Can my under eye bag be fixed with CO2 laser treatment? (Photo)

Under eye bags are normally caused by issues under the surface of the skin. The usual cause of under eye bags is protruding fat under the skin. A CO2 laser treatment can help with issues on the surface of the skin but will not improve issues under the skin. So, a CO2 laser treatment would not help with under eye bags due to protruding fat. A CO2 laser treatment can help with excess skin or wrinkles under the eyes though.

I would not perform CO2 laser resurfacing on skin of a high Fitzpatrick level for risk of pigment issues after the procedure.

Fractional CO2 laser is an excellent tool for skin rejuvenation in our center in Santa Monica. We use the fractional multi-depth ablative approach to help resurface the skin, recontour acne scars, improve incisional plastic surgery scars, and reduce surface irregularities from skin tone to dark pigmentation. Our approach utilizes a multi-depth approach that targets melanocytes in the epidermis and collagen fibroblasts in the dermis. This approach can be combined with a TCA Peel in a process known as a sapphire peel. Fractional laser is excellent for acne scars and contour scars in the skin. Patients are advised to undergo skin protocols with Melarase creams before and after treatment to help reduce pigmentation. Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads can seriously improve surface sun damage and UV related pigmentation. After the laser, we expect redness for a few weeks as the skin improves. PRP and Hydrafacial enzyme facials can further improve skin quality after fractional co2.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Thank you for your question. I often use a CO2 laser to refresh the area under the eyes. This is a very effective method of skin rejuvenation - for the right concerns. In your case, I'm not sure laser resurfacing would produce the desired result. I recommend scheduling a consultation with an experienced, board-certified dermatologist for further assessment and treatment recommendations.

lower eyelid surgery is needed for you to be honest, but fillers and peels can be done for improvement.

at home peels like cosmelan, enlighten and aerify along with dermarolling (emerageskin roller with anteage MD ampules) should be started now.  elighten would do great for you and we can do that virtually.

There are many things you can do to treat under eye hollows and dark circles. A surgical option to remove skin and/or fat will such as lower eyelid blepharoplasty with or without fat pad repositioning will be the best long term. There are many things you can do to treat under eye hollows and dark circles without surgery. Non invasive less downtime options such as fillers, lasers, microneedling/PRP, cosmelan peels, and microneedling RF like Fractora or morpheus can all help give some improvement. Accutite can often be used or stronger lasers like erbium or co2 spot treatment can tighten the skin and give very quick improvement in wrinkles and texture. I suggest you get a formal consultation to see what is best for you and your goals. Best, Dr. Emer.