“I look exhausted even when I’ve had a full night’s sleep.” I hear this almost every week, usually from women pointing at the shadows and little hollows under their eyes. That under eye area is one of the first places to show its age, and it can make you look tired, older and fed up when you feel none of those things.
If you have looked into it, you have probably been told the answer is tear trough filler. But that is not the only way, and honestly, it is not always the best way. So let me explain what is going on under your eyes, and the no filler options I love for it.
What is a tear trough, and why do hollows appear?
The tear trough is the little groove that runs from the inner corner of your eye down along the top of your cheek. When we are younger it is barely there, but with age a few things happen at once: we lose a little of the natural volume and support in the area, our collagen dips, and the skin under the eye, which is the thinnest on the whole face, gets thinner still.
The result is a hollow or a shadow that can look like a permanent tired eye, often teamed with dark circles and fine crepey lines. It is incredibly common from our 40s onwards, and for some people it runs in the family and shows up earlier.
Why I take a no filler approach here
Here is my honest view, and it is close to my heart. The under eye is one of the trickiest, most delicate areas on the entire face, and it is where filler most often goes wrong. Done poorly it can look puffy, bluish or lumpy, it can hold water and swell, and it is notoriously difficult to correct. I have met a lot of women who regretted under eye filler.
So rather than adding a filler that sits in the area, I would much rather improve the actual quality, thickness and health of your own skin. It is gentler, it looks more natural, and it works with your face instead of changing it. That is my whole philosophy, and the under eye is exactly where it matters most.
The no filler options I love
- Polynucleotides, one of my favourites for the under eye. This regenerative treatment helps thicken and strengthen that thin under eye skin, improve dark circles and soften fine lines, by encouraging your skin to repair and rebuild itself. It is a beautiful, natural way to refresh tired eyes.
- My under eye treatment, a targeted course designed specifically for the eye area to brighten dark circles, smooth fine lines and freshen puffiness, so the whole area looks more rested.
- Cold plasma for the eyes, which is lovely for firming and tightening the delicate eyelid and under eye skin. I have written about the benefits of cold plasma for the eyes and eyelids if you would like to read more.
As always, I match the treatment, or the combination, to your particular under eyes after a proper skin analysis. No two pairs of eyes are the same.
What about dark circles?
Dark circles often go hand in hand with hollows, but they are not all the same either. Some are shadows cast by the hollow, some are pigment, and some are the little blood vessels showing through thin skin. Knowing which you have completely changes how we treat it, so it is worth reading my honest guide on the real reasons behind dark circles and how to treat them.
My honest take
I will always be straight with you. If you have a very deep hollow caused mainly by lost volume, no filler options improve the skin and soften the look rather than instantly filling the gap the way a filler would. But for most women, improving the thickness, tone and brightness of the under eye skin makes a genuine, visible difference, and it does it without the risks that make under eye filler so tricky. To me, that is a far lovelier long term answer.
If your under eyes have been making you look more tired than you feel, come and see me. We will work out exactly what is going on and put together a gentle, natural plan to refresh them. Book a skin consultation whenever you are ready.
