Why do I have red circles?

Red or brown circles should not be confused with hollow circles. The latter are the direct consequence of age-related loss of skin volume. Fat loss causes the skin to sag, hollowing out and revealing the orbital bone.

Red circles don’t form a hollow under the eyelids, but they do change their color. As the skin of the eyelids is very thin, it allows the blood vessels of the orbicularis muscle to show through. In this sense, red circles are very similar to blue circles, except that they are also linked to hyperpigmentation of the skin, which is more common in certain populations with a darker phenotype,

What causes dark circles to appear?

Many factors can lead to the appearance of dark circles. A genetic component plays a major role. The quality and thickness of the skin depends on each individual. Skin aging can also affect the color of the lower eyelids. With age, the skin loses collagen and elastin. It then dehydrates and relaxes, as fat melts away. Eyelid skin then becomes even thinner, making blood vessels more apparent.

The appearance of dark circles is also conditioned by a healthy lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, alcohol consumption and smoking can all have a detrimental effect on blood circulation. Poor vascularization gives the blood a darker, more visible hue.

Lipofilling to remove dark circles

Aesthetic medicine has long struggled to offer effective treatments for dark circles. There is, however, a minimally invasive technique that guarantees definitive results: lipofilling. This revolutionary treatment involves autologous fat grafting (from the patient himself). Adipocytes (fat cells) are extracted using a cannula, before being defibrosed and cleaned. A meticulous filtering process purifies and fluidifies the fat, enabling it to be injected into the eyelids.

As part of a treatment for red circles, Dr. Hayot performs a variant of lipofilling: nano-lipofilling, a recent technique stemming from regenerative medicine. First, the fat is extracted, as with normal lipofilling. The fat is then passed through several sieves to separate the adipocytes from the stem cells. Stem cells, together with the growth factors naturally present in adipose tissue, are thus concentrated before being injected into the eyelids.

Unlike lipofilling, nano-lipofilling has no volumizing effect. The injected cells have regenerating properties: they stimulate the skin and induce neo-collagenesis, the new production of collagen. As a result, the dermis gradually thickens and tightens. The result is a marked improvement in skin quality. Nano-lipofilling creates a masking layer around the dark circles. It becomes less and less visible, until it disappears completely.

Nano-lipofilling offers a host of advantages. The guaranteed results are striking, as nano-lipofilling is the only truly effective treatment for red circles. The procedure is painless and minimally invasive. The fat is extracted from the patient itself, so the risks of allergy or rejection are virtually non-existent. Side effects are also very rare.