Dark circles under the eyes – development and treatment
In youth, the transition from the lower eyelid to the cheek (“lid cheek junction”) is harmonious. In half profile, the contours of the cheeks are S-shaped. Dark circles develop in the border area between two different fat pads: the fat pad behind the eye ring muscle (suborbicularis oculi fat: SOOF) and the fat pad of the eye socket (corpus adiposum orbitae, orbital fat).
How do dark circles form?
Between these fat pads lies a ligament that connects the skin with the lower edge of the eye socket (orbicularis retaining ligament or orbitomalar ligament). The superficial fat pads of the face shift downwards with age in line with gravity. There is a slight indentation in the area of the orbitomalar ligament, which is known as the eye ring. Dark circles under the eyes are corrected by an arcus marginalis release.
