Dear Dr. Seckel, Is the procedure for dark circles under the eyes done in the office or does it require a hospital admission? What is the recovery period? What is the approximate cost? Is there any alternative, i.e. any cream, cosmetic, or otherwise to help with this problem while still considering/awaiting this procedure? Thank you, Donna, North Chelmsford, MA.
Dear Donna,
There are several eyelid rejuvenation procedures to correct dark circles under the eyes and most of the these procedures are done as an outpatient either in an ambulatory surgery center or office equipped with a surgical suite. You would go home the same day. I do have a rule that after eyelid surgery a patient must stay in recovery for 2-3 hours to make certain there is no bleeding or other problem, before the patient is released.
One procedure, called a laser blepharoplasty with arcus marginalis release is done to remove the dark circles under the eyes as well as remove eye bags. Once the dark circle is released I place a small graft of fat or other substance under the dark circle so that it doesn’t come back after surgery.
Another eyelid rejuvenation procedure that some doctors use for the dark circles under the eyes is a fat injection during which fat is removed from an area that does not need it, such as the hip, and the fat is injected into the depression or dark circle to plump up the skin and make the dark circle less noticeable. I do not use fat grafting because of the fear of eye injury and the unreliability of the result.
Both of these eyelid rejuvenation procedures are surgery, and should only be done by a board certified surgeon who is very experienced with these procedures and eyelid rejuvenation surgery in general. These procedures generally cost $5-7500.00 in my area but prices do vary.
There is significant bruising and swelling of the eyelid after the operation. It usually takes 10 days to two weeks for the bruising and swelling to go away to a point where make up can be used to cover the skin and allow you to be comfortable being seen in public. Final results are not fully seen for several months although you will see results and be happy with what you see starting at 3-4 weeks.
Recently some doctors have been recommending the injection of fillers such as Restylane® into dark circles under the eye. I do not do this at the present time, as I am not sure that filler injection is safe around the eyes. I worry about damage to the eye from injection of filler so I do not recommend this procedure until studies proving the safety and effectiveness of the procedure have been completed.
There is a very helpful non-surgical method available to you. There are many make up concealers that can be very helpful. Dermablend® and Covermark® are two good ones.
Thank you for your question. For further information visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Website read Save Your Face or contact me.
Sincerely,
Boston, Massachusetts
Peabody, Massachusetts