One of the biggest concerns from our patients is the under eye area- from dark circles, deep depressions, crepy skin, fine lines and wrinkles. But there are options to improve this most delicate of areas. Our medical director of Tarporley based cosmetic clinic Skinphinity, Dr Adam Cheong, explains that its’s not just dermal filler that can be used for the depressions, but Mesotherapy, PRP and Botox can all be used to help.

Why do people develop dark shadows?

Dark shadows under the eye are often genetic and/or ethniticity related, and unfortunately this can be present from childhood and only gets worse with age. In addition, if a patient has a deep scoop or loss of fat under the eye, this drops the skin further into a shadow which compounds the problem.

Can anything help dark shadows?

In essence, the dark skin itself can be difficult to improve but I do find improving one’s lifestyle by getting more good quality sleep (more on this in a future blog) and drinking more water and eating well can generally improve the tone of ones skin from a dull grey tired tone to slightly more hydrated rested look. But in terms of injectables the skin is hard to improve - there may be mild improvements with PRP (platelet rich plasma), NCTF (more about this later) and dermal filler which reflects back some light creating a lighter appearance, but results are mixed.

Eye cream eg ZO intense eye cream may also have marginal benefits. But don’t expect miracles here.

But if my darkness is caused by a deep trough, that can be improved, right?

Exactly. If there is a deep scoop or loss of fat, which is often inherited but gets worse with age, then dermal filler can improve the situation by lifting the skin up to catch more light. It brings the skin out of the shadow, in effect. My favourite tear trough filler, Teosyal Redensity 2, also has added vitamins which may help the overall skin health under the eye.

What about the fine lines under my eye?

Some patients have a very active obicularis oculi muscle which activates under the eye when they smile, as well as in the typical crow’s feet area.

If this is the case, off-license Botox is sometimes used, but it does carry slightly more risk and this must be discussed with your doctor beforehand.

In my aesthetics clinic in Tarporley, as well as using Botox and Dermal fillers for the tear troughs I have recently introduced a French product which has been used for 40 years to rejuvenate the skin, called NCTF. In conjunction with a nano needle, this product can be used all around and under the eyes to provide a boost of hyaluronic acid, vitamins, minerals and hydration in a very safe and pain free manner.

I am terrified of side effects such as blindness being so near the eye! What can you advise?

Blindness is an extremely rare event but there are around 200+ case report of this globally following injection of dermal fillers. HOWEVER, treating the Tear Trough is not actually high risk for this, and there are other areas of the face which are higher risk. Of the utmost importance is knowledge of anatomy and staying away from danger areas, plus the use of a cannula wherever possible is generally advised.

The risk of this is extremely low when performed by an experienced injector. Other possible risks include swelling but this can be reduced by careful patient selection, ie not treating people with pre-exisitng eye bags.

Summary

As an experienced aesthetics doctor, I do get a lot of requests for Tear trough filler in my clinic in Tarporley. Most patients realise that this is a delicate area requiring skill, premium products and good anatomy knowledge. You can get improvements to many different under eye complaints, but this does depend on an individual’s anatomy. Check out my before and afters for some examples of under eye work.

Get in touch

About Skinphinity

Skinphinity is a cosmetic practice in Tarporley, run by the cosmetic GP, Dr Adam Cheong. Dr Adam is a qualified GP, GMC registered doctor and specialist in non-surgical facial aesthetics. He is passionate about natural-looking enhancements and works hard to give the industry a good name, built on ethical, qualified and honest practices. 

Skinphinity provides a range of non-surgical aesthetic treatments for patients in Tarporley, Chester, Northwich, Hartford, Hale, Manchester and across Cheshire.