Lower Eyelid Surgery

Why have I developed eye bags?

As we age, it’s common for eyebags to develop.

The skin surrounding our eyes is actually the thinnest on our bodies and so is often the first part of the body to show the signs of aging: think wrinkles, eye bags, fine lines and looser skin.

There are several reasons for eye bags including skeletal changes and aging skin, however the main cause is due to a weakening of the tissues and muscles that support the eyelids.

Once these have weakened, they are unable to provide adequate support and allow the natural fat in the orbit of the eye to move forward into the lower lid. This fat previously helped support the eyes but once it moves forward the areas beneath the eyes begin to appear swollen or puffy.

Eye bags may also result from an accumulation of fluid and/or the onset of inflammation beneath the eyes.

If you experience repeated puffiness beneath your eyes and it’s something that bothers you, you may be a good candidate for eyelid surgery or a cosmetic procedure for under eye bags.

A board-certified Oculoplastics and Reconstructive Surgeon, Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery and Minimally-Invasive Facial Rejuvenation Specialist, let Dr Baljeet Purewal use her advanced skill and innovative techniques to address your eye bags.

See some of our eye bag surgery before and after pictures and patient diaries here.

What are some other causes of bags under the eyes?

Other factors, including lifestyle factors, that can cause eye bags include:

• Genetics.
• Lack of sleep.
• Fluid retention.
• Smoking.
• Illness.
• Irritation.
• Poor diet.
• Stress.
• Sun damage.

Medical conditions that can cause eye bags include:

• Kidney disease.
• Nasal congestion.
• Seasonal allergies.
• Eyelid dermatitis.
• Thyroid disease.

What are typical symptoms of under eye bags?

You may start to notice:

• Loose or saggy skin beneath the eyes.
• Dark circles under the eyes.
• Inflammation (mild).

How can I hide or camouflage my under eye bags?

Using just topical products like creams, moisturizers and makeup to hide your under eye bags can be expensive, time consuming and frustrating. Unfortunately, topical solutions alone can only do so much.

Fresh Face + Eye offers a range of treatments and surgery to get rid of bags under eyes. These procedures can reduce the visibility of under eye bags for several months (e.g dermal fillers and resurfacing treatments) or for years (i.e., eyelid surgery). The results attained with under eye bag surgery or eyelid surgery in New Jersey usually last from ten to fifteen years.

Are my eye bags permanent or temporary? What’s the difference?

When bags under the eyes are caused by a temporary issue or state – such as eating too much salty food, illness or lack of sleep – a variety of home remedies or topical options can be used to reduce their visibility. Once the issue is solved, your eyes should return to normal.

However, when under eye bags develop as part of the natural aging process or due to genetics, at-home remedies become less effective for long-lasting results.

If you are experiencing permanent eye bags, you might want to consider cosmetic eyelid surgery to remove the bags under your eyes or non-surgical treatments at Fresh Face + Eye.

What is blepharoplasty AKA eyelid surgery?

Eyelid surgery is one of the ways that Dr. Purewal can eliminate under eye bags. Dr. Purewal is a surgical expert in eyelid surgery and this is the focus of her practice.

When excess fat is the reason for puffiness beneath the eyes, a blepharoplasty can be performed to remove this fat. Dr. Purewal can also tighten any lower eyelid skin that sags during the same treatment.

What’s the difference between a lower blepharoplasty, upper blepharoplasty or upper and lower lid or full blepharoplasty? 

At Fresh Face + Eye, Dr. Purewal can perform lower eyelid surgery, upper eyelid surgery or an upper and lower lid blepharoplasty full blepharoplasty to address issues related to both the upper and the lower eyelids.

An upper and lower lid blepharoplasty full blepharoplasty can address:

• Bags beneath the eyes.
• Excess upper and/or lower eyelid skin.
• Puffy-looking or baggy upper eyelids.
• Excess upper eyelid skin that is interfering with an individual’s vision (i.e., ptosis).
• Lower eyelids that droop, exposing the white portion of the eye beneath the iris.

What’s involved in a lower blepharoplasty procedure? 

While performing lower eyelid surgery, Dr. Purewal has two incision options: If she is removing excess fat, she creates an incision inside the lower eyelid aka transconjunctival blepharoplasty, if she is not removing fat, she creates the incision on the outside of the lower eyelid, just below the eyelashes. .

Once Dr. Purewal removes the excess fat and/or the extra skin, she closes the incision using tiny stitches. Since she specializes in performing cosmetic eyelid surgery, her skill, experience and artistic vision allow her to provide all her patients with the beautiful, natural-looking results they desire.

How should I prepare for my initial consultation at Fresh Face + Eye? 

Once you’ve scheduled your initial consultation, preparing a list of questions to ask can ensure you get the most out of your consultation.

Here are some of the most common questions our patients ask us:

1. What do you think is causing my symptoms?
2. What Is this eye condition temporary? If not, what treatment approach would you recommend for me?
3. How much will the recommended treatment or under eye bag surgery cost?
4. Will I need follow-up appointments or additional treatments? If so, what are they and what can I expect?
5. What can I expect in relation to results?
6. Is there anything I can do at home to reduce my under-eye puffiness?
7. Will my health insurance cover this type of treatment?

At Fresh Face + Eye, we encourage you to ask any and all questions. We’re always more than happy to answer them all. We believe knowledge is true beauty.

Questions that Dr. Purewal will most likely ask you during your initial consultation:

1. How long have you had bags under your eyes?
2. Do these bags develop occasionally or are they always present?
3. Have you found anything that decreases the visibility of the bags under your eyes?
4. Is there anything that seems to worsen the bags under your eyes?

What are non-surgical procedures to address eye bags in New Jersey? 

Non-surgical procedures available at Fresh Face + Eye include microneedling with PRF, chemical peels, fillers and laser resurfacing treatments.

Resurfacing procedures and microneedling chemical peels are designed to tighten and tone the skin making them great options for rejuvenating the area beneath the eyes and reducing the visibility of eye bags.

Collagen production in the treated areas also increases, which can help thicken the thin skin beneath the eye that allows blood vessels to make the skin in that area appear darker than the rest of the skin on the face.

What are the cosmetic and plastic surgery for under eye bags treatment options to address eye bags in New Jersey available at Fresh Face + Eye? 

While there are some effective at-home treatments that temporarily reduce the visibility of puffy eyes, Oculoplastics and Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon Dr. Baljeet K. Purewal addresses eye bags with non-surgical and surgical procedures.

By performing these innovative procedures, Dr. Purewal can reduce the frequency of, or eliminate the cause of, eye bags.

What’s the difference between shadows beneath the eyes and dark circles?

No, dark circles and shadows under the eyes are not the same thing. After a long sleepless night, you’ve likely seen dark circles underneath your eyes. However, this is more likely to be a shadow cast by puffy eyelids. If you have persistent dark circles beneath your eyes, hollows (aka dark circles) are the most likely culprit.

Unfortunately, the development of dark circles is a natural part of the aging process. And we can help with this!

What causes hollowing?

While some people develop puffy bags under the eyes, others experience a hollowing. This is due to a loss of fat in that area of the face. A loss of elasticity, weakened tissues that sag, and thin skin can also frequently result in a darkening beneath the lower eyelid. This darkening occurs because as the skin thins it becomes more transparent, allowing some of the blood vessels that lie beneath to become slightly visible.

This darker-looking skin can be present even if an individual does not have hollowing or puffiness beneath the eyes.

What else do I need to know about dark under eye circles?

• They are usually genetic.
• Anyone can develop dark circles under the eyes however, due to fat loss and slowed collagen production, resulting in thinner skin beneath the eyes., seniors are far more likely to have this facial characteristic.
• Spending time in the sun can lead to the development of dark circles under the eyes for those who produce additional melanin, which is the pigment responsible for giving skin its darker color when it is exposed to UV light for any length of time.
• Allergies and hay fever can cause dark circles to develop beneath the eyes.
• People who have darker skin tones are more likely to develop circles beneath their eyes. However, these circles are not related to the blood vessels beneath thinned skin but instead result from hyperpigmentation. Darker skin tones have more melanin than lighter skin tones do which increases the likelihood of an individual developing hyperpigmentation around the eye area.

Do you offer personalized treatments at Fresh Face + Eye?

As well as being an Oculoplastics and Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon and Expert Injector, Dr. Purewal also specializes in cosmetic eyelid surgery and non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques.

As a dedicated, caring plastic surgeon Dr. Purewal uses her more than 10 years of experience to determine which eye bag treatment will provide you with the results you’re after. Once she has determined which procedure or treatment is best for you, she takes the time to create a custom-designed treatment and/or surgical plan.

Dr. Purewal uses some of the most innovative wrinkle treatments and surgical procedures available to improve the appearance of, or to eliminate, under eye bags and puffiness.

Why should I choose Fresh Face + Eye?

Dr. Purewal has been serving the Northern New Jersey area for over 10 years and as an award-winning female eyelid surgeon has earned a reputation for precision and excellence.

By choosing Dr. Purewal to perform your cosmetic, reconstructive and plastic surgery procedures, you can be confident you’ll be receiving treatment from an experienced oculoplastics and reconstructive plastic surgeon and expert injector specializing in cosmetic eyelid surgery and non-surgical facial rejuvenation treatments.

Dr. Baljeet K. Purewal’s commitment to patient safety, excellent non-surgical cosmetic procedure techniques and exceptional surgical skills have placed her as one of Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors, and New Beauty Top Beauty Doctor for the past several years in a row.

What can Dr Purewal do about cholesterol deposits?

Cholesterol deposits are another cosmetic eye issue that can be addressed with under eye bag surgery and non-surgical treatments offered at Fresh Face + Eye.

Cholesterol deposits are soft, flat, yellow lumps that form in areas surrounding the eye. These deposits can accumulate on the lower lid and/or the upper lid. These deposits frequently accumulate near the inner corner of the eye. Sometimes these deposits will accumulate symmetrically around both eyes.

As time passes, cholesterol may continue to accumulate in these areas, which results in the lumps becoming larger and more noticeable.

When should I seek medical care for my eye bags?

If inflammation progresses to severe swelling or the area around the eye is painful, red or itching, we recommend seeking medical care from an experienced ophthalmologist.

An ophthalmologist will be able to determine the reason for the symptoms and treat the issue accordingly. Some of the medical issues that can cause these symptoms include allergies, infection or thyroid disease. When seeking treatment to address these symptoms, your insurance company should be contacted because these services will most likely be covered.

Does health insurance cover eye bag treatment?

Although how your eyes look can be something you think about, the condition is physically relatively harmless so addressing eye bags for cosmetic reasons is not considered a medical necessity.

As a result, health insurance does not cover procedures to eliminate or improve the appearance of under eye bag surgery

How much does this treatment cost?

As with under eye bag surgery cost and laser eye bag surgery cost, eye bag surgery cost can vary. During your initial consultation, Dr. Purewal can give you an accurate indication of how much your treatment will cost. Each individual patient is different and Dr. Purewal’s recommendations are tailored towards your specific goals.

Ready for a fresh approach to beauty? To schedule an appointment or learn more about our eye bag treatments at Fresh Face + Eye please call (973) 635-4000 or use the online form by clicking here. Virtual consultations are also available.