When it comes to fighting the aging process, many people are focused on eliminating wrinkles, fine lines, and other complexion woes from their surface of their skin. However, putting your best (and most youthful) face forward might involve treating another aging culprit – and it’s one you might not even realize you’re suffering from.
The tear trough is the area of skin that’s beneath the inner eye. This area – also known as the nasojugal groove – starts at the inner corner of the eye, and extends to the outside of the eye in a semi-circle fashion. You might be familiar with the tear trough if you are concerned with the “bags” under your eyes. The tear trough is often one of the first places that shows signs of aging (for example, darkened skin, puffy bags, wrinkles, sunkeness, etc.), yet it is also one of the hardest parts to treat without the aid of a cosmetic surgeon.
from RealSelf.com
Deep tear troughs can often create a dark shadow, which may take on the appearance of a dark circle, or making pre-existing dark circles look much worse. As the face ages, there’s a loss of skin elasticity and collagen levels, which can make the dark circles look much more prominent. Therefore, it’s critical to treat the deep tear trough to help create a more youthful and glowing visage.
Sean Doherty, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon operating out of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (also serving the greater Boston, MA metro areas). Dr. Doherty understands the treatments that are necessary for effectively treating the tear trough. These treatments range from invasive surgery to non-invasive injections, depending on the desired results. These treatments can include:
- Surgery, in which Dr. Doherty will make an incision in the lower eyelid and reposition fat. This treatment option is usually ideal for patients who have severe bags under their eyes, as this can treat loose skin and deep tear troughs and produce effective results.
- Facial injections, including the filler Restylane and the neurotoxins Botox and Dysort may be used to non-invasively treat the tear trough area. Dr. Doherty prefers using Restylane, as it produces long-lasting (up to a year)and natural looking results with minimal swelling and downtime. A good injection candidate has a hollow-looking tear trough, good skin elasticity, and doesn’t have significant lower eyelid bags.
When undergoing these injection treatments, patients can expect minimal discomfort, as Dr. Doherty uses a numbing cream, injectable products mixed with numbing medicine and ice. Patients should not be using meds or supplements that would increase their chances of bruising. This includes fish oil or vitamin E.
To learn more contact Dr. Doherty today. His Chestnut Hill, MA office serves the greater Boston area. You can reach us at (617) 735.8735 or just fill out the form in the top right corner.