There are indeed a myriad of skin tightening devices in the market, all with a generally good effect, each with their own effectiveness and associated downtime.
If your skin laxity is mild to moderate, procedures such as
1. High intensity focused ultrasound: uses focused ultrasound to heat and subsequently lift loose tissue. I use the Ultraformer 3 with its dedicated eye hand piece that allows precise targeting of tissue around the eye and minimal risk to the eye.
Effects are seen over a period of 6 to 12 weeks and this procedure is performed once to twice a year. There is barely anydowntime; you walk out looking just as you had when you walked in before the procedure.
2. Radio-frequency needling: I like to use the AGNES radio frequency treatment for wrinkled and loose skin.
The effect is good but downtime of mild swelling can take a few days to settle down. This too can be performed twice a year for maintainenece. We also use this machine to ablate and reduce eye bags.
3. Traditional fracrional carbon dioxide lasers :making use of laser energy, skin around the eyes can be thickened and tightened using the fractional lasers.
This is done several times a year to ensure optimal results and downtime is approximately 3 to 5 days of redness and peeling.
If there is too much skin, excision of the skin through a small surgery can be done to reduce the overhanging skin.
Sometimes the laxity of the eye skin is not due to just excess skin but also due to loss of bone or fat mass around the eye. These structures support the skin and when lost, can cause drooping of the overlying skin.
Procedures that can help this include:
1. Thread lifts : small sutures are placed around the eye to lift the sagging skin and typically last about a year. These sutures dissolve over time.
2. Fillers: fillers can give good temporary support to the area around the eye and brow, creating a nice lift of the periorbital skin area.
3. Botox: placed carefully, botox can give a subtle brow lift to create a more open-eyed appearance.
There are indeed many things that can be done, and a thorough consult and prioritisation should be done to ensure you get the most of your investment - both in terms of time and money.
Feel free to contact us for further details or concerns.
Cheers, and happy national day!
Best,
Dr Shane Tan