Under-Eye Bags? Why You Should Opt for PRP Injections
Look refreshed even when you don’t get enough sleep.
by Jessica Cipriano, RN
Bags under your eyes? Loose or crepey under eye skin? Dark circles? Eyes look tired? Tear trough volume loss? These are incredibly common complaints as patients enter their 30s and 40s.
The delicate tissue of the under eyes is especially prone to age-related changes from sun exposure. While a great antioxidant serum, eye cream and sunscreen can help prevent those changes, aging is still a natural part of life. Thankfully, we have science on our side and are constantly learning more about what can be done to correct these unwanted changes.
If you have come in for a consultation, you have probably heard us discuss options in three categories… good, better, and best:
We have lots of “good” products that will offer some improvement.
We have “better” treatments that will elicit a significant improvement.
Our “best” anti-aging recommendations often consist of combination treatment plans in which multiple treatments and products are used to produce the “best” possible results. Let’s talk about one of the treatments that we offer that is included in all of our “best” treatment plans…PRP or Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections.
Patient who received a combination of PRP for Tear Troughs and our Morpehus8 Eye treatment.
PRP injections have been used in the world of professional sports and in orthopedic surgery for many years. Platelet-rich plasma is concentrated with our bodies’ own growth factors that initiate the healing process within our tissues and stimulate collagen production. Often referred to as regenerative medicine, these treatments have been studied to improve the quality and appearance of tissues, to restore volume, and reverse hair loss. Since PRP is derived from the patient’s own blood it is extremely safe and natural. There is no risk of allergic reaction which makes it a very safe treatment that can be used to treat various signs of aging.
A typical PRP injection session for the periorbital area (area around the eye) takes approximately 30 minutes from start to finish.
First, a small blood collection device is used to obtain a tube of the patient’s blood. That blood is spun down in a centrifuge to extract the “liquid gold” or PRP. The PRP is steriley transferred into a syringe with a very small needle. The tissue is numbed using topical numbing cream or ice. The PRP is then injected into the “crow’s feet” region lateral to the corner of the eye and into the under eye tissues at various depths depending on the targeted concern. In some cases, a cannula is used to minimize the risk of bruising and for patient comfort. Most patient’s rate the discomfort they experience as a 2 or 3 on a numerical scale where 0 indicates no discomfort and 10 indicates intense pain.
For best results, patients are encouraged to begin with a series of three PRP injection sessions spaced four weeks apart.
There is no “downtime” other than a few hours to days of swelling or possible bruising. Makeup may be applied after just 24 hours. Most patients do not experience swelling that concerns them beyond the first day. Full results will be notable about 12 weeks after each treatment. This is because it takes our bodies about that long to synthesize collagen and to repair the damaged skin under the eyes. A quick consultation is all that is necessary to determine you are a candidate for PRP injections. Maintenance is general annual in the form of a single PRP injection session and use of SPF and a medical grade eye cream.
The ability of platelet-rich plasma to stimulate collagen production, improve skin tone and texture, address signs of sun damage or hyperpigmentation, and repair aging skin makes it an amazing treatment for most patients.
An additional benefit of PRP is that is speeds the rate of healing after other procedure and may be applied topically after SkinPen or Morpheus8 treatments. In some under eye rejuvenation cases, a combination of PRP injections, volume replacement using a HA (hyaluronic acid) filler like Restylane-L, treatments aimed at addressing skin laxity or loose skin like Morpheus8, and topical skincare products like Eye Brightening Creme by ZO Skin Health or EyeMax by Skinbetter are used. The best way to determine if PRP alone is right for you is to schedule a consultation.