Filler for under eyes treatment is becoming more common for those patients who are not quite ready for lower eyelid surgery and prefer to have an interim treatment with less downtime and shorter recovery. Injectable fillers for the face are commonly performed in the smile lines, marionette lines, and cheeks.

Filler injection under the eyes is another story. This is an area with very thin skin and a high margin for error if not performed correctly. Patients may have “bags” under the eyes and under these bags is a depressed area shadowed region. I like to think of this as a hill and a valley. The goal with filler injection under the eye is to fill the “valley” up to the level of the “hill” which improves the appearance of the bags and the hollowed appearance.

This needs to be done by an experienced injector as injection too superficial can lead to a bluish hue of the filler being seen through the skin. Injection must be done slowly and carefully avoiding blood vessels so as not to cause any visual impairment. With care and precision, the result can be quite aesthetically pleasing with almost no bruising, minimal swelling, and allowing patients to return to normal activity within 1-2 days.

Dr. Funk is a board certified facial plastic surgeon who specializes in filler injection in Houston, TX.