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The eyes may represent a small fraction of the face, but they convey a wide range of emotions as well as one’s perceived age. This area alone has the ability to communicate joy, sadness, anger and fatigue—and the proper treatments and procedures can help ensure that your eyes relay your true feelings rather than miscommunicate with the world around you. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Smita Ramanadham says, “Aging around the eyes can often make us look tired, angry or older than we actually are. The eyes tend to be the focal point during conversation, so aging in this area can make dramatic changes to how we view ourselves and how others view us. Minor changes and improvements can widen our eyes and make us look more awake and refreshed. By addressing fine lines, excess skin, brow position and under-eye bags or dark circles we can create a more youthful and rested appearance.” Here, the most effective solutions for the eye-area concerns the experts hear most…

Crow’s feet

A lifetime of smiling, squinting and unprotected sun exposure is a recipe for fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. “Caused by repetitive contractions of the Orbicularis muscles and the thinness of the skin in this area, crow’s feet are a very common concern—but fortunately there are some very effective treatments,” double board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jhonny Salomon shares. The solution: Wrinkle-relaxing injectables such as Botox, Dysport and Jeuveau. These products work by minimizing the muscle contractions that lead to expression-related wrinkles—and when started early enough, they can help prevent lines from becoming visible when the face is at rest. Consistently the most popular non-invasive cosmetic treatment performed year after year, these injectables can help prevent lines from becoming etched into the skin, which makes them more difficult to improve. Skin resurfacing is another option when treating wrinkles around the eyes, and lasers or chemical peels can be used on their own or in conjunction with surgery to refine skin quality around the eyes.

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Droopy lids

The result of both genetics and the natural aging process, drooping eyelids can cause a fatigued or tired appearance. “In properly-trained hands, wrinkle-relaxing neurotoxins can be used to help temporarily elevate the lateral brow and improve some of the excess skin on the upper lid. However, more pronounced excess skin or drooping of the actual lid (or ptosis) requires specialized eyelid-surgery techniques such as a blepharoplasty and in some cases a brow lift, which will offer more dramatic long-term improvement,” explains Dr. Jose Rodriguez-Feliz, a board-certified plastic surgeon. The result: A more alert, attentive appearance that looks completely natural when performed by an experienced provider.

Dark circles

It’s a common misconception that dark under-eye circles are only caused by lack of sleep. In fact, this discoloration can be caused by genetics, allergies and the natural aging process. Eye creams alone aren’t usually enough to provide the level of improvement a patient desires, but there are several professional treatments and procedures that can help. According to Dr. Jason Bloom, a double board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, “Hyaluronic acid fillers like Restylane can be utilized to provide subtle volume to a patient’s periorbital areas. When injected deep to the orbicularis oculi muscle, these fillers can help camouflage dark circles by adding a layer of cushioning that improves this shadowing.”

Under-eye hollows

Also known as a tear trough deformity, the age-related loss of fat can lead to a sunken appearance beneath the eyes. “Hyaluronic acid fillers can help replenish volume to a hollow under-eye area and restore a smooth, youthful-looking transition from the eyelids to the cheeks,” says Dr. Bloom. “This goal can also be accomplished in a more permanent way with fat grafting techniques. This can be performed as a stand-alone treatment, or when patients undergo additional facial rejuvenation surgery without adding to overall recovery time, which is actually minimal for these procedures,” he adds.

Under-eye bags

An accumulation of fat beneath the eyes can be due to genetic, environmental and age-related factors. Surgically removing the fat that creates under-eye puffiness and bags is the ideal solution, and the results are both significant and long-lasting . Often performed in conjunction with other eye-area and facial rejuvenation surgery, this relatively simple procedure provides significant, long-lasting improvement that eye creams cannot.