Are there any risks with tear trough filler treatment?

This is an excellent question and one that comes up quite often. The effects of aging are frequently seen around the eyes, particularly with the formation of "bags" and wrinkles under the eyes and "crows feet" seen near the corners of the eyes. All injectable products carry some risk, and injection of filler into the tear troughs is no exception. Less serious (and generally temporary) side effects include soreness, bruising, swelling or skin reactions. As with filler injected into other parts of the face, there is potential for intravascular injection, where the products is inadvertently injected into the blood vessels around the eyes. In this region, this could cause temporary or permanent vision issues including blindness. The best way to minimize risk of a complication is to make sure your provider has training and experience injecting this region.

Fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm are approved by the FDA and have a long history of safety and efficacy. When treating the undereyes, I prefer to use Restylane and I inject the filler using a blunt tip microcannula to minimize bruising, swelling and risk of vascular occlusion. In experienced hands this is a commonly performed procedure with a good safety record. The important thing is too see someone who is experienced with this treatment and does a lot of them every day.