Anti-Aging Eye Treatments: What You Need to Know

Aging is a natural process that everyone has to go through regardless of ethnicity, race, and gender. This is why cosmetic manufacturers are creating creams to ride on the growing trend of the beauty business. In recent years, beauty creams are packaged in smaller containers but the price is creeping upwards. 

First signs of aging often happen around the eyes. Whether it’s wrinkles around the eyes, eye bags, dark eye circles, or droopy eyelids, people with these aesthetic problems often look older than they really are. 

We talk to Dr. Siew Tuck Wah, a veteran aesthetic doctor in Singapore, to give us some tips on how to age proof our eyes.

Do eye creams have any benefits? If so, what are the benefits?

Dr. Siew: You need to look beyond the marketing campaigns and packaging. Focus on the ingredient list and do your homework. Most over-the-counter (OTC) eye creams claim that using them will deliver dramatic results. Unfortunately, these creams are usually a letdown. These creams, no matter how expensive, are really just a light moisturizer that immediately hydrates and plumps the skin to reduce wrinkles – temporarily. 

Are there any effective skincare products for lightening dark eye circles?

Dr. Siew: Very few ingredients actually work to reduce dark eye circles. Look out for medical-grade ingredients such as retinol, kojic acid, vitamin C, E, and peptides. Creams that contain these ingredients are likely to work well to reduce dark eye circles. For faster, more effective result, Dual Yellow Laser is a great laser treatment for dark eye circles.

How about puffiness under the eyes? Any creams that can reduce the puffiness?

Dr. Siew: Not many topical creams can reduce puffiness under the eyes. If it is troubling you, you should seek medical help and have your eyes assessed. It could be eye bags that appear due to aging. Eye bags are fatty deposits that move downwards into the lower eyelids, causing the lids to appear puffy. In such cases, non-surgical eye bag treatment is a convenient way to reduce the puffiness. 

Does blepharoplasty work well? Are the results permanent?

Dr. Siew: Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure that carries some risks. Having said that, it is important to note that blepharoplasty is not permanent. Some people with genetic predisposition for severe aging may have to repeat the treatment after a few years. Although results of a blepharoplasty can last much longer than a non-surgical option, people are becoming more receptive and more willing to try non-surgical treatments such as AGNES, dermal fillers, and ultrasound to rejuvenate the eyes.

You mentioned dermal fillers and ultrasound treatments. What are they and how can they help?

Dr. Siew: There is a wide range of dermal fillers available in Singapore. In the hands of experienced doctors, dermal filler treatment can achieve great results. Tear trough are best treated using a soft dermal filler to fill the deficient areas under the eyes. Under eye dermal filler treatment is a temporary fix and must be repeated yearly. They work best when the skin is not very loose. Results are immediate and in combination with cheek fillers, it can further enhance the appearance of the mid-face.

HIFU treatment, or better known as Ultherapy, is a non-invasive treatment that can lift droopy eyelids. Using high intensity focued ultrasound, the treatment induces thermal heat to induce collagen production in the skin. Over time, when new collagen is produced, the skin tightens and lifts, giving you a more lifted and rejuvenated eyes.

With non-surgical treatments on the rise, are people still undergoing surgery?

Dr. Siew: Patients are getting smarter. They read a lot and do their comparisons at home. They understand the risks and downtime associated with the treatments, surgical and non-surgical alike. We are seeing more patients coming in at a younger age – around mid 20s and early 30s – for preventive treatments.

Dr. Siew Tuck Wah is the Medical Director of Radium Medical Aesthetics. He has more than 10 years of experience in administering a wide range of non-surgical anti-aging treatments such as dermal fillers and Ultherapy.