Under-Eye Treatments
DARK CIRCLES HAVE FOUR CAUSES. ONLY SOME OF THEM RESPOND TO A NEEDLE.
The under eye is the thinnest skin on the face, and the area where the most money gets wasted, because people are sold a treatment before anyone has established what is actually making the area look dark. A shadow, a vein and a pigment patch look similar in the mirror and need completely different answers.
So this page is organised by cause rather than by product. We assess first, tell you which of the four types you have, and say plainly if the answer is none of the treatments on this page.
Pigmented
Brown, caused by melanin in the skin itself. Injections do not treat this. It responds to topical treatment, strict daily sun protection and sometimes light based treatment. There is also a prescription route for pigmentation which we are not allowed to describe here, and it is discussed at your consultation.
Vascular
Blue or purple, caused by vessels showing through skin too thin and translucent to hide them. This is where polynucleotides such as Lumi Eyes do their best work, because thickening and hydrating the skin makes the vessels underneath less visible.
Structural
Not colour at all, but a shadow cast by a hollow at the orbital rim. Only volume changes a shadow, which means tear trough filler, or in advanced cases a surgical opinion rather than a syringe.
Mixed is the commonest of the four by some margin. Where more than one type is present we start with skin quality and reassess, because improving the skin first often reduces how much filler is needed and occasionally shows that none is. A simple test tells most of them apart: gently stretching the skin makes a shadow vanish while true pigment stays put.
What we offer for the under eye
Lumi Eyes is a polynucleotide injection, purified DNA fragments placed very superficially with a fine needle in a series of small deposits. It thickens and hydrates the skin rather than filling anything. It is our most booked under-eye treatment and the right first choice for thin, crepey, blue-toned skin.
Jalupro Young Eye and Philart Eye are the other two injectable skin quality options for the same area, chosen at consultation based on what the skin needs rather than on price.
PRP under the eye uses your own platelets, drawn from a small blood sample on the day. It suits people who would rather use their own material than a product, and it pairs with the polynucleotide route rather than competing with it.
Tear trough filler is a hyaluronic acid gel placed deep at the orbital rim to reduce the groove that casts the shadow. It is the only non-surgical answer for a genuine hollow, and it carries the highest risk of anything on this page, so we treat it as a cautious small volume area.
Medical grade eye skincare supports all of the above and is the only part you continue at home.
What happens at your appointment
The first visit is a free 30 minute assessment, not a treatment. We look at the area in good light, stretch test it, ask about hayfever, eczema, iron levels, thyroid and family history, and photograph it so change can be measured rather than guessed. If your history points to a medical cause rather than a cosmetic one, the first step is your GP and we will say so.
A polynucleotide session takes 30 minutes. Numbing cream goes on first, then a series of small superficial injections with a fine needle. PRP under the eye takes 45 minutes because of the blood draw and the few minutes in the centrifuge. You are back to normal activity the same day.
Expect small raised blebs for a few hours after a polynucleotide or PRP session. Some clinics market this as invisible. It is not, and bruising is a realistic possibility in an area this vascular.
What it costs
Lumi Eyes, £180 for a 30 minute session. Jalupro Young Eye, £220. Philart Eye, £250. PRP under the eye, £220 for 45 minutes. Tear trough filler is quoted at consultation from the dermal filler price list, because the product and the volume are chosen for the individual rather than sold as a package.
Most protocols run to three sessions about four weeks apart, then maintenance twice a year, and you are told the course total before anything is booked. The assessment is free, and if the answer is that nothing here will help you, there is nothing to pay.
Results and timings
This is a slow treatment and the honest timeline matters more than the before and after photo. Polynucleotides work by stimulating your own fibroblasts, so the change is collagen, and collagen takes time. Expect the first difference in texture and hydration at around four weeks after a session, building through the course and for a couple of months after the last one.
The fair test is after three sessions, not one. One session shows very little, and anyone promising otherwise is selling.
Tear trough filler is the opposite. The change shows almost immediately once the first few days of swelling settle, and published follow up has found meaningful results still present at 18 months.
PRP sits between the two, with skin quality changes appearing over four to eight weeks after each session.
Who it does not suit
None of these treatments are carried out during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and we do not treat anyone under 18. Polynucleotides are derived from fish DNA and are not suitable with a fish allergy.
We wait if there is an active infection, or eczema, dermatitis or any inflammatory skin condition flaring in the area. Autoimmune conditions and immunosuppression need individual assessment. Blood thinning medication and bleeding disorders need a conversation before anything goes near an area that bruises this easily.
Tear trough filler in particular is a poor choice if you wake up puffy, retain fluid, have thyroid disease affecting fluid balance, or have had malar oedema before. Hyaluronic acid attracts water, and in the wrong under eye it makes puffiness worse and keeps it that way for a long time.
And if the darkness is pigment, injections are not the answer whatever you have read. We will tell you that rather than book you.
Aftercare and risks
For 24 hours, no makeup on the treated area, no exercise, no heat and no rubbing. Sleep on your back for the first night if you can. Cold compresses in the first hours help.
The realistic risks with polynucleotides and PRP are bruising, short lived swelling and tenderness. Published follow up on polynucleotides around the eye reported no serious complications across 219 treated patients, with side effects that were mild and short lived, on a young evidence base we would rather describe accurately than oversell.
Tear trough filler carries a different order of risk. Fluid retention, a blue grey tint, lumps and migration are all reported at meaningful rates, and vascular occlusion, while rare, can cause loss of vision that does not recover. That is why the assessment matters more here than anywhere else on the face.
Common questions
Does Lumi Eyes get rid of dark circles?
It improves the skin sitting over the problem. If your circles are blue or purple because the skin is thin, that helps a great deal. If they are brown pigment or a shadow from a hollow, it will not.
How many sessions do I need?
Three, about four weeks apart, then maintenance twice a year. One session shows very little.
Does it hurt?
Numbing cream goes on first and most people describe small sharp pinches rather than pain. The session takes 30 minutes door to door.
Will I bruise?
Possibly. It is the most vascular area of the face and we would rather you planned around that than were surprised by it. Small raised blebs settle within a few hours.
Is Lumi Eyes the same as filler?
No. Filler adds volume. Polynucleotides add nothing and instead stimulate your own skin to build collagen and hold water. They do opposite jobs.
Lumi Eyes or tear trough filler?
It depends entirely on the cause. Thin skin with visible vessels, polynucleotides. A genuine hollow casting a shadow, filler. Both present, we usually start with the skin.
Can I have both?
Yes, on separate visits. Improving skin quality first often reduces the amount of filler needed.
What about PRP instead?
A reasonable choice if you would rather use your own platelets than a product. It takes 45 minutes because of the blood draw and costs £220.
Can you treat puffiness or eye bags?
Not with these. Fat pad prolapse and fluid retention are different problems, and the honest answer for a true eye bag is a surgical opinion. We will refer rather than inject.
What if none of this suits me?
Then we say so at the assessment and you pay nothing. Rubbing from hayfever or eczema, iron deficiency, thyroid problems and simple genetics all cause dark circles, and none of them are fixed with a needle.