Dark Circles: This Is the Reason They Wouldn’t Go Away No Matter How Hard You Tried!

Hello, this is Merry Plastic Surgery Clinic, glad to meet you.

As the weather gets colder, it seems like year-end gatherings and other get-togethers are starting soon.

When an old friend says, “Why do you look so tired?” or “Have you had something bad going on lately?” it can be stressful.

When you look in the mirror, you may notice shadows under your eyes.

The main culprit that makes people look tired and older!!!

Today, let’s talk about dark circles.

In particular, for people with severe dark circles, one of the first surgeries they consider is

whether under-eye fat repositioning is a miracle procedure that can completely erase dark circles.

A surgery that removes dark circles

Under-eye fat repositioning surgery

Dr. Hongbanjang’s Merry TV

Under-eye fat repositioning surgery is very well known and familiar as a procedure that removes dark circles.

In particular, after comedian Park Myung-soo and announcer Jeon Hyun-moo underwent under-eye fat repositioning surgery,

they appeared much neater and younger, which drew everyone’s attention.

If you get under-eye fat repositioning surgery like these two, will everyone look refreshed and younger?

Unfortunately, dark circles occur for a variety of reasons,

and in most cases, multiple causes act together,

so they often cannot be simply or perfectly resolved with under-eye fat repositioning surgery alone.

Causes of dark circles

Dr. Hongbanjang’s Merry TV

So, why do dark circles actually appear?

Take a look and see if you can identify the cause of your own dark circles.

The causes of dark circles can be broadly divided into about three types.

First, pigmentation.

This is when pigment builds up in the skin under the eyes, making the skin itself look dark or bluish.

In the case of this “pigmented dark circle” type, even if fat repositioning surgery is performed well,

the darkened skin color itself will not improve.

For pigmentation types, it is better to receive treatment through laser procedures such as toning laser or vascular laser.

There is something to be careful about here!!

In some pigmentation cases, micro fat grafting or under-eye fat repositioning may be able to cover blood vessels,

so before deciding on treatment because you think, “I guess I have pigmented dark circles~,”

please consult with a specialist and then make your decision.

Our bodies are precious~!

Second, hollowing of the under-eye groove.

The under-eye area can become hollow as aging progresses, and sometimes it can be present from birth.

Let’s look at the area around the eyes from an anatomical perspective.

Because of the complex combination of the orbital structure, the distribution of muscles around the eyes, muscle movement, and skin thickness,

there are people whose lower under-eye area, called the under-eye groove, appears sunken.

Let me tell you a simple self-test to check whether your dark circles are caused by hollowing under the eyes.

Gently press the lower part of the under-eye area with your finger and move it upward~

At this time, are there people whose dark circles disappear as the hollow area gets filled in?

For these people, there is a high chance that the dark circles are caused by hollowing.

In such cases, the dark circles can be improved by filling in the hollow area.

If there is also protruding under-eye fat, improving it through under-eye fat repositioning surgery can be even more effective.

Second, protruding under-eye fat.

The most common cause of dark circles is protruding under-eye fat.

From below the aegyo-sal to the under-eye groove, fat bulges out, making the under-eye groove look even more sunken and shadowed.

It is the most common type, and it is also a problem that becomes more noticeable with age.

Why does under-eye fat bulge out unattractively?

Beneath the eyes there is orbital fat, and there is a structure called the fascia that firmly holds this fat in place.

But as aging progresses, this fascia weakens, and just like a retaining wall collapsing, the fat slowly starts to push out.

It usually appears in the 40s and 50s,

and for people who were born with weaker fascia, it can appear in their 20s or 30s.

And

this kind of protruding fat can be improved by removing it or repositioning it through surgery.

Under-eye fat removal vs. under-eye fat repositioning

However, these days there is a tendency to prefer repositioning over simply removing the fat.

Do you wonder why?

The reason is that if the fat is removed entirely, sometimes the under-eye area can look more sunken than it did before surgery.

The complex causes of dark circles, what are the treatment methods???

Because most dark circles are caused by a combination of factors,

treatment is also more effective when approached in a comprehensive way.

What does a comprehensive treatment mean?

There are three compartments of fat under the eyes, or more simply put, three fat pockets.

The most important point in under-eye fat repositioning surgery is to consider the balance of the entire face

and remove an appropriate amount of fat from the three fat pockets and reposition it properly.

This depends on the sense and skill developed through the surgical experience of a board-certified plastic surgeon.

Under-eye fat repositioning can be performed either by making an incision on the inside of the eye (transconjunctival incision) or by making an incision in the skin (lower blepharoplasty).

I will continue explaining these treatment methods in the next post.