Surgical and Non-Surgical Treatments to Reduce the Appearance of Tired-Looking Eyes
Genetics, ageing, sun damage, dehydration, and more can all cause bags under your eyes, puffy eyelids, and dark circles under your eyes. Those can give the impression that you’re exhausted or haven’t slept well even though you feel well-rested. There are several natural remedies that you can try at home that may help you reduce puffiness and make your eyes look less tired. You can also consult a plastic surgeon about your surgical and non-surgical options for tired-looking eyes.
Dr Michael Kernohan is a specialist plastic surgeon in Sydney, Australia offering a range of surgical and non-surgical facial treatments.
Take the Quiz
What Causes Tired-Looking Eyes?
Puffy eyelids, under-eye bags, and dark circles under the eyes are the tell-tale signs of tired eyes.
You can immediately tell if someone’s been crying, exhausted, or up all night by looking at their eyes. However, lack of sleep and fatigue aren’t the only reasons why your eyes may look weary.
There are several reasons for sleepy and tired eyes that have nothing to do with sleep.
1. Genetics
Some people have a genetic predisposition to fat build-up in their eyelids. The excess fat can cause bags under the eyes, which make the eyes look puffy and exhausted.
Others are born with excess skin around the upper eyelids that make the eyes look hooded.
Moreover, medical studies have shown that dark circles under the eyes may also run in the family.
Another reason why your eyes may look tired is a tear trough deformity. Tear trough deformity is a deep indentation between the eye and the nose that creates the illusion that the eyes are sunken and hollow. Some people are born with deep tear troughs, while others develop them as they grow older.
2. Ageing
The skin around your eyes is some of the thinnest on your body. As you age, your skin stretches and loses elasticity through the reduction of collagen and elastin. The muscles supporting your eyelids also begin to thin and weaken.
This can cause the appearance of heavy, loose skin around the eyelids, which can make the eyes appear tired.
Dark circles can also appear under your eyes as you grow older. With age, your skin stretches and thins out, and the blood vessels under it become more visible. Which creates a darker under-eye appearance.
In some cases, dark circles under the eyes are caused by loss of volume. This happens as the fat pads in the lower eyelid shift downward with age. The volume loss creates a shadow that makes the under eyes appear darker than they actually are.
3. Sun damage
Too much sun exposure triggers your body to excessively produce melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its colour. Which can result in hyperpigmentation (dark skin patches) under the eyes.
4. Dehydration
It’s widely known that staying hydrated is the key to healthier skin. The skin around your eyes can start to look dull if you don’t drink enough water.
5. Water retention
Salty foods, some medications, and certain diseases can lead to water retention, which causes swelling and puffiness in different body parts, including the eyes.
6. Allergies
Allergies can cause your body to release chemicals called histamines. These chemicals can cause your eyes to swell up and look puffy.
7. Smoking
Cigarettes and other tobacco products damage your skin and speed up the ageing process.
8. Underlying medical conditions
Various medical conditions can cause heavy eyelids or bags under the eyes. These include renal disease, thyroid eye disease, diabetes, Myasthenia Gravis, and eye infections.
Although tired-looking eyes aren’t typically a cause for concern, they can give the impression that you constantly feel tired.
Download Dr Michael Kernohan’s Blepharoplasty Guide
How Do I Make My Eyes Look Less Tired?
Home remedies for tired eyes
There are several things you can do at home to make your eyes less puffy naturally. Home remedies for tired-looking eyes can include:
- Tea bags: Teas have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. They also contain caffeine, which increases blood circulation. Some herbal teas, such as chamomile, also contain essential oils that can soothe the skin and reduce inflammation. Steep tea bags in hot water, then let them cool down in the refrigerator. Apply the cold tea bags to your eyelids for several minutes. That can help make your eyes look less puffy and heavy.
- Cucumber slices over your eyes: Cucumbers have anti-inflammatory properties and can help you reduce swelling in your eyes. You can also chill the cucumbers in the fridge before using them. The cooling effect will tighten the skin around your eyes and help you look refreshed.
- Cold compresses: Apply iced water or cold spoons to your eyes to help decrease swelling and reduce the appearance of dark circles.
- Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water can keep your skin hydrated
- Avoid salty foods: Cut back on foods rich in table salt (a major source of sodium) to prevent water retention, which makes your eyes look swollen and weary.
- Quit smoking: People who quit smoking notice an improvement in their skin tone, elasticity, and quality.
These simple measurements can help you reduce tired eyes almost instantly. Nonetheless, their effects are limited and temporary.
If you can’t get rid of tired-looking eyes naturally, several medical treatments can offer you a more effective and permanent solution.
Non-surgical treatments for tired eyes
There are several non-surgical treatment options available to help alleviate the appearance of tired eyes, including;
· Eye creams
Several eye creams can help reduce dark circles, puffiness, and bags under the eyes. Topical under-eye serums, such as Melalumin, are effective in lightening dark circles under the eyes.
Studies also show that eye creams that contain Low Molecular Weight Heparan Sulfate Glycosaminoglycans (LMW‐HS) can effectively reduce eye puffiness and dark circles.
· Chemical peels
Chemical peels can be tailored to the sensitive skin around the eyes to address concerns such as dullness, fine lines, and dark circles. By gently exfoliating the outer layer of skin, these treatments work on skin texture and tone, helping refresh your appearance. Suitable for those seeking to reduce the signs of fatigue and increase brightness to the eye area, chemical peels offer a non-invasive approach.
· Laser therapy
Laser skin resurfacing therapy can help alter sun-damaged skin and reduce wrinkles and fine lines around the eyes.
· PRP injections
You can receive platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in your lower eyelid regions. These injections can strengthen the skin around your eyes.
· Under Eye Volumising treatments
Volumising Treatments for tired, sunken eyes focus on addressing volume loss in the under-eye area. These treatments target the tear trough region to reduce the appearance of hollows and shadowing often linked to fatigue or ageing, offering a refreshed appearance through a professional, tailored approach.
· Ultherapy
That is an ultrasound-based therapy. An Ultherapy treatment involves using focused ultrasound to lift and tighten skin on the neck, chin, and brow. The ultrasound energy stimulates the production of new collagen deep within the skin and can effectively treat skin laxity around the eyes.
Surgical treatment for tired eyes
Although non-surgical treatments may be effective in alleviating the appearance of a tired-looking face, they only give short-term results. Different cosmetic procedures can offer a more permanent way to reduce the appeance of tired-looking eyes.
Under eye fat transfer
Under-eye fat transfer is a cosmetic procedure that uses your body’s own fat to fill in sunken and hollow areas under your eyes.
Your surgeon can use liposuction to remove fat from a donor site, usually the stomach, thighs, or hips. The fat is purified and injected into the skin below your lower eyelids.
After this procedure, your eyes will appear less tired. It’s worth noting that, with time, your body will reabsorb some of the transferred fat, which causes a decrease in volume again.
Eyelid surgery or Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, is a cosmetic procedure that removes excess skin and fat from the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both. It’s one of the most effective way to correct tired eyes.
During an upper eyelid lift:
- First, your surgeon makes an incision along the natural crease of your upper eyelid
- Then, excess fat and/or skin are cut out, and the muscle controlling your upper eyelid is tightened
- Finally, the incision is closed using delicate sutures
During a lower eyelid surgery:
- First, your surgeon makes an incision just below your lower lash line
- Then, excess skin and/or fat are removed
- Finally, the incision is closed using atraumatic suturing techniques that reduce the appearance of the scar.
Brow lift surgery
A brow lift, also known as a forehead lift or upper facelift, is a cosmetic procedure that raises the skin and soft tissue of the forehead and brow.
You can get a forehead lift if you have low, descending brows weighing down on your upper eyelids, giving your eyes a sleepy or puffy appearance.
Depending on the extent of lift you need, your surgeon will make one of three incisions:
- One long incision along your hairline extending from ear to ear (coronal brow lift)
- Two shorter incisions along your hairline, one above each temple (limited-incision/temporal brow lift)
- Very small incisions behind the hairline (endoscopic brow lift)
A brow lift surgery lifts the eyebrows and modifies the forehead.
Dr Michael Kernohan will thoroughly examine your face and offer you the optimal surgical or non-surgical treatment for your tired-looking eyes.
FAQs about Surgical and Non-surgical Options for Tired Eyes
How long do under-eye volumising treatments last?
- Under-eye volumising treatments can help reduce the appearance of bags and dark circles under the eyes by increasing lost volume in that area. The results from your under-eye volumising treatment can last anywhere between 9 months to one year.
What causes dark circles under the eyes in adults?
- Dark circles under the eyes are usually caused by fatigue. However, in some cases, what looks like a dark circle can be a shadow cast by puffy lower eyelids or hollowness under the eyes.
Do I need surgery or volumising treatment to treat my under-eye bags?
- It depends on what’s causing your under-eye bags. When the skin of the lower eyelids stretches and accumulates fat behind it, this causes the appearance of under-eye bags. In this case, a lower lid blepharoplasty removes the excess skin and/or fat and may be your best option to get rid of the bags under your eyes.
- However, if you have a deep tear trough and volume loss in your face causing your under eyes to look sunken and dull, fat transfer may be required to increase the volume and fill the hollow areas.
- If the bags under your eyes aren’t very big, volumising treatments may be enough to help smooth the transition between your lower eyelid and your cheeks and make the bags under your eyes look less obvious.
What procedure helps tired eyes?
- Blepharoplasty is an effective cosmetic procedures that can make your eyes and entire face look less tired. This procedure can address your upper eyelid area, lower eyelid area, or both. It removes extra unwanted skin and fat around the eyes.
Further Reading
- Read Dr Kernohan’s blog on Blepharoplasty vs Forehead Lift
- Read Dr Kernohan’s blog on What are Heavy Eyelids?
- Read Dr Kernohan’s Blog about Eyelid Surgery in Your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s
