Dear Dr. Seckel, I have hereditary ‘bags’ under my eyes. I know that I have these bags because of allergies, but I also know that many of my family members have them, so I know they were inherited. Would cosmetic surgery or blepharoplasty be able to help me? I have tried all of the creams and ’solutions’ out there with no improvements. The bags continue to get worse with age, and I can tell, by looking at my family, that they will continue to get worse without prevention. Please help me! Rachel, Great Falls, MT
Dear Rachel,
Modern plastic surgery can very successfully remove bags under the eyes, puffy eyes, or eye bags. The safest technique, in my opinion, is a procedure called transconjunctival laser blepharoplasty-the procedure is done through a tiny laser incision on the inside of the lower eyelid so that no visible scar is created and the shape of the lower eyelid is not changed.
The eye bags are caused by fat protruding from beneath the eye and pushing the lower eyelid skin out into a bag. Please read the following link: Eye bags
Modern blepharoplasty focuses on fat repositioning, that is repositioning the protruding eyelid fat rather than removing fat. By repositioning eyelid fat into the hollow or dark circles under the eyes, the eye bag or puffy eye is corrected, the dark circle improved, and the hollow eye appearance avoided. This combined with the inner transconjunctival blepharoplasty incision, preserves the shape of the lower eye lid, avoids the sad eyed look, and provides a natural eyelid rejuvenation.
For more information on blepharoplasty, baggy eyelids, and eyelid rejuvenation read Save Your Face or contact me.
Thank you,
Boston, Massachusetts