can I bags be treated by dissolving the fat puffy eye bags is one of the most
common facial issues affecting a wide range of people regardless of gender age
or ethnicity this appearance is caused by fat which is normally around the eyes
herniating or pushing forward resulting in having bags under the eyes
these under eye bags are not significantly affected by sleep or diet
it's routine for me to hear from patients about how frustrating it is to
have eye bags which make the people they interact with think that they're tired
or lacking sleep in addition what's often mentioned is that people they meet
think that they're actually older than they really are
again eye bags that are always visible are likely caused by fat normally around
the eyes pushing or herniating forward creating bulges under the eyes medically
speaking these eye bags are referred to as lower eyelid fat prolapse generally
under-eye bags are a genetic trait so even younger people can have eye bags
with the recent growing popularity of fat reduction options some people
inquire about having the eye bags removed with an injection to melt the
fat I'll discuss the differences between the fat around the eyes in comparison to
other areas of the body and how I approach helping my patients in the way
I feel is safest for them I'm Dr. Amiya Prasad I'm a Board-certified cosmetic
surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive
surgeon I've been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20
years as an eyelid specialist I perform a wide range of procedures to enhance
the eye area including non-surgical procedures such
as lasers and fillers I routinely perform I back surgery as well as upper
eyelid surgery for hooded eyes double eyelid surgery for Asian eyes ptosis
correction surgery and revision eyelid surgery for complications referred by
other doctors when I see a patient in consultation for under-eye bags I look
at the situation from an anatomic perspective and consider both surgical
and non-surgical options as mentioned earlier lower eyelid fat prolapse makes
the under eye bags bulge forward this creates a hill next to a valley
relationship where the valley is an area of relative hollow
called the tear trough another key an atomic variable is the projection of the
bones which define the cheek including the area directly below the tear trough
I also look at the balance and shape and projection of the cheek bone in
relationship to the under eye area I frequently help my patients camouflage
puffy under eyes by placement of hyaluronic acid filler into the tear
trough I look at the relative shape and projection of the cheek and cheekbone
area when there is a deficiency in these areas I also place thicker hyaluronic
acid filler at the bone level to create a natural harmony between the under eye
and cheek areas I perform this enhancement by a method called
Structural Volumizing using blunt cannulas and applying the principles
derived from performing facial implant surgery to create natural results
typically without bruising or extensive swelling eyebags can also be more
definitively treated with a procedure called lower eyelid blepharoplasty I
often see patients who first used fillers to camouflage the under-eye bags
and the adjacent hollow tear troughs until there came a point where the fat
pockets became too prominent to camouflage making blepharoplasty the
appropriate next step when it comes to any cosmetic surgery I always advocate
procedures which in my hands are safe predictable and have low risk for
complications with minimal recovery time so does the injection of a fat reducing
chemical into the same space occupied by the eye meet these standards in my
opinion at this time the answer is no a chemical which exists in the bile for
the digestion of fat has been marketed for fat reduction under the chin doctors
are taking the same chemical called deoxycholic acid and using it for fat
reduction in other areas of the body here's the problem the injection of
deoxycholic acid under the skin causes significant inflammation and swelling to
varying degrees it's common to see the injected area become red inflamed and
swollen for several days after the injection although this inconvenience is
not usually dangerous to the skin the same cannot be said if this level of
inflammation were to occur in the tissue space around the eyes unlike the skin
the fat around the eyes is part of a deeper complex structure intimately
connected with the eye inflammation could result in scarring double vision
and even vision loss I'm actually concerned that the growing proliferation
of cosmetic services provided by non-surgical physicians as well as non
physicians who were never trained in surgery
will lead to experimentation with injection of deoxycholic acid on their
patients to help them avoid surgery so why do some people try to avoid surgery
and waste their time money and even contend with swelling and bruising when
they get injections done other practitioners just to avoid
surgery worse why would someone even risk their vision by trying a fat
dissolving injection the objection is that people who want to avoid surgery in
my experience comes down to cost the fear of surgical complications the fear
of visible scarring the fear of anesthesia related complications seeing
people particularly in the media whose eyes they feel look unnatural and last
the limited time they may be away from responsibilities such as work and family
well from the time when I was in training I looked at cosmetic procedures
with the same perspective more than 20 years ago I advocated for cosmetic
procedures which were affordable without compromising safety minimizing risk of
complications avoiding incisions which can then eliminate the visible scarring
issue I also advocated for local anesthesia as opposed to the more
standard general anesthesia which significantly reduces the risks of
anesthesia related complications as far as an unnatural appearance is concerned
I personally feel pain whenever I see someone in the media or in person who
has a typically operated and stereotypical plastic look as someone
who is artistic and creative I'm very aware of seeing disharmony which I think
we all are intrinsically sensitive to patients will often mention someone they
know or see in the media and say they just don't look right this speaks to the
synergy between the surgeon and the patient about what kind of results both
are expecting many times both the surgeon and the patient share the same
vision for a body dysmorphic and exaggerated look this applies also to
procedures such as filler and Botox when it comes to time
away from responsibilities I developed processes in preparation surgery and
aftercare which allow my patient to minimize their downtime in my practice I
routinely address under eye bags that are too prominent to camouflage with
fillers by performing a procedure called transconjunctival blepharoplasty this
means that I performed a surgery from the inside of the eyelids thereby
avoiding any incision on the outside I often combine this procedure with other
procedures to improve the skin quality such as PRP or platelet-rich plasma and
fractional co2 laser I also routinely perform filler placement at the same
time such as structural volumizing for cheeks chin and jaw angle which
complements the eyes and makes for a balanced and youthful face I perform
these procedures in my private operating facilities within my offices in
Manhattan and Long Island under local anesthesia with LITE IV or intravenous
sedation I perform this procedure with the focus on preserving the natural
shape of the eyes such that the eyes appear as if they would have never had
bags prior I have found this maintains the intrinsic character of the patient's
eyes I'm often told that when their friends and family see them they know
that the patient looks better but they can't put their finger on why that is
natural my patients walk out after surgery comfortable smiling and thanking
my staff and looking ready for work in about a week when it comes to any
procedure close to the eyes protecting your vision and health of
your eyes is always the highest priority at this time the risk associated with
the inflammation caused by the fat dissolving chemical deoxycholic acid
makes the eye bags an area which I would not treat with this chemical when it
comes to addressing under-eye bags I've been able to successfully provide my
patients with a surgical solution which in my hands has resulted in natural and
a refreshed appearance with minimal risk and a quick recovery I hope you found
this information helpful thank you for your question
you