Q:

In the last few years, the bags under my eyes have gotten larger. Now it seems that I look tired all the time, no matter how much sleep I get or how much makeup I put on. I’ve tried eye creams, tea bags, and even cucumber slices, but nothing helps the puffiness. Is there anything else that I can do?

A:

Bags or puffiness under the eyes are exceedingly common and bothersome because they create the impression of being tired and aged. Most often it is the result of heredity and aging changes. Over the years, skin and other tissues around the eye become weak and lax, which allows fat pads around the eye to bulge outwards, causing the puffy appearance. Home remedies may provide some mild, brief improvement at best, but the definitive treatment is called a lower eyelid blepharoplasty. This can be performed with surgery or a laser. The advantage of utilizing the laser to remove the fat pads is that there is minimal to no bruising. The surgical procedure is known to have extensive bruising. In this procedure, the excess bulging fat is removed, thus flattening the puffiness and resulting in a refreshed and rested appearance. There are no sutures needed.

This laser blepharoplasty procedure is done at our Skin Spectrum office operating room with oral relaxation medications, with the patient awake but relaxed and comfortably numbed. Skin laser treatment is often performed after the fat pad removal to smooth and tighten the skin around the eyes.