What Is a Non-Surgical Eye Lift?
By Caroline Lomboy | Published on August 9, 2010 | 0 Comments
Going under the knife isn’t a requirement when it comes to having minor adjustments made on the area around the eyes and eyelids, according to Dr. Caroline Lomboy at Lecada Medspa. The Tampa med spa is one the premier facilities in the region, and serves clients throughout the South Florida area. At Lecada Medpa, Lomboy has developed a way to do non-surgical eyelifts with nothing more than a combination of facial fillers.
As men and women age, the area around the eye—and specifically, underneath the eyes and in the area known as the “crow’s feet”—tends to become gaunt. This is due in part to fat loss and volume loss throughout the entire face, however Lomboy says that this loss in facial volume is just a natural part of life for many people. “A lot of times, they will have an unevenness,” she explains. “For instance, [the patient] may have less volume right underneath her eye or she might have a fat globule [under the other eye], and all we need to do is even things out.”
Although many women come into Lecada Medspa complaining about having “bags” under their eyes, Lomboy says that this term is a bit of a misnomer. “A lot of people think that they have bags, and really all that is going on is a hollowing of volume loss,” she explains. “It is not really bags.” While it may look like fat is pooling below the eye, what is really going on is that volume is being lost in the area around the “bag,” so that volume loss is what is causing the hollowing.
Rather than sitting back and doing nothing, Lomboy recommends that patients get proactive about taking care of their skin as they age. One of the best ways to add volume back to the eye area without going under the knife is to use injectable facial fillers. “So that is where we would lift that volume up,” Lomboy explains. “And as far as also raising the eyebrows goes, we can put a bit of filler in to give that gull wing look to the eyebrow, as well.”
Lomboy says that physicians refer to this area as the “Magic C,” for crow’s feet. However, women who visit a med spa in Tampa should be able to reduce the effects of aging and get rid of crow’s feet after just a few simple appointments—and more importantly, without going under the knife or going under any general anesthesia.
Although Botox injections are common for women of all ages, Lomboy says that Botox itself will oftentimes not get rid of all signs of crow’s feet. If a patient already had Botox injections but still wants to lessen the look of crow’s feet, then the next step is to put in a little bit of filler to stretch out the skin for volume.
For someone who has never had any fillers before, Lomboy will usually recommend going with a temporary filler for the eye work rather than a permanent option. “If you like the look, then we can move you up to a more permanent sort of filler,” she says.
Although both permanent and temporary fillers are effective in the short term, Lomboy says that temporary fillers such as Restylane, Pearline, and Juvederm—which are known as the hyaluronic acid fillers—will have to be redone more frequently than some of the more permanent options. The longer lasting fillers, meanwhile, include the ever-popular Radiesse, which is a calcium hydroxyapatite.
Beyond these fillers, Lomboy says there are some injectable fillers that will last even longer. Artefille and Sculptra, for example, can last anywhere between two and six years. Once a patient has those fillers injected near her eyes for a non-surgical eye lift, she will not need any follow-up appointments to replenish the filler for some time.
One of the major benefits of having fillers injected into the face rather than going under the knife for an eyelift is that patients can get a similar result—with fresher, more youthful looking eyes—without having to go under any general anesthesia or suffer through long recovery periods. Lomboy says that there is no physical downtime for patients who get fillers put in around their eyes, and that women will frequently come in for the procedure during a lunch break and then return to work that afternoon.
With that said, Lomboy advises her patients to prepare to have some swelling and some bruising, and recommends that they have the procedure done at least two weeks in advance of any major social events.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.