Recently developed prominent bag under one eye - filler, or is blepharoplasty the only way? (Photo)

If you truly have a prominent fat pad of your lower eyelid (difficult to tell from the photo), then the only solution is a lower blepharoplasty. Filler will not solve your problem and only look worse. However, it appears that you have both a fat pad (volume excess) and a tear trough (volume loss). In this case, I recommend lower blepharoplasty first, then 6 weeks or more later after the swelling has resolved, filler to the tear trough.

This is a common question. Upper eyelid hooding can be corrected with blepharoplasty or cosmetic eyelid surgery. It is one of the first cosmetic surgeries people usually get. While the average age might be 30 to 50's, some patients get this done in their 20s. It really depends on your unique anatomy as well as what exactly is bothering you.

Botox injections as well as laser treatments can also be a tremendous benefit if you are not interested in surgery. Of course, there are also many combinations.

The recovery & downtime is very minimal. There are usually no drains, most people can go out the same day, you can shower the next day and most patients take no pain medicine. There are never any guarantees of course with any procedure whether it is surgical or nonsurgical in nature.

I would recommend that you see a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area that is a member of both ASPS & ASAPS and performs a lot of eyelid lifts but also offers all the nonsurgical options such as injectables and laser treatments. Go over your concerns with them and make sure above all, you walk out of there with several options and an idea of the pros and cons to each of them as well as realistic expectations.

I hope this helps answer your question. If it does, please take a moment to up vote this answer on the “respond” button on the top right.

Correction of lower eyelid concerns can be achieved through surgical and non-surgical treatments. Options are dependent on the anatomy of the individual, as some patients will not benefit from non-surgical treatments despite trial with dermal fillers. We recommend an in office evaluation where you and your provider can determine the treatment option best for you.