Will Eyelid Surgery Take Care of Dark Circles Under the Eye?
Eyelid surgery, known as Blepharoplasty, is performed by Dr. DeMars to improve the appearance of the eyelid area by making the tissues look smoother, firmer and usually younger. In some cases, it can treat dark circles under the eye.
Most patients associate a Blepharoplasty with surgery on the upper eyelids – often not realizing we have four eyelids (both upper eyelids and lower eyelids), and that blepharoplasty may be done to improve the upper lids, the lower lids, or all four areas.
Eyelid Surgery Procedure Details
The procedure is done in Dr. Ronald DeMars private and certified surgical suite and patients are usually ready to go home 1 – 1 ½ hours after the completion of the surgery. The majority of patients are seeking a more youthful look, but occasionally Dr. DeMars is asked to do the blepharoplasty to take away dark circles under the eyes. The most common complaint regarding the dark areas comes from the affected individual being told by friends and others they “look tired”.
Are you a Candidate for Eyelid Surgery?
Not all patients are able to have the dark areas removed, as it depends on the cause. These undesirable areas may be from pigmentation in the skin, from prominent small veins directly under the skin, or may be from shadows that form, thus creating a darker look. As part of the examination, Dr. DeMars spends time with his patients to determine what the exact cause of their complaint may be and then goes through a thorough discussion of his findings and what treatments are available in the person’s specific case to help them meet their goal in appearance.
Dark under-eye circles as a result of pigmented skin is genetic, and most often seen in women and men whose family came from middle Europe, in the Mediterranean areas. The pigment may vary from a light tan to darker nearly purple coloration. Because these pigments are usually distributed diffusely through the lower eyelid skin, it is not possible to remove them surgically. There are bleaching creams that may be prescribed and they can be helpful but they need to be used on a daily basis, often for extended periods of time and are not always as successful as the patient would hope.
Circles caused by dark veins under the skin, if they are small enough, can sometimes be ligated or tied off. This does not harm the circulation in the area but does require some small incisions.
Shadows resulting from fat pads that protrude creating shadows under them and this is the most common reason patients seek out Dr. DeMars, a board certified plastic surgeon in Portland, for treatment of “dark circles”. These fat pads are simply structures that we all have in the lower lids. Sometimes this is a genetic or inherited facial feature and can be prominent throughout the family. More commonly this is a factor seen with aging. Dr. DeMars is able to make small incisions inside the lower lid and sculpt these pads of fat so they are less prominent and thus create little or no shadow effect.
We hope this helped address your concern of dark circles under the eye.
If this shadowing is of concern to you, you can seek a personal consultation and evaluation with Dr. DeMars by calling his office at 503-253-3458 for an appointment.
