Skin Republic

Dear Dr. Jen,

I have dark circles around my eye even when I sleep a good eight hours at night.  I must have tried a dozen creams in the market, yet the undereye circle still persists.  Is there any cream that can actually solve this problem or should I declare it a hopeless case already?

Maritoni

Dear Maritoni,

If only all dark circles would be easily remedied by a good eight hours of snooze!  Unfortunately, there are different types of dark under eye circles and NOT all of them are necessarily caused by lack of sleep. The first type is caused by hyperpigmentation or an excess of melanin produced on the skin.  This is easily removed by applying gentle bleaching products diligently over a period of 2-3 months.

The second type of dark circles is caused by blue veins that appear close to the surface of the skin.  This may be caused by genetics and may be worsened by fatigue, allergies, or the normal aging process. As we age, the skin around our eyes grows thinner.  The underlying veins become more superficial and transparent contributing to a "worsening" of the undereye circles.

If there were miracle creams out there that can solve the second type of darkening, I would surely be the first one to grab it.  Unfortunately, the next best thing you can do is to utilize moisturizing night creams with some vitamin C to brighten the skin (though the veins would still be there).  Vitamin K infused products may also help reduce the redness from the broken blood vessels. Radiofrequency (RF)on the eye area will also help immensely, especially for aging skin.  Radiofrequency can help tighten and plump up the overlying skin on the eye area to hopefully camouflage the veins. You can opt to do a combination of using RF plus application of vitamins C & K eye creams to get good results.

Dear Dr. Jen,

I have huge keloid scars on my arms from childhood vaccinations.  I've read somewhere that getting steroid injections may help cure it.  My question is this, won't further injections contribute to worsening the keloid scars?

Sal

Dear Sal,

That is a very valid question.  Keloids are firm, raised, shiny, smooth scars.  As you very well know, keloids form within scar tissues, on skin that has been previously injured.  Acne, chicken pox, vaccinations, tattooing and ear piercings are common conditions of skin damage prior to keloid formation.  The areas of the body that are prone to keloid formation are the jawline, chest, back, shoulders and earlobes. Although people with all skin types can form keloids, the darker skinned individuals are more likely to get it.  Also, it may run in some families. Individuals develop keloids between the age of 13-30 years old.

Keloids aren't only aesthetically displeasing but may be extremely bothersome.  It may throb, itch and even cause pain.  This is enough reason to have it treated.  Corticosteroid injection is usually the fastest (in terms of obtaining results) way to treat keloids.  However, corticosteroids are administered via needles and this can cause further injury especially if you are at an age where you can still develop more keloids.

For newer scars, using silicone sheets for several hours for many days can also prevent worsening. One of the best options for unresponsive keloids is using Pulsed Dye Lasers (not just IPL laser).  The laser works by killing off blood vessels that supply the keloid. However, this laser treatment is also quite pricey and no one has this laser in Cebu as of now.   Surgical removal may work ONLY if coupled by adequate treatment will be given afterwards such as radiation or pressure dressings or steroid injections.

Dr Tan is a diplomate of Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS). She is affiliated with Perpetual Succour Hospital (PSH).  For other information on PDS, check http://www.pds.org.ph/.

If you have any questions or concerns please text, email or call (the Freeman or PSH): 0932 857 7070 or <[email protected]> or (032) 233 8620 or 232 5929. Your inquiries will be forwarded to Dr. Tan.