Do you have hollows under your eyes that make you look tired? If so, keep reading.
What happens under your eyes when you age?
As you age, there are a number of changes in your face. The bones in your cheek get smaller and move down. This causes the fat pads that you had when you were young to reposition and move down. Under the eyes it looks like a loss of volume so instead of having a youthful fullness you under eyes look hollow.
How can under eye hollows be treated?
The good news is that the volume in these areas can be restore with fillers such as Voluma and Vollure. Voluma and Vollure have a sugar called hyaluronic acid as their active ingredient. Hyaluronic acid is a sugar you have in your skin. It binds a thousand times its weight in water. So when it’s placed in your skin, it brings water to the area to fill in hollows and wrinkles. Voluma, Vollure, and sometimes Volbella are perfect products to treat hollowing that you see under the eyes.
Voluma, Vollure, and Volbella
The difference between Voluma, Vollure, and Volbella is the amount of hyaluronic acid they contain. Voluma has the highest amount of hyaluronic acid and is used to restore the structural support of your cheek bone. Vollure has an intermediate amount of hyaluronic acid and is used to restore the deep structural support under your eyes. And Volbella has the lowest amount of hyaluronic acid. This makes it perfect for placement just under the skin, if necessary.
How are under eye hollows treated?
Any of these products can be used independently. But in most cases, two or all three products are needed. The treatment is usually done in stages. This means that one filler is used at the first session. Then you wait about two weeks to see the results. At that time the area is reassessed to see if more filler is needed. Voluma is usually the first product used. Voluma provides the structural support for the cheeks. It can sometimes improve the hollowing under the eyes entirely by itself. Voluma will also give your cheeks a youthful appearance. Voluma also helps with nasolabial folds or smile lines and Voluma helps with jowls and jawline definition. Most people start with one syringe of Voluma per side of the face.
After two weeks, the area is reassessed. Many people will want further improvement, in which case Vollure can be used to provide the deep support for the area directly under the eyes. This is what was done in the patient seen in the before and after pictures shown here. The additional support just under the eyes really helps a lot.
After another two weeks or so, the area is assessed again. At that time the finishing touch can be provided with Volbella just under the skin. The patient shown here did not receive Volbella because she was happy with her results. But a small amount of Volbella can be used din the future for her to treat the slight shadow under her right eye, which is on the left side of the picture.
The great thing about Voluma, Vollure, and Volbella is that they use a technology called Vycross. This makes the product last longer. The duration will depend on the product(s) used, the individual, and the amount of product. In the case shown here, two syringes of Voluma and two syringes of Vollure were used. With this amount of product, you can expect your results to last one to two years. However, most people return after six to twelve months for small touch ups. This is like filling up a gas tank when it’s half full rather than waiting until it’s empty.
Dr. Alex has performed over 10,000 cosmetic treatments with many satisfied patients. Contact us to schedule an appointment for a free consultation with Dr. Alex in our Encino, CA office.