What is a Tear Trough?

A tear trough is the groove that runs from the inner corner of your eye down toward your cheek. You might hear it called sunken eyes or a tear trough deformity, but it is the same thing.

It is one of the most common signs of facial aging, and dehydration and poor sleep can bring it on too. It even shows up in younger people.

Why does under-eye contour depression affect facial aesthetic?

If you have sunken eyes, you probably catch yourself avoiding the mirror so you do not have to look at them. The usual signs are grooves, dark circles, and thinning skin under the eyes, with a dark shadow falling across the lower lid. The whole face can end up looking tired even when you are not.

Aging is the main driver, and it usually starts to show in your late 30s.

What causes under-eye contour depression?

Most of the time a tear trough is nothing to worry about. Once in a while, though, it points to a health problem worth checking.

Ageing

As we age, we lose fat density and bone strength, so the face loses the support that kept it looking young. Collagen also breaks down faster than the body can replace it, and the skin gets thinner and less elastic.

The grooves and hollows under your eyes come straight from all of that. (1)

Rapid weight loss

When you lose weight quickly, you lose fat everywhere, including your face. The area under the eyes empties out fast and leaves a hollow, and the blood vessels there can start to show through more than before.

If the weight loss is fast and you cannot explain it, check in with your doctor. (2)

Genetic predisposition

If sunken eyes run in your family, you may have them your whole life. The shape and position of your eyes in their sockets comes down to your genes in the first place. (3, 4)

Poor sleep

Not getting enough sleep is a common cause. People who get less than seven hours a night often develop dark circles and sunken eyes. (5, 6)

Dehydration

In children, dehydration can cause sunken eyes. You tend to see it alongside things like diarrhea, vomiting, a dry mouth, low urine output, and thirst. (7

Sun exposure

Long stretches in the sun push your skin to make more melanin, which darkens it. If you have darker skin, sun exposure can make sunken eyes look worse. (8, 9)

Allergies

Seasonal allergies deepen dark circles and sunken eyes, a look sometimes called allergic shiners. The allergies irritate the area under your eyes and make the whole thing worse. (10)

Sinus infections

Dark circles and sunken eyes are common with sinus infections, usually alongside a stuffy nose and pressure around the eyes. (11)

Smoking

Smoking breaks down the collagen in your face and slows elastin production, so the skin loses its firmness and structure. Heavy smokers often end up with sagging skin, wrinkles, dark circles, and sunken eyes. (12, 13

How to prevent under-eye contour depression?

Hydration

Your body and your skin both need water. Staying hydrated improves sunken eyes and tightens the skin. (14)

Sleep well

Seven to nine hours of solid sleep a night helps keep sunken eyes and other signs of aging from setting in.

Almond oil

Almond oil is rich in vitamin E, which nourishes the skin under your eyes and helps hold off sunken eyes and dark circles. (15)

Raw potatoes

Potatoes are full of enzymes and vitamin C, which improve the texture of the skin under your eyes. They also calm inflammation, which softens dark circles and sunken eyes. (16)

Tea bags

Tea bags placed under your eyes can improve the look of the grooves. They carry antioxidants and flavonoids that boost blood flow and tighten the skin. (17)

Cucumber slices

Cucumber slices under your eyes can reduce dark circles and under-eye grooves. It is a home remedy that has been around a long time. (18)

Fish oil

Fish oil is high in fatty acids, which help your body heal and replace damaged cells. You can take it as a capsule or apply it directly under your eyes. (19)

Lemon juice

Lemon juice clears away dead skin cells and helps reduce dark circles. Dilute it first so it does not irritate your skin, then apply it to improve the look of sunken eyes. (20)

Facial exercises

Facial exercises, sometimes called facial yoga, can improve the texture and structure of the whole face, including the area under your eyes. The evidence is thin, but people who do them say the moves help build collagen and improve how the face looks overall.

How to treat under-eye contour depression?

Antibiotics and other medications

If your sunken eyes come from a health issue, the fix is to treat that issue. Clearing up a sinus infection or allergies often improves the tear trough on its own. Sinus infections are usually treated with antibiotics, and allergies with antihistamines and eye drops.

Dermal fillers

Dermal fillers like Perlane, Restylane, and Juvederm work by injecting hyaluronic acid into the skin under your eyes, the same substance your skin already makes on its own. The injections are painless and the whole thing takes a few minutes. They do not last forever, so you will need them redone now and then. The filler fills the hollows and adds volume back to your face. (21)

Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty can clear the signs of aging from your face, sunken eyes included. It rebalances how tissue sits across the face by removing excess fat from certain areas and tightening the skin. Afterward your face looks more youthful and awake. (22)

Face-lift

A facelift is one of the strongest options for the facial signs of aging, like loose skin, fine lines, folds, grooves, and changes around the cheeks and jaw. It can correct these no matter the cause. Whether your sunken eyes come from sun damage, smoking, thinning skin, lost facial fat, chronic stress, or genetics, a facelift can be the best fix. (23