How to Help With Under Eye Bags After Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are a fantastic treatment to clear up any wrinkles, sagging, and other blemishes in the face while providing a naturally youthful look for a year. When it's done for the tear through or the area under the eye, it can get rid of dark circles, eye bags, and sunken eyes. However, if you have under-eye bags or puffy eye bags after a dermal filler treatment, it may be due to a lackluster injection.

So what can help with under-eye bags following dermal fillers? Under-eye bags can be confused with swelling and it should only last for 2 weeks. It can be solved with rest, compression with an ice pack, and hydration. If it still persists weeks after the dermal filler treatment, it may be due to too much filler being used, improper injection technique or the wrong eye filler being used. In this case, consult with a medical aesthetics professional.

Why You Have Puffy Eye Bags After Dermal Fillers

Puffy eye bags can be a potential side effect or result of a mistake-riddled treatment. They can be found after a dermal filler injection in the tear troughs or the eye area between the cheek and the eyelid. If it is a side effect, it's a symptom of inflammation in the form of swelling, from the needle used in the filler injection.

When the needle passes through the skin, it may injure one of the many small blood vessels in the face. Though an expert injector knows where exactly to inject, the needle will inevitably pass through a vessel, The injected area will swell up as a side effect of healing the vessel. Ths swelling and/or puffiness can pass with time and aftercare steps.

Meanwhile, if it's due to the mishandling of the injection, it can happen for a list of reasons. The first reason can be due to injecting the wrong area. Since the eye area is thin, the dermal filler needs to be injected deep into the skin to provide a subtle yet noticeable volume in it.

Another possible reason could be that too much filler was injected into the under-eye area. It usually takes about 1ml of filler to fully treat the tear through eye bags, dark circles, eyelid bags, and any other sagging and wrinkling. Any more eye filler that may be needed will result in the filler weighing the eye bags down, causing puffiness or extended swelling.

In rare cases, there may be a bluish discoloration of the skin along with puffiness and swelling. This is called the Tyndall effect and is caused for the same reasons as puffy eye bags from improper treatment. This will last as long as the filler lasts but has no additional side effects outside of the discoloration.

Best Ways to Ease Under Eye Bags After Dermal Filler Injection

More often than not, puffy eye bags after the eye filler treatment are expected because it's a noted side effect. It is very treatable with the proper steps that can be done directly after the treatment. Consult a dermatologist if eye bags persist after 2 weeks even with the use of aftercare steps.

1. Avoid Salt Intake

Symptoms of inflammation like redness, swelling, and puffiness can be eased with constant fluid intake in the form of water and electrolytes. However, additional consumption of salt and processed food outside of the recommended daily intake may slow down the rate of recovery of the body. A balanced diet with essential vitamins and water intake will help the injected area heal faster and more comfortably.

2. Apply Cold Compress

If the under-eye bags are accompanied by pain or discomfort, applying an ice pack or a cold compress can help alleviate it. Use it for 15 minutes 3 to 4 times a day to constrict the blood vessels and slow the blood flow to prevent any more swelling and puffiness to grow.

3. Elevate Head When Sleeping

Outside of letting the body and mind rest, the next effective way to maximize the body’s natural healing processes is to simply rest on your back with your head in an elevated position. This is to help increase the blood flow in the eye bags.

Duration of Puffy Eye Bags and Other Side Effects

Generally, side effects from the dermal filler treatment last for up to two weeks as a result of the facial filler injections. Usually, they last for a few days once proper steps have been taken to treat them. Other side effects to take note of are:

• Redness
• A red dot at the injection site
• Pain
• Discomfort
• Bruising

However, if the symptoms include discomfort in other areas that have been injected with dermal filler, uneven results, and too much-added volume in the eye area, it may be the result of overfilling—the use of too much dermal filler. It can take up to more than a year for the body to fully break down all the added filler. It can take surgery to completely remove the filler from the treatment area.

How to Get Rid of Problematic Under Eye Filler

Once injected, it is difficult to safely and fully remove the filler from under the eye. Most of the methods require careful surgery to be done. Fortunately, there is a non-surgical option that is unique to dermal fillers.

Most dermal fillers are made of hyaluronic acid—a compound in the skin that helps in its hydration. This is broken down by the body through an enzyme named hyaluronidase to use its components for collagen production and to hydrate the skin. This can be introduced in the injected eye area through an injection, similar to the dermal filler injection. Within 48 hours, any puffiness, swelling, and added volume will be instantly reduced.

Outside of surgery and the hyaluronidase injection, you can slowly and safely massage the injected eye area to help any puffiness and swelling that may have grown. It can be done as an aftercare step for swelling. Consult with your dermatologist for the proper massage technique and when to do it as it is appropriate for your condition.

Pre-treatment Steps for Under Eye Filler Treatment

Whether it's to prevent under-eye bags as a side effect or incidental condition, taking prevention steps can safeguard your body from any complications and increase the overall efficacy of the treatment. This should especially be done if you have sensitive skin under the eye bags or are vulnerable to inflammation.

1. Don’t Use Blood Thinners

One of the most common cautionary pieces of advice that dermatologists give is to avoid anything that thins the blood 2 weeks before the treatment. These include garlic, aspirin, vitamin E, ginger, and other medications that have similar effects. While they have benefits for blood circulation, they increase the chances and duration of bruising, swelling, and puffiness after the filler injection. Consult your dermatologist if you need to take them for medication.

2. Don’t Consume Alcohol

Alcohol has a similar effect on the blood vessels. It also has the added detriment of dehydrating the skin, causing any puffiness and swelling from the eye area to be more pronounced. If any inflammation happens to occur in the eye area, alcohol will only slow down its recovery time. Avoid any alcoholic drinks 3 days or a week before the treatment and 2 weeks afterward.

3. Avoid Exposure to Heat

It's best to keep the face well-hydrated before the dermal filler injections so that the face can better accept the injected eye filler. Any heat exposure through sunlight, exercise, tanning, or the sauna might affect the volume and smoothness in the injected area. Keep your schedule free on the day of the treatment and the two weeks afterward to allow the eye filler to adjust in the injected area.

Reliable Under Eye Dermal Filler Treatment at Dr. Lanna Aesthetics

Persistent under-eye bags, puffy eye bags, and other signs of a suboptimal tear through treatment can be difficult to fully resolve as it is not simple to reverse the effects of dermal filler injection. To get the natural and supple tear through with the full effects of the eye filler, seek out an expert injector that is fully knowledgeable about the procedure.

At Dr. Lanna Aesthetics, dermal filler injections are our bread and butter. We have the know-how, the best medical equipment available, and the technique to navigate the under eyes for an effective and personalized treatment. Book an appointment with us today.