Bags Under Eyes – Causes, Surgery, Fixes and Treatment – Auckland NZ

Swelling below the eyes tends to appear as we age. There are 42 muscles in the face, each supporting it to maintain the youthful and smooth look we have when we’re younger.

As the body ages, so do the muscles, which become more lax and cause the tissues that support them to droop. In the eye area, this results in sagging and bags under eyes.

Fluid and fat can pool beneath the eyes, causing a swollen and puffy appearance, which many people seek a fix for. Bags under eyes may cause you to look tired, but usually cause no discomfort. They can appear as:

• Puffy eyes or swollen areas beneath the eyes
• Dark circles or rings under the lower eyelid
• Saggy skin or tired appearance

If however, you’re experiencing bags under your eyes where the swelling is painful, red, itchy or severe in size, it’s important you see a doctor immediately to rule out any medical concerns such as infection, allergy, or eye disease.

Aside from the effects of gravity and age, you can prevent any exacerbation of bags under eyes by identifying influencing factors such as smoking, fluid retention, sun exposure, stress, lack of sleep or allergies to certain foods, products or medication.

Our treatment of choice at Palm Clinic, Auckland, NZ is hyaluronic acid dermal fillers because they are a minimally invasive way to treat under eye bags which is fast, safe, and has immediate results.

Dermal fillers are injected into the temples, cheeks and under eye area (tear trough) to lift the tissue and disguise the full lower eyelids.

Most of our clients would prefer a cosmetic procedure that avoids cosmetic surgery, and dermal fillers provide this.

If you have puffy eyes or bags under eyes, it is best to avoid using Botox® to treat crow’s feet as this will often exacerbate this condition. This is one of many reasons that it is best to see an experienced and accredited clinic like Palm Clinic for any cosmetic procedure. Palm Clinic is accredited with the New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Medicine and has been an Auckland favourite for 25 years.

Once skin has been smoothed and lifted with dermal fillers, skin regeneration treatments can further enhance results by improving skin tone and texture in the under eye area.
Our cosmetic medicine team can advise on which of the following treatments is best suited to your needs:

• ResurFX™ Laser delivers exceptional long-lasting results to the treated area, improving fine lines, pigmentation, acne scarring and skin texture.
• Dermapen microneedling damages the skin in a controlled way, harnessing the healing response to promote collagen production and improve skin tone and texture.
• Sunekos® is an injectable treatment that works deep within the skin to trigger the production of collagen and elastin to restore skin health. Sunekos delivers improvements in skin firmness, texture and uneven skin tone.

To enhance and protect your results, we recommend seeing our skin therapist. She will prescribe medical grade skincare products (such as vitamin A, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and other active ingredients) and/or medi-facials and chemical peels to further improve your skin health.

Depending on the severity of your concern and the underlying cause behind your puffy eyes, we may recommend a lower lid blepharoplasty (lower eyelid surgery), performed by a plastic surgeon, as a minimally invasive surgical procedure. This works by removing excess fat and excess skin from the lower eyelid and can also be used to address upper eyelid concerns. Blepharoplasty is a simple and easy surgical procedure that you can read more about on our dedicated treatment page.

Lastly, there are some lifestyle changes that you can make at home, in addition to using medical grade skincare, to help with eye puffiness:

• Apply a cool compress like a damp flannel or cucumber slices
• Reduce your salt intake
• Avoid smoking: this irritates the eyes, as well as damages skin integrity
• Enjoy a healthy lifestyle: a healthy diet, exercise and good quality sleep are all important for reducing eye bags
• Avoid anything that irritates your eyes, they may be a trigger for allergies. If your eyes feel irritated and are red or teary, these are signs of allergy. Avoid the irritant/allergen and try over the counter antihistamine to relieve symptoms.

These before and after images displays the use of dermal fillers in the tear troughs to reduce dark circles beneath the eyes. You can see more examples of dermal filler results here.

Botox® is a prescription medicine for the treatment of frown lines, horizontal forehead lines and crow’s feet round the eyes. Botox® has risks and benefits. Ask your doctor if Botox® is right for you. If you have side effects, see your doctor. You will need to pay for Botox® and clinic fees will apply. For details on precautions & side effects consult your healthcare professional or the Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) at www.medsafe.govt.nz. Botox® treatment lasts about 4 months and further courses of treatment may be necessary. Should only be administered by trained medical professionals.(Contains botulinum toxin A 50,100 & 200 units). Allergan (NZ) Limited, Auckland.

JUVÉDERM®. ASK YOUR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL IF JUVEDERM IS RIGHT FOR YOU. JUVEDERM is an unfunded medicine device. Product and treatment costs apply.  JUVÉDERM® a class III medical device must be administered by a healthcare professional. Always read and follow the instructions. The JUVÉDERM® range of products is a smooth, clear, colourless gel that contains hyaluronic acid to help correct or enhance facial contours; to define, correct or enhance lips; or improve the tone, texture and hydration of the skin. It also contains lidocaine (local anaesthetic) which helps improve comfort to the patient during injection. JUVÉDERM® has risks and benefits. For more information, please read the Patient Information Leaflets available on request from Allergan Aesthetics by phoning 0800 659 912 or from allerganaesthetics.com.au/products. JUVÉDERM® VOLBELLA® VOLIFT® VOLITE™VOLUMA® and VOLUX™are registered trademarks and trademarks of Allergan an AbbvieCompany.

Sunekos 1200 is an implantable medical device that modifies the structure of mature skin, restoring volume, filling wrinkles and folds in the skin and in scar sites. It is suitable for creating a temporary increase in the volume of skin tissue. Sunekos 1200 is a medical device that is sterile, injectable, non-pyrogenic, biocompatible, re- absorbable, made with hyaluronic acid and amino acids.

Sunekos Performa is a medical device recommended for the treatment of blemishes and depressions in the skin caused by wrinkles and scars. Sunekos Performa is a sterile resorbable injectable solution which acts as a filler, supporting the restoration of physiological elasticity and temporarily replacing volume by expanding the soft tissues.

Sunekos should not be used on patients: with known hypersensitivity to any of its components; presenting with a general infection, inflammatory or infectious cutaneous problems; with history of severe multiple allergies or anaphylactic shock; prone to hypertrophic scars/keloids or streptococcal diseases; in patients presenting with porphyria; under 18 years of age; in pregnancy or lactation; others. See full Instructions for use before prescribing for full safety information, available from www.xytide.co.nz. New Zealand Sponsor: AA-Med Pty Ltd. Distributed by: Xytide Biotech NZ Pty Ltd (NZBN 9429049668612) C/O Alliott Ltd, Level 2, 142 Broadway, Newmarket, Auckland 1023 NZ. For more information please phone +61 1800 570 036.