19 Years Old - Where Did These Eye Bags Come From?? and What Are my Options?

Question

Right around my 19th birthday, and strangely coinciding with the onset of my insomnia, I noticed what appeared to be the start of eye bags. I've been sleeping fine for over 4 months now, but they haven't gone away. My mom has something similar so I guess it's genetic, but 19 just feels so young to have eye bags. When I smile, I no longer have distinguishable lower eyelids; everything kind of just bunches up. It's really upsetting, and I feel like I look tired all the time. What are my options?

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

Your circles are not because you are not sleeping.  They are not because you have allergies.  They are not because you have excessive pigment in your skin.  They are related to lack of bone support at the top of the cheek.  This lack of support is related to the cheek soft tissue settling at the top of the cheek contributing to the lower eyelid hollow.  FIllers rather than surgery is best for addressing this issue.

	Regarding the insomnia, this is not normal for a 19 year old.  You should discuss this with your family doctor.  Insomnia can be associated with depression, a treatable medical condition.

Guy Massry, MD · Answer

Your eye bags are multifactorial related to genetics, anatomy and maybe environmental causes.  You are doing nothing wrong.  There are non-surgical options which you should discuss with family and then a qualified specialist in these treatments (fillers).  Best of luck

	 

	Dr. Massry

Laxmeesh Mike Nayak, MD · Answer

You have nothing but bad luck and genetics to blame. In your case, either transconjuctival blepharoplasty (permanent) or injectable filling of the tear trough (temporary and reversible) are excellent options.

Joseph A. Eviatar, MD, FACS · Answer

This really looks like hollowing under the eye and could be somewhat genetic. A lot of people are born with lack of support in the mid face which often can become worse at an early age and cause some dark circles. Fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane can be very helpful.

Philip Young, MD · Answer

Eye bags are based on some genetics but most people have some element of it. I wouldn't blame mother. Eye bags happen to almost everyone and it starts in the 20's. The cause is the volume loss under your eyelid fat. The eyelid fat doesn't get absorbed by the body and thus looks like it has grown. But it really is a loss of volume underneath it that accentuates it. Traditionally, people tended to remove the eyelid bags. This was not really treating the cause of what made them appear. The more natural way is to fill the volume loss. The options temporarily include fillers like restylane, perlane, juvederm. Long term options include fat injections, the young volumizer, implants in this area.  Because you haven't had anything done I would start with fillers before moving on to more longer lasting options.

	Thanks for reading, Dr Young

19 Years Old - Where Did These Eye Bags Come From?? and What Are my Options?

Answers (8)