If you have ever spent the night tossing and turning only to look in the mirror in the morning to find puffy and discolored under eye bags, after frantically looking for a way to hide them, you may wonder about the cause. While typically a cosmetic concern and not an indication of a serious medical condition, there are several measures that can be taken to improve the appearance of your under eye woes.  As the eyes are one of the first facial features a person may notice, the providers of Dermatology Associates of Atlanta often see patients concerned with the aged appearance tired eyes can create.

It’s no secret that lack of sleep drastically affects your overall appearance. When proper sleep patterns are not made routine, the body recognizes stress and begins to swell slightly. Because under eye skin is the thinnest skin on the body, its appearance is easily influenced by the flow or retention of fluids. Outside of the fatigue caused by lack of sleep , overconsumption of salt, sinus issues, dehydration, and allergies can also make bags more prominent.

By reducing salt consumption and getting the recommended  seven to nine hours of sleep for adults, short term bags can become less noticeable in appearance. Additionally, cool cucumber slices or chilled tea bags can decrease puffiness by constricting blood vessels with their temperature. If your problematic appearance persists, consider using an eye cream. Z. Bigatti Re-Storation Eye Return hydrating, anti-aging eye cream reduces puffiness while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

While the ways noted above can improve the appearance of short-term eye bags, long-term eye bags and eyelid drooping can only be effectively treated by eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty).  Fat around the eyes acts as a natural cushion to protect your eyes from outside harm; however, over time it can expand into the tissue beneath the eyes. In actuality, what we see as “bags” are pockets of protruding fat that has herniated. Long-term eye bags also occur largely because of hereditary predisposition and are a natural part of aging. When lack of rest or attention to contributing aging factors begin to be ignored,  the skin can stretch and weaken the surrounding connective tissue, causing drooping. Some patients say that eyelid drooping can be so severe that they obstruct vision or the ability to apply eye makeup.

For some patients with minimal lower lid aging, under eye shadows can be hidden by Juvederm® or Restylane® injections, which can improve the look of the junction where the cheek begins and the baggy lower lid ends. To further enhance facial rejuvenation results, many patients also pursue other treatments in combination to blepharoplasty. Alternatively, Ultherapy® can be used to tighten skin in the under eye area and reduce “hooding” in eyelids by using focused ultrasound energy.  Ultherapy effectively tightens and tones loose skin while stimulating collagen production. For those concerned with wrinkles surrounding the eyes, both Ultherapy® and DOT laser treatments can be incredibly effective. DOT lasers emit pulses of laser energy through a controlled laser, creating tiny wounds to induce immediate skin tightening and collagen production, in turn reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

If you are interested in learning about blepharoplasty or other facial rejuvenation treatments available at Dermatology Associates of Atlanta, contact us today to schedule a consultation.  Be sure to stay connected with DAA on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ for the latest dermatology news and updates.