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info@scarsandlasers.co.nz
15 Green Lane East, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand
Monday - Friday: 7:45 am - 5:00 pm
The eyelid area is delicate and complex, with the brows, muscles, fat pads and skin all influencing how the eyes look. What seems like heavy eyelids may actually be brow descent, while dark circles may relate to hollowing, thin skin, pigmentation or visible veins. Some patients are best suited to blepharoplasty, while others may benefit more from non-surgical treatment.
A specialist assessment helps determine whether the concern is due to excess skin, volume loss, muscle activity, pigment or vascular change, whether surgery or non-surgical treatment is more appropriate, whether combination treatment is needed, and whether there may be a functional issue such as visual obstruction that could support insurance consideration. At Scars & Lasers, measurements such as MRD1 may be performed where appropriate when functional blepharoplasty is being assessed.
Ageing around the eyes occurs because several changes happen at the same time:
These changes may lead to:
Because these changes often occur together, effective rejuvenation usually requires a layered and individualised approach.
Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty
Upper eyelid blepharoplasty removes excess upper eyelid skin and, where appropriate, a small amount of underlying muscle or fat. It is often the most effective treatment for true upper eyelid hooding.
Upper blepharoplasty may help if you have:
Benefits may include:
In some patients, brow descent contributes significantly to upper eyelid heaviness. In these situations, surgery to the eyelids alone may not provide the best result and brow support may also need to be addressed.
Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty
Lower eyelid surgery may be appropriate for patients with:
Lower blepharoplasty may sometimes be combined with resurfacing or tightening treatments to improve the quality of the lower eyelid skin.
Wrinkle-Relaxing Injections
Wrinkle-relaxing injections can soften the muscles around the eyes and brow to create a fresher, more open appearance.
These treatments may be used for:
Treatment is performed using Botulinum toxin.
Dermal Fillers for Tear Troughs and Volume Loss
Dermal filler may help restore lost support beneath the eyes or around the brow and upper eyelid.
Filler may improve:
However, not all dark circles are due to volume loss. Patients with significant bags, poor lymphatic drainage or very thin skin may not be suitable for filler alone.
Regenerative Injectable Treatments
Some patients benefit more from improving the quality of the skin beneath the eyes than from adding volume.
Rejuran and particularly Rejuran Eye are regenerative injectable treatments designed to repair, thicken and rejuvenate the delicate skin around the eyes.
Rejuran Eye acts as a non-surgical skin booster by stimulating collagen production, improving skin quality and making the under-eye area appear smoother, thicker and less translucent.
These treatments may be particularly useful for:
Laser and energy-based treatments are often the best non-surgical option for crepey eyelid skin, fine wrinkles, pigmentation and mild laxity.
Fractional laser resurfacing with UltraClear or Alma Hybrid stimulates collagen and tightens the skin. It can improve crepey eyelid skin, fine lines, mild laxity, sun damage, early hooding and uneven texture.
UltraClear with laser coring offers a stronger non-surgical tightening option for selected patients with mild to moderate hooding or localised skin excess. By removing microscopic columns of tissue, it can improve hooding, crepey lower eyelids, fine wrinkles and mild laxity. It does not replace surgery where there is significant excess skin, but it may delay blepharoplasty or complement it.
Pigmentation and dark circles may be caused by pigment, visible veins, thin translucent skin, tear trough hollowing or under-eye bags. PicoWay may help brown pigmentation, while VBeam Perfecta or Excel V+ may help vascular shadowing and visible veins. Rejuran and especially Rejuran Eye can also help repair, thicken and rejuvenate thin lower eyelid skin, making it less translucent and less shadowed. Patients with more significant dark circles often benefit from combination treatment using filler, Rejuran Eye, laser and resurfacing.
Skin tightening treatments such as Ultraformer MPT, Tixel-type resurfacing and fractional non-ablative tightening may help mild upper eyelid heaviness, crepey lower eyelid skin and early laxity.
Eyelid ageing usually develops because of a combination of skin thinning, collagen loss, repeated muscle movement, brow descent, volume loss, pigmentation and visible veins. Dark circles are not always due to tiredness. They may be caused by pigment, under-eye hollowing, translucent skin, vascular shadowing or under-eye bags.
This depends on the cause of the problem. Significant excess skin or under-eye bags are often best treated surgically. Fine lines, mild hooding, dark circles, pigmentation and early skin laxity may often respond well to non-surgical treatments.
Many patients benefit from a combination of both.
Sometimes. Mild to moderate upper eyelid hooding may improve with wrinkle-relaxing injections, skin tightening and particularly UltraClear laser coring. However, where there is marked excess skin, blepharoplasty usually gives the best and longest-lasting result.
Laser coring removes microscopic columns of tissue and therefore creates more tightening than standard resurfacing alone. Traditional fractional resurfacing mainly improves skin quality and fine wrinkles. Laser coring can also reduce mild skin excess and improve hooding.
In some patients, yes. Mild to moderate hooding may improve with wrinkle-relaxing injections for brow lift, skin tightening and UltraClear laser coring. However, if there is significant excess skin, surgery usually provides the most effective result.
Under-eye filler can be very effective when used appropriately, but the area is complex and not everyone is suitable. Patients with significant bags or swelling may be better suited to another treatment.
Rejuran Eye is a regenerative, non-surgical skin booster designed specifically to repair, thicken and rejuvenate the delicate thin skin around the eyes.
It is particularly useful for:
It works by stimulating collagen production and improving the quality and thickness of the skin beneath the eyes.
Yes, when the dark circles are due to pigment, visible veins or thin sun-damaged skin. Pigment may improve with PicoWay, while visible veins may respond to VBeam Perfecta or Excel V+.
However, if the darkness is mainly due to under-eye hollowing or translucent thin skin, filler or Rejuran Eye may be more appropriate.
Downtime depends on the treatment:
Blepharoplasty generally produces the longest-lasting result, often for many years. Non-surgical treatments improve the area but usually require maintenance over time.
Each insurance company has different criteria for whether upper eyelid surgery will be fully or partially covered. Cover is more likely if the eyelids are causing functional problems such as visual obstruction, heaviness affecting daily activities or the need to constantly raise the eyebrows to see.
Most insurers require:
At Scars & Lasers, we can assess whether you may meet your insurer’s criteria and prepare the appropriate report and documentation if needed.
A dermatologist assessment is generally most appropriate if you have:
An experienced cosmetic nurse injector may be suitable for maintenance wrinkle-relaxing injections, carefully selected filler or Rejuran Eye treatment, with dermatologist input where appropriate.
At Scars & Lasers, eyelid rejuvenation is approached with specialist precision and a tailored, natural-looking philosophy:
For all appointment enquiries, medical referrals and urgent enquiries please contact us at info@scarsandlasers.co.nz or (09) 524 5011.
