Adults are more concerned about dark circles under the eyes than nearly any other aging-related problem (besides wrinkles). These dark circles can be quite prominent and give the face a sad, fatigued or prematurely aged appearance. Despite the thousands of cosmetic products claiming to erase dark circles, sometimes the best way to minimize them is with surgery.
Patients seeking permanent treatment of dark under-eye circles in Montreal trust their care to Dr. Arie Benchetrit.
What Causes Dark Circles Under the Eyes?
The skin underneath the lower eyelid is anchored to the bone, so it can’t move. But with age, the skin of the lower eyelid (which is not attached to bone) can start to become loose and the fat underneath that skin can start to protrude. This creates puffiness or “bags” underneath the eyes. The puffiness casts a shadow over the skin that is still attached to the bone, and those shadows look like dark circles or half-moons. These dark circles can also be accentuated by brownish pigment and thinning of the skin, which allows the dark blood vessels below the skin to show through.
What Can Be Done about Dark Circles?
One of the best ways to treat dark circles is with lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty). This can be done in two ways. If in addition to the protruding fat ‘’bags’’ there is also loose and wrinkled skin of the lower lids, then an ‘’open’’ approach is used whereby the protruding fat and the excess skin are both removed. This leaves a barely noticeable scar. If there is only protruding fat, then a ‘’scarless’’ approach is used. During the latter procedure, Dr. Benchetrit uses a laser or a scalpel to create an incision on the inside of the lower lid and then removes the excess fat. This leaves no visible scarring at all.
In some cases, rather than removing the excess fat completely, some of the fat is redistributed into the deep grooves that can exist under the lids to fill them out, creating a much smoother juncture between the lower eyelid and the cheek skin. The fat that is removed never returns and so most patients will never need a second blepharoplasty.
Lower blepharoplasty is a short procedure performed with anesthesia so patients do not feel any pain. The recovery period is usually one week or less and very well-tolerated. The eyes are kept moist for the first few days of recovery with drops and ointment. After that, the skin around the eyes may look bruised for 7 to 10 days, but if needed, cosmetics can be used to conceal the bruising.
Schedule an Eyelid Surgery Consultation
To learn more about erasing dark under-eye circles with blepharoplasty, please contact our practice and request a consultation with Dr. Benchetrit.
