How To Instantly Banish Dark Circles — For Up To 9 Months

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How To Instantly Banish Dark Circles -- For Up To 9 Months


I’ve always struggled with under-eye dark circles. Like many fair- (read: vampire-) skinned people, veins and discoloration are blindly apparent—coverable only by makeup. It’s why at least once a day someone asks if I’m sleep deprived or happen to be coming down with a cold. (And why I in turn spend so much time and money exploring whatever products, treatments and makeup promise to address the issue.)

It wasn’t, however, until I met Lisa Hartman of Soignez-Vous Aesthetics that I truly understood the root of my problem—and, more importantly, that it could be fixed in less than an hour. It’s not just that my skin is both thin and pale, but that I also have something called a tear trough abnormality. This common occurrence refers to thinner fat pads underneath the eyes that make the area appear dark and hollow.

Hartman, a board certified physician assistant located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, suggested the injection of hyaluronic acid: a gentle type of dermal filler made from sugar that naturally occurs in the body’s skin and cartilage. A series of injections are placed under your eyes, allowing the filler to simulate the appearance of thicker fat pads beneath your skin. The 30 minute procedure costs $800-$1,000, depending on your facial structure, but lasts up to 9 months. (It’s been ten months since my treatment, and only now am I starting back up with concealer.)

Here’s what Hartman has to say about the procedure:

Soignez Vous Aesthetics

  1. Why do some people get worse dark circles than others?

“Let me first say that “dark circles” is an umbrella term used to describe various cosmetic concerns around the eyes. There are many components to “dark circles”—especially genetics… Some individuals are born with less fat in the under-eye area and, thusly, have an indentation commonly referred to as a tear trough hollow… Everyone has a natural valley that sits atop the rim of bone that encircles the eye. This valley is a natural, normal contour… but some people have deeper valleys than others. Beyond genetics, though, dark circles can also be affected by things like sun exposure, allergies, dehydration and sleep.”

  1. Do dark circles get worse as we age?

“Unfortunately yes. Our tissues go through a phase called cellular senescence, cellular aging, where the cells that turn over aren’t quite as robust as previous ones. The goal here is to protect our assets by wearing proper sun block, eating a balanced diet, staying hydrated and getting adequate sleep—natural ways of maintaining our skin.”

Soignez Vous Aesthetics

  1. How can the use of fillers help address dark circles? 

“Under-eye dermal fillers such as Belotero Balance, Restylane Silk and Juvederm Ultra are great choices to treat the tear trough or orbital hollowing. For thin- and light-skinned patients, I’ll typically choose Belotero due to its unique manufacturing technique and inability to cause tindle effect. (Tindle effect is a bluish hue that can be seen through the skin.) This is less of an issue with darker-skinned individuals, which is why I may choose Restylane or Juvederm for them—fillers that may also last longer.”

  1. Walk us through the treatment. Are there any things we can’t do before or after? What will it feel like? How long will it take? What exactly will you be doing?

“Avoid alcohol and blood thining agents, like Aspirin and Motrin, in the days before treatment. Actually treating the under-eye area with fillers, however, is virtually painless and takes 20-30 minutes. A topical numbing agent can be applied prior to injection to ease any discomfort. After a thorough assessment and marking out of the area to be treated, the skin is thoroughly cleansed to reduce risk to infection… A very small needle is then advanced slowly beneath the skin… to fill in the area of deficit. The product is laid down in a smooth and even fashion in order to reduce textural irregularities on the surface, with an average 3-5 injections per side. After the injection is complete, soft massaging may be done to further smooth out the area. All you need then is ice and to avoid high intensity workouts for the next 24 hours.”

Dr. Michael Miroshnick

  1. Are there different types of treatments? Maybe different products or different ways of injecting?

“Absolutely. No two fillers were created equally and this is a whole loaded lecture in itself. It is extremely important that your injector understand the significant differences among the available FDA approved products, as well as their appropriate areas of use. Some products don’t play well in certain areas. For example, we wouldn’t use a robust filler with a high lift capacity, such as Juvederm Voluma or Radiesse, in the tear trough area as these are too thick and volumizing to be effective. They run the risk of looking unnatural and creating an even bigger problem… Practitioners have used lightweight and soft hyaluronic acid fillers in this area with great success since their adoption in the early 2000’s.”

  1. Are there any side effects?

“The most common side effects are bruising, swelling and temporary discomfort at injection site. These can be practitioner, product or patient dependent. The most feared risks include accidental injection into a blood vessel which, if unrecognized, can lead to scarring, tissue damage and even blindness. These are extremely rare occurrences and internationally represent 0.001% of all injectable cases.”

  1. How long does it last? How often will we have to go back?

“The longevity of the product is dependent on the filler selected and the individual’s characteristics. Most dermal fillers used in this area will last around 9 months to a bit over a year.”



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