Dark under eye circles can make you look tired, sick or worn-down. While you can conceal your dark circles with cosmetics, you can also visit your dermatologist to learn about treatments that can reduce them. Once we determine the cause of your under eye circles or bagging skin during your consultation, we will review your treatment options. Dark circle treatments include:

Laser Therapy: For most patients, intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments cause little to no downtime and effectively reduce or eliminate their dark under eye circles. The treatment improves the texture of the skin under the eyes and removes any excess pigmentation that can be causing the circles. Laser treatments also stimulate collagen production beneath the surface of the skin, which can make the skin in the area thicker, meaning circles are less likely to be visible.

Injectable Fillers: Injectable fillers such as Belotero, Juvederm and Restylane replace lost volume to fill hollows below the eyes and smooth out bulges. These fillers typically last about 4-6 months, depending on how individual patients metabolize the material. Hyaluronic acid, the primary material most commonly used in modern cosmetic fillers, occurs naturally in the body, is safely metabolized with time, and is hypoallergenic.

Chemical Peels: Chemical peels can be effective in reducing dark circles by exfoliating the surface layer of the skin and revealing healthier underlying skin. Most dermatologists recommend a series of medium-depth peels containing trichloroacetic acid (TCA) for dark circle reduction. Within a few days of treatment, superficial layers of skin will peel off, revealing healthy underlying skin. Once the peeling process has ended (approximately 7 days), you should notice a reduction in your dark circles.

Dark circles under the eyes appear for many different reasons. The under eye area may have a hollowed look due to genetics, volume loss due to aging or from environmental and health factors such as excessive sun exposure or habits such as cigarette smoking that can affect the skin internally and externally. If under-eye dark circles are getting you down, contact The Center for Advanced Dermatology at 602-867-7546 or mddermsolutions.com to schedule a consultation with Dr. Holy.