to cause swelling. For this reason, a complete correction of a significant tear trough hollowing may be split into 2 treatment sessions, spaced about one month apart. This allows the initial product placement time to settle, and the second treatment adjusts any remaining defect while avoiding overtreatment.
Follow up
You will be invited back following your treatment to assess your results.
Does tear trough treatment hurt?
Perhaps surprisingly, Tear Trough treatment is a very comfortable procedure even without the application of numbing cream. Most patients when asked post-procedure to score it for discomfort give it 1-2 out of 10, where zero is “I felt nothing”.
are there any side effects with tear trough treatment?
The skin in this area is very delicate, so even the smallest manipulation can cause swelling. Immediately after treatment, you will see some small needle marks and tiny bumps. These will settle rapidly as the swelling subsides and the product integrates nicely into the tissue.
An important potential side effect of a tear trough treatment is bruising. Although this is usually minor and to be expected, you MAY (and this is the exception rather than the rule) get a black eye. A black eye can be embarrassing, may persist for up to 3 weeks, and be very difficult to conceal with make-up. On the rare occasions that it happens, it will not affect the final outcome of the treatment, but we do not advise that you undergo tear trough treatment if you have an important event coming up.
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