It isn't abnormal to experience puffiness around your eyes after a long night without sleep however, for those who suffer from Malar Bags or Festoons, they have dark heavy bulging bags beneath their eyes which make them look tired all the time and older. A tough area to treat due to its proximity to the eye as well as the delicate nature of the eyelid, a new procedure has become available that uses laser skin resurfacing after an eyelid lift to completely transform the eyes as well as the entire face.
Actual Before and After Results Of Festoon Treatment by Dr. Adam Scheiner
Images Courtesy of www.thedoctorstv.com
"The procedure for Festoons can be life-changing because this medical problem has confounded many patients and their physicians for years," describes Tampa Bay facial plastic surgeon Dr. Adam Scheiner, " A lot of individuals with this condition have just given up trying to find a doctor to help with them." Recently seen on The Doctors, Dr. Scheiner has performed this procedure with many patients and often the results are dramatic and transformative for the patient.
A two-part procedure, Dr. Scheiner combines a lower eyelid lift first to remove any fat that is creating the bulging effect. "During lower eyelid rejuvenation, we first reposition or very conservatively remove a small amount of fat from the inside of the lower eyelid," states Dr. Scheiner.
In the next step, he uses an erbium laser to rejuvenate the skin on top of the eyelid. This addresses the tone, texture, and pigmentation that the festoons may have caused. Dr. Scheiner explains, "We intentionally injure the skin on the lower eyelid with the laser - just enough to stimulate it to re-grow itself with brand new skin."
By creating controlled intentional injuries to skin, the laser encourages natural collagen and new skin to grow back. A process referred to as "resetting" by Dr. Scheiner, the erbium laser resurfacing offers tightening as well as improving texture and tone of the treated skin.
According to Dr. Scheiner, the second step of a laser treatment is integral to the treatment of festoons. "People who suffer from festoons often also have external skin damage in that delicate eye area and if that skin condition isn't addressed at the same time as their blepharoplasty, the results are not as strong and in some cases, patients can look worse than before."
By combining traditional surgery and the laser treatment, it is not only possible to remove the underlying condition but to also refresh the outer appearance of the eyes resulting in tighter skin and brighter eyes. The procedure takes approximately 10 minutes and most patients are completely healed in 2 weeks. Results may last for several years particularly if the patient stays out of the sun. Depending on the severity of the case, treatment cost of festoons is approximately $5,000.
