Dear Dr. Seckel, I had a blepharoplasty operation done about a year ago. I still have dark circles under my eyes. My doctor wants to inject filler called Restylane into the dark circles. Is that safe? I thought the blepharoplasty would take care of the dark circles but I guess I was wrong. Judith, Boston, MA.
Dear Judith,
I do not recommend the injection of Restylane®, Hylaform®, Sculptra®, Radiesse, or any other artificial filler into the dark circles under the eyes at this time. This eyelid rejuvenation technique is new and studies of its safety and effectiveness are not available. I worry about damage to the eye by the injection, especially if someone who is not very familiar with the anatomy of the eye and eyelids does the injection.
A standard blepharoplasty does not correct dark circles under the eyes. To correct dark circles a newer operation called a laser transconjunctival blepharoplasty with arcus marginalis release with fat repositioning or fat grafting must be done. Please check my archives under dark circles and arcus marginalis release to learn more about the operation. I do the arcus marginalis release through a transconjunctival incision on the inside pink part of the eyelid and I use a laser, a technique called laser blepharoplasty.
Another alternative for the treatment of dark circles is fat injection. However I again worry about the safety of this procedure and reports of lumps on the eyelids following fat injections are common.
I strongly recommend you consult with a board certified plastic surgeon who is very experienced in eyelid surgery and blepharoplasty. My advice is to avoid filler injection around the eye. For further information on eyelid rejuvenation and non-surgical facial rejuvenation visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice, read Save Your Face or contact me.
Boston, Massachusetts
Peabody, Massachusetts