Thank you for the question. You are asking if the Vampire Facelift® can be helpful for
small eye bags. I can certainly help you with this question although you did not submit
a photo but it is a very good question.
A little bit of background, I’m a board certified cosmetic surgeon and fellowship
trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon practicing in Manhattan and Long Island
for over 20 years. The oculofacial plastic surgery has been a
specialty after completing residency training in eye surgery and specializing in plastic
surgery around the eyes which is where I treat eye bags pretty much every day in my practice
for over 20 years. And I am also member of the Vampire Facelift® network of doctors
and I have been a resource for media occasionally when question arise about the Vampire facelift®
which has been a viral entity for many years.
So when you submit a question and state you have a small eye bags, it is very important
first to understand what eye bags are and what causes them. Well most of the time, eye
bags are related to genetic source. This is where fat pockets which are normally behind
the eye are pushed forward and create this bulge. Now, prior to a few years ago, the
definitive procedure was a surgical procedure but thanks to fillers, we are able to camouflage
under eye bags non-surgically.
So when you ask questions about Vampire Facelift®, let’s be sure you are clear about the definition
of Vampire Facelift®. Vampire Facelift® is combination approach to facial rejuvenation
using a combination of platelet-rich plasma(PRP) which is activated called platelet-rich fibrin
matrix with the intention of improving skin quality. In addition, it is the application
of 1 syringe of hyaluronic acid filler. So when I treat someone who has a slight puffiness
around their eyes but often it is in addition to having discoloration, sun-damage, fine
lines and wrinkles, I will routinely do a combination of hyaluronic acid filler to fill
in the tear trough area to soften the transition as well as the use of platelet-rich plasma
(PRP) to improve the skin quality.
In order to determine if you are a candidate, you have to actually see a doctor for consultation
just like facelift or loose skin. Most people tend to underestimate the degree of the under
eye bags. It is subjective and when you make a statement, small under eye bags, if they
are small enough, you are a candidate for hyaluronic acid filler as well as potential
platelet-rich plasma (PRP). But if you are looking for a solution where platelet-rich
plasma (PRP) alone which is often misinterpreted as being equivalent to Vampire Facelift®,
then platelet-rich plasma (PRP) alone will not do anything for under eye bags. It will
improve skin quality and texture but it will not on its own. Hyaluronic acid fillers have
limited value as long as the under eye bags are slight. I can’t tell you how often I
help patients who come to me from everywhere with the overzealous placement of hyaluronic
acid fillers such that they are getting various irregularities under their eyes and often
makes the under eyes worse because doctors are trying to help them by camouflaging and
because they want to avoid surgery.
Under eye bag surgery in our practice has become very straight forward for the majority
of people who come to see us. We do with it with LITE™ IV sedation in an office operating
facility which basically makes it not different from any injectable filler. Yes, it is surgery
but in this scenario where we are able to minimize the formality of operation such as
going to hospital or surgery center as well as the maximize the safety and standards of
sterility like a hospital or surgery center, we are able to really make this a procedure
that is pretty straightforward to experience. In fact, I often combine under eye bags with
platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as well as laser to help maximize the appearance under the
eyes.
So essentially, a consultation is critically important in order to establish whether or
not you are a candidate for any non-surgical procedure. But it has been my general experience
that when someone has receptacle under eye bags, very often it is bigger than they can
be treated alone with fillers. We always have to use good judgment when to use fillers and
when not to. And when someone like myself who is a surgeon and does injectable fillers,
I don’t have any bias. A lot of times, patients go to non-surgeons and end up with volume
of fillers to try to blend their eye bags and not looking as good as they hoped.
So I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question!