What Causes Eye Bags and How to Treat Them
One of the most common reasons that men and women visit to my office is to find out what can be done about the bags under their eyes. Some people experience darkness almost a purple like discoloration, while other people have excess tissue and or swelling. Usually they report that people tell them they look tired or ask them if they have been crying a lot recently.
So what causes under eye bags? There are a few things…
If you have what appears as darkness under the eye, it is possible that this could be from allergies or seasonal allergies. There is a sinus cavity underneath that area that can cause some reflection of darkness and even some swelling in people with allergies (even if you do not have other symptoms of allergies).
If you have swelling under your eyes, it is possibly caused by the fat shifting. There is a collection of fat under the surface of the skin that can herniate or change position as we age. We can develop fine lines and wrinkles from years of movement and sun damage in this area. Additionally, as we age some of the changes that occur in the bone structure, as well as gravity, contribute to the prominence in this area.
So, what can be done to improve these deficiencies to make the under eye look better?
First, I recommend a great eye cream that builds collagen and helps with sun damage. My favorite is the TNS Eye Repair from Skin Medica, which we have available to our patients in the office. This is the one I personally use and love.
No matter what treatment protocol we use in the office, maintenance with an under eye cream is almost always appropriate.
Once we have the eye cream started the next step is to decide how to help you and your situation specifically. There are a couple of different options including eye bag surgery in Reno, Botox, and filler. Let’s discuss each briefly.
If the area is very severe with fat herniation and extra skin I will have Dr. Timothy Janiga perform a lower lid blepharoplasty (eye bag surgery) to adjust the fat herniated tissue to place it back in its correct position and remove any excess skin in this area.
Other than surgery, we can address under eye bag removal in the Reno Dermatology office in a variety of ways. If there is a hollowing in the under eye area, filler can be placed to improve this volume loss and rebuild the bone structure.
If fine lines are a problem, Botox can be placed laterally and underneath in small amounts to decrease that tissue paper-like look and fine lines. We also may use laser resurfacing to decrease fine lines and wrinkles as well as tighten the surrounding tissue.
Of course each person is different and may need a combination of two or more of these options to achieve an eye bag remedy. Come in for a consultation to see which of these options are best suited for you and we will tailor your treatment. Call us at 775-398-4600.
~ Dr. Jennifer Janiga
