Why are creams not working for my eyebags? The presence of eye bags is a common problem that affects people regardless of age gender or ethnicity eye bags are typically caused by genetics has often seen in younger people or age-related where fat around the eyes prolapse is forward the initial response of many people is to buy a bunch of under eye creams that claim to get rid of eye bags I’ll explain why I creams do not actually work for under-eye bags.

I’m Dr. Amiya Prasad I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and a Fellowship-trained oculofacial or oculoplastic surgeon I’ve been practicing in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years my training was first in eye surgery after which I pursued advanced training in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the eyelids I treat eye bags every day in my practice I also specialize in managing complications of eye bag related procedures performed by other doctors as mentioned earlier eye bags can be seen at any age I’ve treated three generations of the same family for eye bags the youngest patient I retreated was 14 years old and many people who come to me are in their 20s and 30s and have been aware of puffiness under their eyes since their teens this under-eye puffiness is always present and makes one look tired and older is caused by a condition referred to as lower eyelid fat prolapse.

This means that the fat normally around your eyes has pushed forward creating a bulge this is why it’s called lower eyelid fat prolapse or herniated fat this differs from temporary causes of bags such as fluid associated with allergies sinus problems soft intakes and hormonal fluctuations while these can all cause puffiness they are usually intermittent these temporary causes can also make the under eye puffiness due to fat appear much worse creams which claim to eliminate under-eye bags don’t work because they cannot physically reach the deep fat pockets and have any effect the best way to fully correct eye bags is through surgery to sculpt and remove the displaced fat pockets cosmetic eye creams however can improve quality texture and color of the skin under and around the eyes.

I developed some skin care products which are designed for this purpose there are basically two strategies to help improve the appearance of under-eye bags if someone has slight fat prolapse pushing forward and has a certain anatomy of the bone structure under the eyes we’re in a space called the tear trough fillers such as Restylane or Juvederm can be used to blend the transition between the elevation of the fat pocket and the hollow of the tear trough this approach to camouflaging lower eyelid fat with filler has been very useful in our practice to help patients with minimal fat prolapse or under eye puffiness if someone has more severe eye bags the more definitive treatment is a surgery procedure called lower eyelid blepharoplasty most general plastic surgeons perform this procedure with an incision in the lower eyelids right beneath the eyelashes and sometimes remove lower eyelid skin in attempt to improve wrinkles this approach is called a transcutaneous blepharoplasty.

I see a lot of patients who have had this procedure they come in complaining of losing the shape of their eyes the lower eyelid is pulled downward I also see a number of patients who have had complications from this procedure like lower eyelid retraction and lower eyelid ectropion these conditions result from skin shortage under the eyes and compromising of lower eyelid support my procedure of choice is called transconjunctival blepharoplasty I feel this approach is a minimally invasive procedure that allows me to address under-eye fat pockets surgically from the inside of the eyelid there is no external incision or any effect on the supporting structures of the lower eyelid.

I essentially reduce and reshape the fat to address the puffiness so you no longer have bags under your eyes while maintaining the natural shape of your eyes the goal is to appear as if you never had I bags this is very highly successful procedure with faster recovery that allows my patients to return to work in about a week we routinely perform this procedure under local anesthesia with light sedation in our certified facilities in both our offices for many patients who come to us from all over the world for this procedure they like that they don’t have to go to a hospital surgery center and can be comfortable having the procedure done in our office and they go home soon after surgery not employing general anesthesia makes patients more comfortable and makes their recovery much faster since they’re not recuperating from the effects of general anesthesia.

If eye bags are your concern don’t waste money on creams when you understand how the underlying lower eyelid anatomy of the fat pockets which have prolapsed forwards are responsible for these under-eye bags buying creams as a treatment doesn’t make sense I recommend you meet with qualified and experienced cosmetic surgeons to learn about your options which are filler placement to camouflage or surgery which is more definitive I hope you found this information helpful thank you for your question.