No one wants to walk around with hollowness under their eyes. But what do you do when you have sunken eyes? If this has been a concern, you are in the right place. This post covers everything you need to know about sunken eyes, from hidden causes to the most effective remedies.
How Do You Know If You Have Sunken Eyes
Sunken eyes are characterized by one or several of the following symptoms:
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Dark bags under the eyes
- Loose or thin skin under the eyes
- A hollow-looking space under your lower eyelids
- A lower eyelid that appears to sag
- Puffiness of the lower eyelid

Sunken Eye Causes
The skin under your eyes is the most delicate, making it easily susceptible to changes and damage. Consequently, anyone can end up with sunken eyes in varying levels depending on several factors.
Here are common sunken eyes causes to watch out for.
1. Ageing
Ageing is often blamed for so much. Now, you can add sunken eyes to the list. As you get older, your skin loses collagen, the protein responsible for giving the skin strength and flexibility. One of the first places where collagen loss is most noticeable is the skin under the eyes. As a result, the sensitive skin around your eyes may begin to droop and take on a sunken appearance.
2. Genetics
Did you know that sunken eyes can be caused by a person's genetics? If you're wondering where your under-eye hollows came from, your parents might be to blame. The position of the eyes in the sockets is due largely to genetics. The eyes' position in the eye socket is genetic. So if some of your family members has sunken eyes, you might be more susceptible to the same than the average person.
3. Dehydration
Dehydration can take a toll on your health and your skin. Additionally, dehydration could cause the appearance of sunken eyes. When dehydrated, your skin tissue loses moisture and becomes less plump. The skin around your eyes is already thinner, so any reduction in plumpness is visible relatively quickly. As a result, dehydration can cause your eye area to appear darker, sunken, or hollow.
4. Eye Injury
Inflammation and swelling from eye trauma can be one of many sunken eyes causes. If you have experienced eye injury recently and are noticing sunken eyes symptoms, you should have your doctor look into that.
5. Significant weight loss
Your weight loss journey might come with an unintended consequence--sunken eyes! When you shed weight, you lose it everywhere, including the fat paddings in your face. As a result, your face becomes slimmer. However, if you lose a lot of weight rapidly or too much at once, your orbital fatty tissue might atrophy. This can give your eyes that hollow effect.
6. Underlying Medical Conditions
While sunken eyes are usually not anything to worry about, there are times when they can be a sign of a bigger health concern. Certain underlying medical conditions can contribute to the appearance of sunken eyes.
A temporary condition like allergies or a sinus infection can make your eyes appear sunken and hollow. On the other hand, more severe health conditions like thyroid disease can cause under-eye hollows. Certain types of cancer may also be the culprit.
You should always seek medical advice for sunken eyes if you are concerned that they indicate a more significant health concern.

Sunken Eyes vs Normal Eyes
Sunken eyes vs normal eyes - not sure which one you have? It's nothing to worry about if you do have dark circles, but you can easily tell if you have them. If you have dark circles under your eyes, or your eyes have a "hollowed" look about them, then you have sunken eyes.
The skin around your eyes is very delicate and thin. With very minor lifestyle changes, or even temporary circumstances involving stress or fatigue, the skin around your eyes can change. If you have dark circles, just know that the fix is very simple. Oftentimes, correcting any of the main sunken eyes causes, above, will help you.
However, if you do have dramatic dark circles, that's where medical aesthetic clinics are here to help.
How To Get Rid of Sunken Eyes
As you can see, there are many potential reasons behind the appearance of sunken eyes. That doesn't mean you can't do anything about it.
If you want to get rid of under-eye hollows, you need a two-prong approach:
- Deal with the cause behind your sunken eyes. While this will prevent the condtion from getting worse, it many cases it does little to undo the damage caused.
- That's why you might need step two. Find a remedy to reverse the effect or, at the very least, minimise the appearance.
Before we get down to it, if your sunken eyes are due to allergies or a sinus infection, talk to your doctor about eye drops, antihistamines, or antibiotics. Using a medication could be all you need to do. If it's due to a different cause, then that might call for a little more work.
Dealing with the cause
Ageing might not be the only thing depreciating your collagen reserves.
- If you smoke, quit! At first glance, it might not seem like smoking has much to do with your sunken eyes. But it does! Smoking destroys collagen. As we've already mentioned, collagen is the protein that gives your skin shape and resilience. It provides the structure that keeps your skin from sagging. When it comes to preventing and getting rid of sunken eyes as well as eye wrinkles, you can no longer afford to puff away.
- Beauty sleep is real! As you rest, your skin takes the time to rebuild itself. So when you cut corners on sleep, you're robbing your skin out of much-needed recharge. Worse still, you'll end up with dark circles, which only makes sunken eyes look even more apparent.
- Drink plenty of water and take it easy when it comes to caffeine and alcohol. These are diuretics and can dehydrate your skin. Also, replinish yor skin mositures with a quality eye cream. We recommend AluminEye as it effectively tackles the appearance of dark circles and puffiness while leaving the skin under your eyes plump and hydrated..
- If sunken eyes appear to worsen with time, despite trying these remedies, and if they are accompanied by other symptoms, you should go and see your doctor.
Are you tired of those stubborn under-eye dark circles? Say goodbye to panda eyes and discover effective solutions with our latest article on "How to Get Rid of Under Eye Dark Circles (And What Causes Them)." Learn the top causes behind this common concern and uncover practical tips to banish those shadows for good.
Don't let dark circles hold you back—click here to access the article and reveal the secrets to bright, beautiful eyes.

Under Eye Filler: The Ultimate Treatment for Sunken Eyes
What if your sunken eyes are due to genetics or ageing? Sadly, you can't reverse any of these two causes. Therefore, you need to find an alternative solution. We recommend under eye filler treatment to smoothen and add volume to the under-eye area. This is also known as trough filler.
Our bodies naturally produce hyaluronic acid, so HA dermal fillers rarely cause severe side effects such as allergic reactions and lumps. This is a big plus for the delicate area under the eyes.
Also, thanks to the small surface area of the under-eye region, this non-surgical treatment doesn’t require loads of injections. Your procedure will be done in fifteen minutes and the benefits are noticeable as soon as it’s injected.
Learn more about under eye fillers
Learn more on our under-eye filler treatment page. You can also learn about under eye filler cost ahead of time to see if this treatment might be right for you (it may be much less expensive than you think).
You should also know that it is possible to have a botched tear trough filler treatment. However, though these kind of situations get lots of views on the web, they're actually extremely rare. In reality, under eye filler treatments are safe and highly effective.

Blepharoplasty: Eyelid Lift
One option people turn to is Blepharoplasty, or eyelid lift. This cosmetic surgery can reduce the appearance of sunken eyes by removing the excess skin and fat from around the eyes.
Eyelid lift risk
It's important to understand that blepharoplasty does come with some degree of risk. Some of the potential complications include:
- Difficulty closing your eyes or other eyelid problems
- Noticeable scarring
- Injury to eye muscles
- Skin discolouration
- The need for a follow-up surgery
That's why we recommend getting hyaluronic acid fillers instead. This treatment option will offer fantastic results with minimal downside. To find out if you are a good candidate for this sunken eye treatment, talk to our friendly staff today.
Or, visit the Dr. Aesthetica medical aesthetic clinic homepage to learn more about scheduling your treatment with our office.
Laser Treatment for Dark Circles
You can also get laser treatment for dark circles. Laser for dark circles is a precise treatment, is customisable, stimulates collagen, and shows results almost immediately. If you want to have your sunken eyes returned to normal, this may also be an excellent option for you.