Concern
Under-eye circles & hollows in Reading
Dark circles, crepiness and hollowing in the thinnest skin on the face. Treated at our salon in Caversham, Reading.
What causes it?
Under-eye shadowing has three quite different causes and they need opposite treatments. A hollow is a volume problem, usually caused by the cheek descending rather than the eye socket itself. A blue-purple tint is thin skin showing the vessels beneath. A brown tint is pigment. Treating a pigment problem with filler makes it puffy and worse, which is the single most common mistake we correct. Working out which one you have is the whole job.
The skin under the eye is the thinnest on the body and has almost no supporting fat. As the mid-face descends, the boundary between eyelid and cheek becomes visible as a groove, and the shadow it casts reads as a dark circle even in someone perfectly rested.
Separately, that thin skin allows the underlying vascular network to show through as a blue cast, which worsens with fatigue and dehydration. And genuine pigmentation — common in darker skin tones — is a third mechanism again, needing pigment treatment rather than volume.
Signs to look out for
Most people who come to us about under-eye circles & hollows recognise several of these. You do not need all of them, and you do not need to know which treatment you want — that is our job.
- Shadowing present even after a full night's sleep
- A groove you can feel where the eyelid meets the cheek
- Concealer that makes it look grey rather than covered
- Crepey texture in the skin under the eye
- Looking tired in photographs taken with overhead light
How we can help
These are the routes we would talk through at consultation, in the order we would usually consider them. Which one is right depends on your skin, your history and your budget.
Rebuild the skin quality
Polynucleotides are particularly suited to the under-eye. They repair and thicken thin, crepey skin rather than filling it, which is why they have largely replaced filler as the first choice here.
Use your own platelets
PRP improves skin quality and tone in the tear trough with no risk of the puffiness that badly placed filler causes.
Support the cheek beneath it
Where the real cause is mid-face descent, restoring the cheek lifts the whole area and the hollow improves without anything going near the eye.
Not sure which of these is you?
You do not have to decide before you come in. Bring the problem and we will talk you through what could help and what it costs. The consultation is free and there is no obligation to book anything.
What to expect over time
A realistic guide, including the stretch in the middle where it may not look like much is happening. Everyone responds differently, so your practitioner will talk you through your own timeline.
Week 1
Some swelling or bruising — the under-eye bruises more readily than anywhere else on the face.
Week 3
First session settled. Skin quality beginning to change.
Week 6 to 8
Course complete. Texture and tone visibly improved.
Month 9 to 12
Repeat. This area responds well to maintenance and badly to being overfilled.
Good to know
Filler under the eye is one of the easiest treatments to get wrong, and we see the results of it regularly: puffiness, a bluish cast, lumps that persist for years. If your shadowing is pigment or vascular rather than volume, filler will make it look worse and we will decline to do it. If you have significant eye bags with fluid retention, that is surgical territory.
Treatments that can help
Listed strongest match first. All of them are done at our salon on 3 Prospect Street in Caversham, Reading.
Common questions
Will filler fix my dark circles?
Only if they are caused by a hollow. For pigment or thin skin it can make them look worse, which is why we assess before recommending.
Do polynucleotides hurt?
Small injections into a sensitive area, with numbing first. Uncomfortable briefly rather than painful.
How many sessions?
Your practitioner will recommend a course and any maintenance.
Why do I bruise so much here?
The skin is thin and richly supplied with small vessels. We can advise on avoiding blood-thinning supplements beforehand to reduce it.
Other concerns we treat
Ready to talk it through?
Bring the problem, not the treatment name. Consultations are free and carry no obligation.
