Are under-eye circles always a sign of lack of sleep? Why are they permanent for some people? Is there a way to reduce them? What is the difference between hollow circles and brown circles? Are bags under the eyes the same thing as circles?
\nUnder the generic term \"under-eye circles\", several different — and sometimes combined — conditions affecting the lower eye contour area are grouped together. This article presents the differences between hollow circles, discolored circles and puffy circles (sometimes called \"bags under the eyes\") and offers a few remedies and techniques to help prevent their appearance.
\nBlue or purplish circles are the most common. They can appear very early, from childhood or adolescence, as they are not a sign of aging.
\nThe presence of blue circles under the eyes is explained by the relative transparency of the skin on the lower eyelids. The skin is indeed 5 times thinner around the eye contour than on the rest of the body.
\nBlue circles appear on a highly vascularized area of the face. Among the blood vessels located under the eyes are both veins and arteries. In the veins that carry blood back to the heart, the blood appears bluish because it is depleted of oxygen.
\nBlue circles are therefore caused by the thinness of the skin, which reveals in transparency the bluish tone of the small blood vessels located under the eye.
\nIt should be noted that we are not all equal when it comes to blue circles. They will be more or less visible depending on each person's tissue characteristics. The thinner the skin around the eye contour, the more visible blue circles will be.
\nNevertheless, a healthy lifestyle can help limit the presence of blue circles. Quality sleep helps \"care for\" the body's vascular network. Since the eye muscles work constantly (up to 15,000 blinks a day), they need plenty of rest. If they don't recover enough, the venous network dilates, which amplifies the presence of blue circles.
\nDiet alone cannot eliminate under-eye circles, but a balanced diet (low in fat and sugar) is an essential factor in promoting good vascularization throughout the body.
\nAmong the available \"old wives' remedies\", people sometimes mention applying the back of a chilled spoon to the eye contour, placing cool cucumber slices on the eyes, or using a coffee-grounds mask. These remedies can indeed have some effectiveness. The spoon and cucumber-slice techniques rely on the properties of cold, which promotes and boosts blood circulation. In the case of the coffee mask, it is caffeine's draining effect that activates blood circulation.
\nAt the practice, we offer custom-formulated serums (based on an analysis of your skin using research-derived diagnostic tools) that can reduce blue circles through their vasoconstrictive, draining and dermis-restructuring effects.
\nCosmetics offer various types of anti-pigmentation (or depigmenting) creams that can quite effectively reduce brown circles. These act on the superficial part of the excess pigmentation around the eye contour. At the practice, we offer custom-formulated serums (based on an analysis of your skin using research-derived diagnostic tools) which, through their depigmenting, antioxidant and dermis-restructuring effects, can reduce your under-eye circles. If brown circles are particularly pronounced, a chemical peel, and specifically a depigmenting peel, can achieve good results in reducing brown circles. Certain lasers can also help lighten excess coloring, such as our ICON MAX G laser. With lasers, however, the eyelid area near the eye cannot be treated: only the lower part can be treated safely. Unlike blue circles and pigmented circles, hollow circles are directly caused by the effects of aging on facial tissues. With age, an inverted V-shaped hollow forms between the orbicularis muscle surrounding the eye and the muscle that elevates the nasal wing. This is naturally an area filled with fat that fills this hollow when we are younger. Sometimes this hollow is present from a young age due to hereditary factors. As we age, the loss of fat and muscle volume around the eyes leads to a loss of volume as well as a downward shift of fatty tissue from the lower eye-socket rim toward the cheekbones. This fat then forms a half-circle groove under the eye, which can be more or less extensive. The hollow appearance of this groove is reinforced by an optical effect of shadow and light on a hollow area, which darkens the circle. There are two particularly effective techniques for treating hollow circles through volume restoration, offering a natural result. In the field of aesthetic medicine, injecting a filler such as hyaluronic acid effectively fills the volume deficit in the under-eye area. Another therapeutic solution falls under cosmetic surgery: under-eye circle lipofilling (also called lipofilling or micro-lipofilling of the under-eye area). This technique involves taking fat cells from the patient, which are then re-injected (referred to as an \"autologous graft\") into the area with the volume deficit. The cheek lift (or centrofacial lift) can treat both hollow circles (caused by fat loss under the eye and tissue laxity) and puffy circles (caused by the sagging of this fat along with skin laxity). This is a lift of the central third of the face that repositions the cheekbones, lifts the nasolabial fold and treats under-eye circles. Morning puffiness is due to insufficient lymphatic and venous drainage during the night, which is why it is made worse by fatigue, lack of sleep, alcohol and tobacco. Bags under the eyes that appear overnight spontaneously fade within one to two hours of waking. While there is no miracle remedy against the fatty bags that form under the eyes with age, their appearance can be limited with a healthy lifestyle. A balanced diet (not too rich in sugar or fat), avoiding alcohol and tobacco, and regular physical activity promote healthy tissue aging, particularly of facial tissues, which are especially sensitive to outside aggressions. Otherwise, only cosmetic eyelid surgery can remove the fatty excess pocket of the lower eyelid. This is referred to as \"lower blepharoplasty\". There is an effective cosmetic surgery technique for directly treating under-eye circles when they are associated with skin laxity: the cheek lift (or centrofacial lift). A cheek lift repositions the cheekbones, lifts the nasolabial fold and treats under-eye circles. The cheek lift can treat both hollow circles (caused by fat loss under the eye and tissue laxity) and puffy circles (caused by the sagging of this fat along with skin laxity). Dr. Kron uses different centrofacial lift (CFL) techniques. If a lift needs to be performed in the same operative session as lower eyelid surgery, his LVPA facelift technique allows him to treat both without an additional scar, combining it with a CFL. If the lower eyelid area is the only area of concern, the entire procedure can be performed through an incision placed right along the lashes of the lower eyelid. In some cases, treatment of the hollow area by lipofilling or lipostructure (referred to as micro-lipofilling for the periorbital region) is also performed. > Learn more about lower blepharoplasty Are under-eye circles always a sign of lack of sleep? Why are they permanent for some people? Is there a way to reduce them? What is the difference between hollow circles and brown circles? What are the specific features of the eye contour area? Dr. Kron answers all these questions in this excerpt from the French TV program e=M6.Hollow circles
\nA consequence of tissue aging
\nHow are hollow circles treated?
\nPuffy circles: \"bags under the eyes\"
\nHow to get rid of bags under the eyes?
\nVideo: Circles, bags — science decodes these marks under our eyes
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