What are some treatment options for dark circles under the eyes?

There are several possible causes for dark circles under the eyes. One possible cause is pigmentation to the skin. Some treatment options for skin pigmentation include bleaching creams, chemical peels such as the VI Peel, our Isolaz laser system, broadband light (BBL) by Sciton, and fractionated lasers. Another possible cause for dark circles under the eyes is prominent blood vessels underneath the skin. One of the more common causes for dark circles under the eyes is fullness beneath the eyes that cause a shadow; it is this shadow that gives the appearance of dark circles under the eyes. Often, people with fullness of the lower eyelids also have a hollowness between the lower eyelids and cheek. This hollowness appears as a dark circle. There are several treatment options for this situation. One non-surgical option is injeciton of a filler, such as Juvederm, into the area of hollowness to provide a smoother contour between the lower eyelid and cheek. One surgical option is eyelid surgery (lower lid blepharoplasty) to remove some of the fat pad that causes fullness of the lower eyelid; at the same time, I may place some of that excess fat into the areas of hollowness to provide a more youthful appearance to the lower eyelids (this technique is referred to as fat transposition).