Dark Circles under the Eyes-The Arcus Deformity
Millions of people young and old have dark circles under the eyes. Most have tried many remedies; creams and cover up make up and still are bothered by the dark circles under the eyes. Some have even had the plastic surgery operation called a blepharoplasty, only to find that the surgery has made the dark circles under the eyes worse. (Contact Dr Seckel)
The major problem causing the failure to correct dark circles under the eyes, in my opinion, is a lack of understanding of what actually causes dark circles under the eyes and the necessary steps that must be taken to correct the dark circles under the eyes.
The term dark circles under the eyes refers to a dark circular depression beneath the lower eyelid which starts near the corner of the eye near the nose and runs as a semicircle or crescent beneath the eyelid out toward the side of the cheek. The dark circle under the eye is in fact a shadow created by the depression in the lower eyelid skin caused by the fact that the eyelid skin in the dark circle under the eye is attached to the underlying bone of the eye socket, the skin is tethered, and the untethered looser skin above the dark circle under the eye bulges or hangs over the dark circle under the eye and creates the shadow.
The structure which tethers the dark circle under the eye to the bone of the eye socket and cheek is called the Arcus Marginalis, thus I call the dark circles under the eyes the Arcus Deformity.
It is important to differentiate dark circles under the eyes or the Arcus Deformity from another condition called tear trough deformity. The tear trough deformity is a more advanced form of the arcus deformity which occurs with aging of the face. As the face ages, the cheek skin becomes lax and falls and leaves a depression on the cheek bone which is connected to the arcus deformity, but the tear trough deformity is much more to the side of the face and slants downward. The importance of understanding the difference between the arcus deformity and the tear trough deformity is that correction of the tear trough deformity requires either a cheek lift to reposition the cheek skin higher on the cheek bone, or the use of a tear trough implant.
In contrast, correction of dark circles under the eyes, the Arcus Deformity, requires only an eyelid procedure which releases the arcus marginalis to correct the tethering of the lower eyelid and repositioning or grafting of a small amount of lower eyelid fat beneath the dark circle under the eye to plump the dark circle under the eye. This procedure can be accomplished through a tiny laser incision on the inside of the lower eyelid avoiding any visible scar on the eyelid. This procedure called a transconjunctival arcus marginalis release and fat repositioning is a minor, minimally invasive procedure which produces excellent correction of the dark circles under the eyes, very different and less extensive than the procedures required to correct the tear trough deformity.
In addition it is also important to distinguish dark circles under the eyes from Dark Purple Eyelid Color. Dark eyelid color is normal and affects all people. The lower eyelid skin on every human face is darker than the surrounding facial skin because the eyelid skin is so thin that the purple color of the lower eyelid muscle shows through the eyelid skin. This dark eyelid color cannot be corrected by any treatment on the eyelid skin by laser, IPL, or creams. In some people who have pigment from sun damage or who have many small blood vessels that contribute to the dark eyelid color, lasers can be used to lessen the color of the pigment or blood vessels
Dark circles under the eyes, the Arcus Deformity, are very common in all age groups and a very distressing aesthetic or cosmetic concern for many people, especially for young people. The most troublesome feature is that young, healthy people with dark circles under the eyes are told by friends that they look tired or drawn or sick. This is especially a problem for young models and other people who are frequently photographed, as the shadow created by the dark circles under the eyes stands out and is more noticeable in photographs.
New technology and knowledge has made effective correction or removal of dark circles under the eyes possible using a safe, minimally invasive laser procedure, the transconjunctival arcus marginalis release with fat repositioning.
It is crucial to understand what actually causes dark circles under the eyes, the Arcus Deformity, in order for the proper procedure to be done. In my experience tear trough implants are the wrong choice, they are designed to correct the tear trough deformity which is very different, is located more to the side of the face on the cheek, and the implants do not correct the dark circles under the eyes where they are most noticeable, near the inside corner of the eye near the nose.
For further information on dark circles under the eyes or non-surgical facial and eyelid rejuvenation read Save Your Face or contact me.