Under-eye filler in Medellín

Under-eye filler, tear trough filler or hyaluronic acid under the eyes: they're all names for the same thing. It's hyaluronic acid filler placed in the tear trough, the groove between your lower eyelid and your cheek. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), with the right technique and product selection it can smooth that groove and reduce shadowing. But not every dark circle is a hollow. It can also be discoloration, a bag or skin that thins with age, and each one is treated differently.

It's a single session of 30 to 60 minutes, and you see the effect right away, just like in other areas. The difference is that this area calls for extra care. The ASPS cautions against overfilling under the eyes, so your doctor decides on the product, the amount and the depth after examining you. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), fillers should be injected with a needle or cannula by a licensed health care provider, and never with needle-free devices.

If your concern is bags, meaning fat that bulges under the eye, filler usually isn't the answer. The ASPS warns that it can make the puffiness worse or give the skin a bluish tint. Also, according to the FDA, tell your doctor if:

• Your skin is inflamed or infected.
• You have a bleeding disorder.
• You have severe allergies, a history of anaphylaxis or an allergy to lidocaine.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding, since the safety of fillers isn't known in either case.

Every procedure carries risks. With any filler, the FDA lists bruising, redness and swelling as common, and bumps as less frequent. The ASPS adds two that matter more here:

• The Tyndall effect: a bluish tint when the filler sits too close to the surface. It's more common under the eyes and around the lips.
• Vision loss: extremely rare. It can happen when the tear trough is treated, if filler gets into a blood vessel.

If you have unusual pain, vision changes or skin that looks white, gray or blue, the FDA says to get medical care right away.

At your consultation, tell your doctor about your medications, supplements, allergies and any past fillers, as the ASPS suggests. Ask for the product name. INVIMA, Colombia's health regulator (similar to the FDA), recommends making sure it has a current registration, which you can look up in its online registry (in Spanish). Afterward, you may have mild swelling for 2 to 5 days. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends:

• Not touching the area, unless your doctor tells you to massage it.
• Waiting before strenuous exercise.
• Staying out of the sun and away from tanning beds.

According to the ASPS, dark circles can come from genetics, lack of sleep, dehydration or sun exposure. If yours don't come from a hollow, something else may suit you better:

• Bags or extra skin on the eyelid: eyelid surgery, evaluated by Dr. Fernando Ruiz, our plastic surgeon.
• Dark spots on the skin: assessed as part of a melasma and dark spot treatment plan.
• Crow's feet: botulinum toxin.
• Lips, chin or facial folds: hyaluronic acid filler in other areas.

That's why the first step is finding out what's behind your dark circles.