Sunken Eyes – Rejuvenating Treatments

Published on: August 29, 2020 (Last modified on: August 31, 2020)
Woman using cosmetic under-eye patches for fighting sunken eyes symptoms

The delicate skin and soft tissue around the eyes can say more about you than the eyes themselves. The tissue that frames one of your most alluring facial features can be affected by changes in your life. Aging, stress, poor health, lack of sleep and other factors can impact the tissue around the eyes. When your eyes look sunken, you look older and tired. Here is what you need to know about the causes of sunken eyes and the best options for treatment.

What Causes Sunken Eyes Syndrome?

Anyone at any age can have a sunken appearance to their eyes. The tissue around the eyes is susceptible to shrinking due to dehydration and other issues that can impact the appearance of the eyes. Plus, the skin on the upper and lower eyelids is the thinnest skin on the body – it can show the blood vessels under the skin when they are enlarged, creating shadows and circles under the eyes. There are a variety of conditions that can cause sunken eyes syndrome, including:

  • Too little sleep
  • Illness
  • Dehydration and nutrient loss
  • Weight loss
  • Aging
  • Fat loss under the skin
  • Sinus infections and allergies
  • Alcohol or caffeine use

The appearance of sunken eyes may be caused by one or a combination of these factors. Regardless of the cause, the result is looking tired and older, even if you feel energetic and youthful. To rejuvenate the eyes, it is important to determine both the causes and effects that are resulting in tired eyes.

First and foremost, taking care of your body and skin is crucial to look your best. Getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, eating healthy and treating health issues can have a major impact on helping reduce dark circles or hollows around the eyes. If you are well-rested and healthy but still have sunken eyes, cosmetic treatments may be your best option to rejuvenate your eyes.

Mature woman before eye skin rejuvenation treatment looking at her face in the mirror

Dark Circles, Tear Troughs and Eye Hollows

There is more than one symptom of sunken eyes. The skin, fat, blood vessels and tissues around the eyes all contribute to how they are framed. Loss of fat under the skin can create a physically sunken appearance, or eye hollows. This can be caused by weight loss and normal aging. Another issue is loss of moisture in the skin, caused by dehydration, illness, too much caffeine or other factors, which can contribute to tear troughs. Inflammation of blood vessels from allergies, sinus issues and other factors can show through thin skin around the eyes, resulting in dark circles.

All the contributing factors can either shrink the tissue around the eyes or create shadows that make the eyes look sunken. To refresh and rejuvenate the eyes, you need to address the lost volume in tear troughs and the temples and improve the health of the skin to reduce a sunken or hollow appearance.

Adding Volume Around the Eyes

If the tissue around the eyes has lost volume, the key to achieving more youthful, energetic eyes is adding volume. Hollows under the eyes or in the temples contribute to the sunken appearance many people want to avoid. The quickest and least invasive solution is facial filler injections. A talented dermatologist or plastic surgeon can utilize the right combination of dermal fillers to add volume under tear troughs or into the temples to plump the tissues around the eyes. This can create a more youthful, softer appearance for the eyes, helping reduce dark circles and minimize wrinkles for a refreshed appearance.

Eye and Skin Treatments

Restoring collagen and skin health can also impact the appearance of dark circles and tired eyes. Skin treatments including daily care with moisturizing and collagen-inducing procedures can help improve skin health. Certain laser treatments, chemical peels and skin tightening treatments can improve the elasticity and firmness of skin around the eyes to help diminish lines, wrinkles and dark circles.

Blepharoplasty or Plastic Surgery

Skin treatments and facial fillers can help refresh eyes temporarily, but for long-term rejuvenation, aging, sunken eyes may require plastic surgery. Blepharoplasty, or an eyelid lift, can address aging issues on the upper or lower eyelids, repositioning the skin and tissue. Fat transfers can be used to add volume around the eyes and upper cheeks to create a more youthful appearance. An experienced plastic surgeon can discuss surgical options to refresh eyes for lasting results.

Sunken eyes can impact how the world sees you and how you see yourself. If dark circles or deep hollows around your eyes are making you look tired and older, you can make changes to address this condition. Take care of your health, skin and body first and then explore the cosmetic treatments that can rejuvenate sunken eyes and help you look like yourself again. Contact a dermatologist or plastic surgeon to discuss which treatments can refresh the appearance of your eyes.

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