The safety of tear trough deformity treatment: an overview

In 2021, research conducted by McKinsey & Company indicated that the global aesthetics injectables market could grow by 12–14% annually over the following 5 years (Leclerc et al, 2021); as we enter 2024, 3 years into McKinsey's 5-year projections, it certainly seems that the use of minimally invasive cosmetic interventions is constantly growing, with 70% of consumers who took part in the 2023 American Society for Dermatologic Surgery's Consumer Survey stating that they were currently considering a cosmetic procedure. Indeed, tear trough (TT) treatment, in which dermal fillers are injected into the ‘under eye’ area (the infraorbital region), falls under this category of non-invasive cosmetic procedures that are in growing demand.

By adding volume through subcutaneous filler injection, TT treatment aims to address an individual's ‘dark circles’ or what is referred to in aesthetic medicine as a ‘TT deformity’, which, despite its name, is typically a genetically inherited trait or a natural consequence of the structural changes associated with ageing, including increased skin laxity, reduced soft tissue volume, changes in the orientation of retaining ligaments and resorption of bone (Nikolis et al, 2023).