What causes eye bags?
Eye bags can be caused by lack of sleep, water retention, allergies or bad health, but more often that not – if they are consistently present – they are caused by excess fat. The herniating orbital fat results in a pouch below the skin of the eyelid.
Eye bags of this nature are usually hereditary, so if either of your parents suffers, you’ll know where they came from!
Unfortunately, eye bags only get worse as we age. This is because, as we age, we lose facial volume, further revealing the herniated fat.
Are there any effective non-surgical treatments?
The only way to really cure the problem is to reduce the excess fat, however you may be able to improve the appearance of eye bags by using facial fillers or injectable fat to disguise them. Non-surgical eye bags treatments work by adding volume to correct under eye uneveness or smooth the transition from under eye to upper cheek.
How does eye bag surgery work?
Eye bag surgery – also called lower blepharoplasty or lower eyelid surgery – involves the conservative removal of orbital fat through an incision on the inside of the lower lid (transconjunctival approach). The incision is invisible and does not require any stitches.
In some case (particularly with older patients), the patient also requires removal of excess under eye skin and tightening of the muscle structure. In these cases, an incision is made just below the lower lash line (subciliary approach). Located in your natural skin crease, the incision is virtually invisible and is sealed either with very fine stitches or surgical glue.
Lower blepharoplasty surgery takes between 1.5 to 2 hours and is generally performed under local anesthesia.
Are there any possible side effects?
It is important that only the right amount of fat is removed during blepharoplasty to avoid leaving eyes with a hollowed out appearance. In some cases it may be necessary to employ the use of structural fat grafting or facial fillers to fill the tear trough and smooth the eye area out.
Likewise, if skin is being removed, it is vital not to remove too much so the shape of the eye is not changed. If the skin of the lower eyelid is excessively tight and pulled down it can cause both eye irritation and damage.
Fortunately if surgery is performed by an experienced surgeon the complication rate is very low. It is always advisable to choose a surgeon who can show you a number of before and after photographs from eye surgeries they have carried out. You can view ours here.
How long is the recovery?
Although everybody heals differently, bruising should subside within a week or two. If you have had stitches, these will be removed after 5 days.
Blepharoplasty is not a particularly painful procedure to undergo and you should not experience pain afterwards – although possibly a little discomfort. You are advised to sleep propped up and apply ice packs to reduce swelling.
How long will the results last?
How long the results of your surgery last depends on your age and genetics. Remember; nothing stops the aging process, however a well-performed blepaharoplasty will usually last 10-15 years and most patients will usually only have one blepharoplasty per lifetime.
Will people notice the difference?
A well-performed blepaharoplasty is a very subtle treatment – it should not be obvious you’ve had surgery. However, people will notice that there’s ‘something different’ about you. They will probably tell you that you look “really well and rested”. Maybe they’ll think you’ve been on holiday!
Eye bag removal is one of the most rejuvenating facial procedures and will leave you looking and feeling great.
If you’re tired of wasting money on useless eye creams, book an appointment at Ocean Clinic Marbella today and look forward to a bag-free future.