Today we’re going to talk about the finer points of why and when fillers should be put under the eyes.

The eyes are one of the most important parts of our face for non-verbal communications, but there are a few things that can make dark circles appear there. These dark circles can make us look tired, old or even drunk! I have written and spoken about this topic often, and I’ve mentioned that, in general, using fillers to camouflage dark circles due to puffy bags under the eyes is a mistake. Some talented practitioners can get adequate results by doing this, but more often than not this practice leads to awkward and cosmetically unattractive results.

Having said this, there is one exception to this rule. In rare circumstances, people have true hollowing under the eyes. This most frequently occurs in young patients, and is due to a lack of normal fullness in this area. In these cases, fillers placed in the lower lid can help improve the appearance of dark circles.

In summary, where injecting fillers to treat under-eye bags that come with aging is usually a mistake, treating young patients with true hollowing with fillers can be helpful.