Latest / Sweat Community / Sweat Pretty Ep 2. Why Do I Always Look Tired? Dark Circles, Under Eye Hollows & What Actually Helps
Transcript
- Sheena: All right. Welcome to Sweat Pretty, a new mini series where we chat about your questions about wellness and aesthetic treatments that you might be curious about, but maybe don't know who to ask. No judgment, no pressure, no question is off limits. Heather, how are you doing today? Heather: I'm so good. I'm so excited to be here. How are you? Sheena: I am good. Thank you. We did our first sweat pretty last month. So we're doing one episode every month. And I was surprised about how many questions that we got after our first episode. Heather: Same. it's so nice that people have an outlet where they can ask questions. there's a lot of heaviness to asking some these questions in front of your provider. And so now we have this platform where people can ask anything they want. And we've gotten some pretty funny questions. So I love that we are doing this and letting people have that outlet. Sheena: Agreed, agreed. And it's so cool because it's anonymous. So you can just ask away without even Heather: Yes. Sheena: worrying about it. So kind of before. Heather: Well and truly a lot of the questions we've gotten are questions that everybody has. So even though you might think it's kind of a strange question, everyone's thinking it. Sheena: Everyone's thinking it. If you're thinking it, guarantee other people are thinking it too. Heather: Yes. Sheena: Yes, exactly. So we're already at the end of October, But I feel like October was a big month for both you and I, which is pretty exciting. were you Heather: Yes. exciting. Sheena: I just have to bring this up because holy cow, you were invited out to Beverly Hills. Can you tell us a little bit about what that was about and why you were there? Because that is so cool. Heather: Yes, it was a huge honor. So I was invited out by MERS Aesthetics, which is by far one of my favorite aesthetic companies. Sheena: Ooh, can you repeat Heather: They make ZMN Radius and Bellatero. And this event was to launch the quote unquote new filler that we just brought to the United States. It's been across the pond for like 20 years, but we just got FDA approved here. So it was a big launch party. And I was one of 10 people that they flew out for this party. And just really excited about it finally being here in the United States. Sheena: Wow, are you guys gonna have it at Apre? Heather: Absolutely. I have inducted on a few patients and they look beautiful, very natural. the cool part about it is that it's gonna age very gracefully as well. it was been a great month. and on that same vein, Sheena: Wow. So you were saying, it's Heather: Sheena, you had an exciting month. Sheena: my gosh, I did. Yes, at Lululemon Park Meadows, I was actually invited to teach the very first class at that new store, which was such an honor. It was so much fun. being out there in the community. Heather: I can tell you, I was there and the energy was amazing. was sore for days after. It was the best class I've taken such a long time. It's such a huge honor to watch you up there just killing it and teaching this amazing class. I was so proud of you such a cool accomplishment for you. Sheena: Heather, that is so sweet of you to say thank you. I was so glad that you were there. the fact that people just showed up for this event was the coolest thing ever. So I loved it. Heather: It was amazing. Sheena: So yes, October was big. I'm super excited for what November has in store. But let's just get into the October question of the month. we had several questions come in, but the reason we are picking this is because multiple people had this question. So let's get right into it. The question that we are going to answer was: why do I always look tired? I have dark circles, hollows under my eyes, even when I get good quality sleep. Can skincare help me, or is it just genetics? Is there something that I can easily do that won't cost me a ton? So this was a lot. but let's get into it. Heather: Okay, so yeah, I think the idea of looking tired, quote unquote, isn't necessarily a diagnosis. There can be a lot of different things which are leading to that concern. There could be hollows, there can be bags, there can be pigment, there can be thin skin, swelling. Everything can look similar but need different approaches. So, number one, a really great console is definitely necessary. but there's plenty that we can do for each of those concerns, and we can dive into that a little bit deeper if you'd like. But first and foremost, you need to figure out if it is aging, if it is genetic, and what layer that may be happening. Sheena: Mmm, yes. okay, so let's get into it just a little bit. So hollows under the eyes, dark circles, would you say that is genetic or can you explain what causes that? Heather: Yeah, it really can be to be honest. I think the first thing that you should do is look at your parents and see if anyone has similar to what your concerns are. If they do, then that honestly might be more genetic. also looking at younger pictures of yourself and being like, okay, was that always there or is that something new? When it comes to aging, what is happening is that our mid face, so the fat pads in our middle of our face, are shrinking with age. And with that, the pulling down, gravity is winning, if you will. but shrinking of the fat pads pulls down on the tissue in the lower eye and makes that tissue thinner. So with thinner tissue, we're able to see a lot more. So the darkening of the circles is because that thinner skinner. that my gosh, that skin is thinner. Ha ha, that's funny. or Sheena: Mm-hmm Heather: it's just too good. if we're pulling down enough, the muscles that are there that usually hold the fat pads back in that under-eye area become thinner too. So that fat will protrude outward or the tissue will actually be looking thinner and have more irregularities in it. So a lot of it can be from aging, but also can be from genetics too. But again, we need to figure out what the overarching problem is before we can figure out how to treat it. Sheena: Yeah, that makes sense to think of gravity helping pull down. And what a good tip too. So I feel like if somebody has this problem and they are coming to get a consult, it is a really good idea to look up photos in the past as well as of your parents to see, yeah, I think this might be more genetics versus aging and whatnot, to kind of have that background info. I think it'd be a really helpful tool before being seen by you. Or somebody. Heather: Absolutely. And I think the other thing too, with regards to that, is that knowing that your provider will do what's best for you in the long term. A lot of these fixes for some things we're talking about, specifically when it comes to like the fat pad protrusion through the muscles, that is a surgical fix. There's other things that we can do to help with skin integrity that's not surgical, but you need to know that your provider is gonna have your best interest in mind and know when to say, you know what, this is not something I can help you with. Let me refer you to someone who can really help you. Give you the biggest bag for your bucks. Otherwise you're just wasting money. Sheena: yes, yeah. I like that you said that. So speaking of, you said it could be surgery, what kind of treatment would you recommend? I know that It's very individual. Everybody's case is different. But if you could have a broader recommendation without necessarily assessing them, would you say that this could be treated by topicals or injectables? can you elaborate on that? Is that even something that you can do right now without physically seeing them? Heather: Yeah, I can give you some options of things that we could potentially talk about, depending on what your concern necessarily is. a great skincare regimen is definitely first and foremost. You need to have skincare that's helping to thicken your skin, especially in that under eyed area too. So having good skincare is definitely first step one. I always say that I'm kind of like your trainer at the gym, where if you come see me once a week, that's wonderful. But if you don't do anything for the other six days, it's not gonna do anything, right? So you want to support your investment. Other options for under eyes could include things like PRF. So PRF is a very natural treatment. We take your blood, spin it down, take out your growth factors, and inject that into areas where we want essentially skin rejuvenation. And under eyes is by far favorite area to do that. it's 100% natural. So results aren't guaranteed, but it's only gonna help you, which is great. We can discuss under eye filler. I frankly am doing less and less of that these days because I feel like the right candidates are very far and in between. Like I mentioned before, if you Sheena: Hmm. Heather: have any kind of fat protrusion or things like that, you're not a good candidate for that. we can do things like microneedling or lasers to help thicken that tissue as well, more of the tissue rejuvenation, if that is more of the concern. And then there's also mid face support. with that fat pad shrinking in the mid face, if we're able to replace a little bit of that with biostimulatory filler, it can help resupport the tissue around the eye and resupport those ligaments, make them look a little bit less hollow. Sheena: Awesome. that is fantastic that there really are so many different options that you have. because there's different factors that people have and money can play a factor of which treatment you choose. Heather: Yeah. And I think too as a patient looking for a provider, make sure you're finding someone that really understands why these deficits may be there, why you may have some aging in the under eye, why you might have the genetic predisposition. And I understand the layers. So, you know, your bone is the framework of your face. Is it the bone recession that's causing these under eye hollows? Is it the fat protruding? that is returning through those muscles? Is it the ligaments that's anchoring the tissue? Is it the skin that it's covering? You really need to know what layer you want to treat to get the most optimal results. And again, keep this as affordable as possible for you. Cause if your issue is the skin that's covering the lower eyelid area and I come at you with something that's not going to help with the skin, that's only going to be a waste of your money. Sheena: Mm-hmm. For sure. and then what about if it is just tiredness? you see people on Socials and whatnot. They wake up, they're doing a get ready with me. They all have those eye patches on underneath the eyes. Will that help with the dark circles, the hollowness? to kind of make you feel a little more refreshed for the day Do you recommend those? Heather: Absolutely. Yeah. And I even wear them myself. I have some high molecular weight hyaluronic acid ones I got on Amazon. and I like putting those on. One, it just makes me feel a little bit better throughout the day. And it is moisture. So it does help a little bit. will it replace a cosmetic treatment? Not necessarily. but they do make you feel better. And even some of the ones that have caffeine in them or things like that, that can help you feel a little bit more awake as well. actually had this new mom come in recently she has an 80-bitty in the stroller next to her. And she's like, how do I look less tired? And I'm like, get more sleep. I I I wish Sheena: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Heather: I could give you a different answer besides sleep more. But truly, Sheena: Mm-hmm. Heather: you're gonna get through this phase, but you need to prioritize healthy living and sleep. Sheena: sleep is crucial for so so many things. and there's some things that That is the answer. as hard as it is. I Heather: Yes. Sheena: I have difficulty sleeping a lot of nights, but and I know because I wake up also looking really tired. But it's funny that you mentioned some of those eye patches that have the caffeine because I've also seen people use like tea bags under the eyes or cucumbers, do those home home Heather: Mm-hmm. Sheena: items work that you would say, yeah, if you don't have the money to spend right now, just Use those. Heather: you could, but again, it comes down to what the actual deficit is. So if it's more superficial and some of those eye patches that are providing moisture help for a little bit of time, sure, why not give it a shot? And again, I love the idea of promoting wellness at home. So if that makes you sit still for 10 minutes and just be and not be running around like a crazy person, I think that's worth every penny. but I think cosmetic work, the things that we're doing are not able to be replaced by necessarily home remedies. But again, they're not gonna hurt you. So if it makes you feel better, then try it. Sheena: Absolutely. Yes. And I think like you said too, if you just have that 10 minutes where it's just you, where you could just sit and have those cucumbers or eye patches or whatever over your eyes and just take that 10 minutes Heather: Mm-hmm. Sheena: just for you can go such a long way as well. Heather: I agree. I think the psychological aspect of that is potentially more important than the cosmetic. because if we just feel better on the inside, we're gonna look better the outside too. So if you take those ten minutes to meditate or it's me, watch reality television. but Sheena: Si, si. Heather: just have ten minutes for me, that makes me so much better and feel so much better. Sheena: Yeah, for sure. 100% yes. Heather, this was so fun. I think we covered a broad enough area where that answered several of the questions that came in. Heather: Yeah, make sure if you have any questions, write them in. we're gonna be answering a question every month and we cannot wait to hear what you guys have to ask. Sheena: Absolutely. We are here. We're excited to get together every month. And if you have a question, other people might have it and your question might be the one we pick next month. So write them in. we love seeing them. Heather: I love it. Sheena: awesome. Well, I guess this wraps up October, and we will be back for November. Heather: Sounds great. Thank you, Gina. Sheena: Thank you, Heather. Heather: Ha ha ha. Sheena: Thank you for listening to Sweat Pretty. Heather: Where we answer all your set of questions, no questions off limits. Sheena: Can't wait to see you next month. bye