Cosmetic treatments for under-eye issues

Under-eye irregularities occur because of several factors, including stress, lack of sleep, spending a long time in front of the computer screen and aging. As a result, women can develop wrinkles, sagging of the upper and lower eyelids as well as puffiness and dark circles that make the face look older.
To help you take better care of your under-eye skin, we asked plastic surgeon Dr. Ali Wahba, owner of the Anaconda Center in Beirut, Lebanon, for the latest treatments and solutions.

Combatting the problem:
In addition to the causes listed above, under-eye damage can also be the result of genetics, smoking, kidney disease, fat accumulation under the lids, eating food with a high salt concentration and simply not using the right beauty products.
When problems occur, solutions can range from non-invasive and relatively simple, to surgical. Following are a list of the most common under-eye problems and treatments to combat them effectively.

Sagging of the upper eyelids:
In the beginning stages, sagging skin can be tightened using a Fraxel Co2 Laser, but more advanced cases require surgery using local anesthesia to eliminate excess skin. The procedure is relatively easy and does not leave any visible scarring.

Lower eyelid problems:
Some women suffer from swelling of the lower eyelids resulting from fat accumulation under the skin. Surgery is an option: small incisions are made in the center of the eyelid to extract fat pockets from the inside, with no scarring.
If the lower lid sags or consists of cysts and excess skin, a horizontal incision is made just below the lashes, through which bags or fat cells are extracted. The muscle is then tightened and the excess skin removed. The incision is stitched using a very thin thread.

Black circles under the eyes:
There are several ways to get rid of dark under-eye circles:
1. A treatment using carbon dioxide, whereby the gas is directly blown under the skin, diminishing the oxygen in the area, which is the main cause of the black color.
2. Cutting edge stem cell therapy is now a viable option, whereby new cells are directly injected into the affected skin. The cells are harvested from human fat and are made by specialized medical facilities according to the case. This treatment requires four to five sessions, with 15 days separating each of them. After that period, one session every six months is needed for maintenance. Another advantage of this procedure is that it also tackles puffiness and light wrinkles.
Deep under-eye sockets:
Aging or rapid weight loss can sometimes give the appearance of the deepening of eye sockets. The most common treatments are either injecting fat of hyaluronic acid in the area, or in some cases, lifting the upper part of the face via surgery.

Crow’s feet:
Botox is the most effective, popular and safest treatment for wrinkles around the eyes. Hyaluronic acid can also be used, but is mostly successful with light wrinkles. After being injected with either of these products, it is advisable to also undergo a mesotherapy session, which is a group of vitamins that renew skin cells.

Sagging brows:
Treating a saggy brow line is best achieved through Botox or surgery. One of the simplest surgical procedures is carried out using a special thread inserted under the skin, which is then tightened to raise the brow. Another surgical method, known as Endotine, consists of raising the eyebrow using a very small piece of metal placed under the skin of the forehead, hidden under the hairline. Traditional surgery requires making an incision, then raising the eyebrow and cutting away excess skin. But this requires stitches at the hairline.

Whatever the option you choose for your specific under-eye problem, Wahba assures that all the above methods, whether surgical or non-invasive, are scientifically trusted, safe and provide effective results.

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