Will getting cheek implants also fix my undereye darkening?

Question

I’m 29 & I’ve noticed minor hollowing. I would like to address my dark under eye circles & am also interested in augmenting my cheeks. Will I need fillers for under the eyes & then cheek augmentation or will one procedure address both?

Randy Wong, MD · Answer

Under eye darkening may be caused by pigmentation, shadows (varies with lighting angles), or prominent blood vessels under thin skin.  The treatments for these are individualized to suit each patient differently.  Cheek implants and fillers may improve surface contours, but may not change pigmentation or blood vessel visibility.  Seek evaluation by several qualified physicians to know all the pros and cons of any procedure before committing.

Sabrina Fabi, MD · Answer

If you’re considering cheek implants and also want to improve your eye area, I’d suggest starting with a nonsurgical cheek augmentation with Voluma or Sculptra. Building up your cheeks might be just the lift you need to also address your under-eye area. Nonsurgical augmentation is a great way to try out a new look for a year or two without committing long-term. It’s easier to let the filler dissolve than to remove an implant, should you change your mind. If the lift from your cheeks isn’t enough to resolve your undereye darkening then I’d recommend a thin filler such as Belotero in that area. Consulting a board-certified dermatologist will help you make the right and most rejuvenating choice.

Jed H. Horowitz, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello beautyphileCheek implants are used to increase the projection of the cheekbones. They increase the fullness of areas of the cheek that may be receded or flat. Cheek implants add body and contour to cheeks that lack definition.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

No, this is unlikely to improve your under eye darkening. A combination approach will give the most improvement. Fillers, lasers, and microneedling/PRP can improve under the eyes. My patients try to get non surgical treatments to avoid surgery. We use PRP and stem cells there often. I suggest consulting with an expert to develop a treatment plan best suited for your short and long term goals. Best, Dr. Emer

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

No, this is unlikely to help your under eye hollows. Under eye circles can be permanently corrected with surgery or temporarily camouflaged with fillers (Restylane, Belotero, Volbella).There are great non-surgical options to fill in under eye depressions and hollowness. Using dermal fillers, a liquid eye-lift can be performed. A dermal filler such as Restylane would be placed in the cheek and tear trough to hide the depression or bag underneath your eye. 
Surgery would require a fat-repositioning lower lid blepharoplasty. In this surgical procedure, fat from the eye area is moved into the tear trough depression filling the actual depression. 
I hope this helps!

William Portuese, MD · Answer

No, cheek implants will not fix under eye darkening.  Cheek implants are designed to augment the midface on a permanent basis.  Fillers offer a temporary augmentation of the midface.  Cheek implants are manufactured in a large variety of sizes, thicknesses, and shapes which is best determined at the time of the consultation on examination.  For more information and many before and after examples of cheek implants, please see the link and the video below

Anurag Agarwal, MD · Answer

Without photos and an in person consult, it’s difficult to address your specific issue.  But in general, cheek implants augment the cheeks and fillers (I.e. fat, HA filler, etc...) are needed for under eye hollowing.Cheek implants alone could possibly even exacerbate under eye hollowing in some cases

Amiya Prasad, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Thank you for your question. You are asking if cheek implants will also help darkness under the eyes, or if you will have to get cheek augmentation and under eye fillers separately.
I can help you with some guidance on this, in the absence of a picture or a physical exam. I’ve been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years, and I perform cheek implant surgery, often at the same time as a facelift, surgical fat transfers to the cheeks, as well as perform non-surgical cheek augmentation with fillers, using a special technique called Structural Volumizing.
Treating the cheeks and the under eye area, also called the tear troughs, does require separate treatment. Cheek implants, which can be two separate implants for each each cheek called submalar and malar implants, do not reach up until the tear trough. Lower eyelid skin is much thinner at 0.5mm thick, than the skin in the cheeks, and have a lot of movement, so filler used in the cheeks is much thicker than a filler that would be used in the tear trough. 
If lower eyelid skin is so thin that it is revealing the anatomy underneath, then a filler can help as a barrier between the underlying anatomy and skin. However, if the darkness under the eyes is caused by pigmentation, discoloration of the skin, poor skin quality, or circulation issues such as iron deposits and pooled blood, than a different treatment is used to improve eyelid skin such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), laser treatment, or a radiofrequency treatment.
There are different ways to treat cheek volume and dark under eyes, but since these are two separate issues, and in areas with different anatomical structure, they do need to be treated separately. I hope you found this information helpful. Thank you for your question.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD (retired) · Answer

Hi, I have performed many facial shaping procedures using dermal fillers, silastic facial implants (cheek implants, chin implants and/or lip implants), liposuction and/or facelifts for over 30 years.  Non smiling, resting photos your face from the front and side would help in the evaluation.  
 Following my beauty principles, women look the most feminine, youthful and attractive with heart shaped faces.  Heart shaped faces have cheeks that are full and round in the front.  Cheeks that are flat or concave in the front can be augmentation with precise placement of a dermal filler or by using silastic cheek implants (for a permanent enhancement) to create full, round cheeks that will feminize the entire face.  The cheek implants must be the correct aesthetic size, shape and properly placed to achieve the desired naturally, beautiful results.  If your dark circles still exist following cheek implant placement, these can be softened further with dermal fillers. 
There are many faces that have excess fat over the cheek area which hides the "true" shape of the cheeks below.  In addition to obstructing the cheek shape, this excess fat will sag prematurely as it is pulled by gravity at an accelerated rate versus a face without excess fat in the mid face.  Removal of the excess fat, with liposuction, is key when properly shaping the cheeks with cheek implants.  I have used this in combination with cheek implant surgery for 30 years.  In my experience these procedures when combined in a face with excess fat in the mid face are extremely safe, effective and reliable in the aesthetic results they produce.
Hope this helps.

Will getting cheek implants also fix my undereye darkening?

Answers (9)

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