Do you have tear troughs? No matter how moist and plump the face is, when tear troughs appear, the eyes and face will look tired and haggard. Many people have the misconception that love bands and dark circles are tear troughs. We will teach you how to distinguish between love bands, dark circles and tear troughs, as well as the reasons for the formation of tear troughs, so that we can treat the problem using appropriate methods such as massage and various medical aesthetics solutions.
What is a tear trough?
Tear troughs are a common problem around the eyes and can be broadly categorized into three types: Tear trough without bulging orbital fat or excess of the lower eyelid skin, Tear trough with mild to moderate orbital fat bulging, without excess of the lower eyelid skin, and Tear trough with severe orbital fat bulging and excess of the lower eyelid skin. Tear trough is a groove that sits close to the nose between the lower eyelid and cheek, sometimes it extends to the cheeks and deepens the shadows of dark circles and eyebags, which can be difficult to be solved by skincare products and eye creams.
What causes tear troughs?
The skin around the eyes is very fragile, and some unconscious daily habits can cause tear troughs to appear. Pay attention to the following four points to prevent tear troughs from appearing or becoming more serious:
Eyes rubbing
When your eyes are tired or itchy, you may rub your eyes unconsciously. However, rubbing your eyes can cause the skin around your eyes to become more loose due to the excessive stretching of the skin, and the wrinkles and fine lines will deepen and make the tear troughs more noticeable.
Staying up late
Lack of sleep will worsen blood circulation, which will not only cause edema, but will also cause the skin to age faster and make the tear trough area more sunken.
Excessive eye use
Excessive eye use not only makes the eyes tired and blood circulation poor, but also causes the skin around the eyes to become loose gradually.
Loss of collagen
As we age, the collagen around the eyes becomes loose and less elastic, making the tear trough deeper.
Genetic Tear Troughs
Tear troughs can be genetic and run in families. These are a combination of deficient fat and saggy muscles beneath the eye.
All of the above reasons will increase the chance of tear troughs appearing, and may even lead to the formation of eye bags, dark circles and fine lines around the eyes.
How to tell the difference between tear troughs, love bands and dark circles?
Tear troughs are sunken and usually extend to the face along the lower part of the eye bags, so if you have bags under your eyes, it is very likely that you will have tear troughs at the same time, which will make your dark circles and bags under your eyes more prominent.
Love bands, also known as the lower orbicularis oculi muscle, is a muscle located below the eyes and it is slightly raised with a thickness of about 3-6mm. It is usually particularly noticeable when you smile, so it is also known as “peach blossom eyes” from a physiognomic point of view.
Dark circles are mostly brownish-gray, greenish or dark red. The colour of the blood vessels under the eyes shows through when the skin is thin around the eyes. Other than the lack of sleep, which will lead to poor blood circulation, allergic shiners occur when congestion in your sinuses leads to congestion in the small veins under your eyes. The blood pools under your eyes and these swollen veins dilate and darken, creating dark circles and puffiness. Make-up residue may also form dark circles.
How to treat tear troughs? 4 ways to lighten tear troughs
Method 1: Massage
Massage the tear troughs to help reduce edema and enhance blood circulation around the eyes.
Tear trough massage: Use your index finger to press the corner of the eye, then press down on the nose, and then use your index finger to slide along the bridge of the nose through the tear troughs, the cheeks, and finally to the temples, to help eliminate edema.
Acupressure point massage: Use your index finger to massage along the eyebrows, there are two acupressure points on the brows, the “Yuyao Point and Sizhukong Point”, which can help relax, improve blood circulation in the eyes, and relieve headaches.
Method 2: Exilis Ultra 360 Skin Tightening Treatment
Exilis Ultra 360 can solve the problem of sagging skin and wrinkles around the eyes, replenish collagen and anti-aging. It is FDA and CE certified and the only FDA-approved ultrasound fused with monopolar radio frequency, causing collagen supporting tissues to remodel, stimulating and strengthening the collagen network to improve skin laxity and texture. RF and Ultrasound energy simultaneous emitted can increase cell permeability and remodel collagen and elastin structures efficiently. RF waves heat and can strengthen blood flow, allowing monopolar radio frequency to reach the bottom of the skin. The monopolar radio frequency can penetrate and evenly distributed into the skin around the eyes. It is non-invasive and effectively promotes the regeneration and reorganization of collagen and elastin, thus reducing tear troughs and under-eye circles.
Method 3: Injections
The second medical aesthetics option for minimizing the tear trough is injection. By injecting hyaluronic acid or collagen boosters into the tear troughs, the sunken skin around the eyes can regain support, thus improving the appearance of the sunken tear troughs.
Hyaluronic Acid Fillers (Teosyal Redensity 2, Restylane Refyne, Belotero soft, Juvederm Volite)
Hyaluronic acid fillers are used to smooth out the tear troughs. Hyaluronic acid is an inherent substance in the human body, which is responsible for storing moisture in the skin and supporting the skin’s structure. However, due to aging and living habits, hyaluronic acid in the skin is lost gradually, resulting in the appearance of the tear troughs. Common brands of hyaluronic acid fillers: Teosyal 2, Restylane, Belotero, Juvederm and Ellanse.
Collagen Booster (Derma Veil , Juvelook)
Collagen boosters stimulate collagen regeneration and Improve fine lines, facial contours, skin elasticity in order to provide a lifting effect to the face. Collagen exists throughout the body, such as in the skin, hair, nails and bones. Collagen booster can provide support to the dermis layer and improve hydration of the tear trough, improving the condition of the tear trough.
Common collagen booster brands: Derma Veil, Juvelook , Sculptra and AestheFill.
Method Four: Surgery
Surgery is the third medical aesthetics option that can be used to solve the tear trough problem. Seoul Aesthetic’s fat reposition surgery will make a tiny incision in the conjunctiva of the eye to reposition or remove the fat underneath the eye to fill in the tear trough and support the skin. This will smoothen wrinkles, resolve sagging, creating a lifted appearance under the eyes for a more youthful look.
