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As we age we are often plagued with dark circles
under the eyes. The good news is that there are several treatments that
can alleviate or lessen the dark circle effects.
Our physicians at Allure can employ the “Lunchtime”
lower eyelid lift as one method of reduce the problem of dark circles.
The physicians can use fillers such as
Restylane® or
Juvederm™ which will reduce the sunken effect in the lower eye.
A more aggressive method in which the eyelid and
cheek fat is repositioned are
Lower Eyelid
Surgery.
Both of these methods are very effective and we
find that our patients are very happy with the results.
If you suffer with dark circles we encourage you to
call our office to
make an appointment with one of our physicians to
determine which procedure is the most effective method to achieve your
desired goal. Click here for a consultation.
Below is more detail about the methods to reduce or eliminate dark
circles under
the eyes.LUNCHTIME EYELID LIFT
The patient with less prominent findings
can be treated with an outpatient procedure known as the “lunchtime” lower eyelid lift. This uses a filler material made
of hyaluronic acid (Restylane®,
Juvederm™) and it is placed into
the tear trough. The material is placed in a matrix pattern and
at multiple levels elevating the tear trough. This protocol
reduces the height discrepancy between the lower eyelid fat and
cheek. The technique uses topical anesthetic gel, ice and,
occasionally, a facial regional block. It takes approximately a
half hour to complete. The patient should expect some bruising
and swelling that can last up to one week.
Fillers in this
region can last 6 to 12 months. Maintenance filling can be
performed on an as-needed basis.
SURGICAL OPTIONS
For patients with more prominent findings,
a more durable procedure may be required such as a cheek lift
(also known as a SOOF (sub-orbicularis oculi fat) lift) along
with a lower eyelid blepharoplasty
that removes or repositions
fat and suspends the orbicularis oculi muscle. The tear trough
is filled with fat from the SOOF by suspending it as well as
repositioning lower eyelid fat. An alternative is to remove fat
from the lower eyelid thereby reducing its prominence.
Tightening the orbicularis oculi muscle also helps to even out
the height difference between the lower eyelid and cheek
interface. The overall goal is to restore the position of the
anatomic structures from the cheek and lower eyelid to the
locations they resided at a younger age. This type of surgery
can be done in the outpatient setting under conscious sedation
with local anesthesia. It takes 60 to 90 minutes in duration.
The recovery period for bruising and swelling is about two
weeks. Complete healing takes four to six months.
SURGICAL OPTIONS FOR EYELID LIFT
Upper and Lower Eyelid Lift /
Browlift /
Laser Skin Resurfacing /
Permanent Collagen Implants
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