Can I treat eye bags with lasers or prp instead of surgery? People often ask about
treating their puffy under eye bags non-surgically with skin rejuvenation treatments like creams
platelet-rich plasma or PRP lasers or thermal devices like radiofrequency and ultrasound
devices I’ll discuss why non-surgical treatments can be effective for lower eyelid skin issues like
wrinkles or discolorations and how you can address under eye bags with a minimally invasive
approach I’m Dr Amiya Prasad I’m a diplomate of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery
and I’m a Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon I’ve been in practice
for over 25 years in New York City and Long Island I treat puffy under eye bags every day in my
practice as well as other lower eyelid skin issues such as wrinkles and dark circles under the eyes
I perform a wide range of eyelid procedures including revision
eyelid surgery for complications from surgery performed by other doctors
it’s important to first establish the basis for the presence of puffy under eye bags
as opposed to fluid related puffiness associated with allergies and dietary salt intake the type
of eye bags that I treat in my practice are the types that are visible all the time
eye bags that are always visible is caused by lower eyelid fat prolapse
this is a situation where the fat that’s normally under your eyes has prolapsed or herniated
forward resulting in under eye bags since the skin itself is not responsible for lower eyelid fat
prolapse it stands to reason that skin treatments can’t actually treat under eye bags under eye bags
often coexist with under eye hollowness so an injectable filler can be placed in the tear trough
area to camouflage the prominence of herniated fat but there’s a limit in how much under eye filler
can be used and beyond a certain level of prominence of lower eyelid fat prolapse
any placement of volume in this area can actually make the eye bags
appear even larger and more prominent the most definitive approach to treating eye bags
is to sculpt and reduce the fat with a procedure called cosmetic lower eyelid blepharoplasty
if you are someone who has reservations when hearing the word surgery you’ll appreciate why
i characterized my approach to under eye bags as being minimally invasive there are two ways
to approach lower eyelid surgery the first I’ll describe is called a transcutaneous blepharoplasty
this is the more conventional approach where the fat pockets are accessed through an incision
in the lower eyelid skin below the eyelashes in order to access the lower eyelid fat compartments
the muscles supporting the lower eyelid have to be released and separated oftentimes
skin is removed for the purpose of addressing wrinkling under the eyes now in my opinion
this type of surgery is more invasive and more likely to result in complications such as
rounding or lower eyelid retraction due to weakening of the supporting structures responsible
for the natural shape of the eye in an effort to avoid this problem a surgeon performing this type
of procedure may actually attempt to tighten the lower eyelid thereby making the eye appear
smaller in width this appearance of changing or losing the characteristic shape of the eye
is often the most significant objection someone would have for undergoing lower eyelid surgery
in my practice I routinely perform a lower eyelid blepharoplasty through a
transconjunctival approach this means that I don’t make an external incision but rather approach the
under eye bags from the inside of the eyelids this is considered a more advanced technique
which allows me to preserve the integrity of the structures which can be compromised
with a transcutaneous or external approach
at the completion of this procedure the anatomy simply appears as if you never had under eye bags
my patients appreciate retaining their natural eye shape and being free of their under eye bags
naturally the question arises about what to do about the wrinkles under the eyes
well wrinkles in the lower eyelids are typically caused by diminished skin quality not
an excess of skin quantity so removing skin is not needed to treat wrinkles in the lower eyelids
depending on a person’s skin type I will routinely use a fractional co2 laser or radiofrequency
device to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles under the eyes I further enhance
the effectiveness of these treatments by using PRP or platelet-rich plasma my patients after this
type of procedure can usually return to work in one week or less with minimal swelling or bruising
ironically patients have come to see me who have tried various non-surgical procedures such as
injectables under their eyes and experienced weeks of bruising and swelling which were far greater
than my patients typically experience with my transconjunctival approach to treating under
eye bags I perform these procedures in my office operating facilities under local anesthesia with
LITE IV sedation thereby avoiding the risks and complications associated with general anesthesia
while skin treatments can’t directly treat herniated fat
responsible for under eye bags they can be used to optimize the results of a more definitive
surgical procedure such as transconjunctival blepharoplasty I hope this information from
my experience helped you if you are interested in recommendations for your individual situation
you may contact us through our websites or call our offices to schedule a consultation thank you