VF Lift around the eyes:
the brow, the upper lids and the under-eye

What the VF Lift does around the eyes, and what it does not

Around the eyes, the VF Lift is used for two different jobs. Above the eye it lifts: the VF Lift – Vertical Facelift can lift droopy upper eyes and is used as a non-surgical alternative to blepharoplasty where suitable. On live pages this upper-face work is called the VF Periorbital Eyelift: Volnewmer monopolar radiofrequency directed at the forehead, brow, temple and periorbital support, along vertical vectors, so the tissue is encouraged to sit higher rather than simply tighter. Below the eye it restores: the Restore mode is used under the eyes, where it is also directed at eye shape and fine lines.

It is radiofrequency, never ultrasound, and nothing is injected. It is not performed over the eye itself, and the thin skin near the orbit is treated conservatively. Three things sit outside it:

• True ptosis, where the muscle that raises the lid has weakened.
• A fold of skin resting on the lashes, which blepharoplasty removes.
• Herniated fat bags under the eye, which no energy device removes.

Each is referred for a surgical opinion rather than treated around. Dr Sin Yong screens for ptosis at every eyelid assessment.

Droopy upper eyelids: brow, lid skin or ptosis?

A hooded upper eyelid can come from three places, and the plan depends on which. The brow can descend and push the lid skin down from above. The lid skin itself can lose elasticity and fold over the lash line. Or the lid margin can sit low over the iris because the lifting muscle has weakened. The first two are treated without surgery in Dr Sin Yong's practice; the third is not.

Dr Sin Yong lifts first and resurfaces second, because treating skin that is about to move wastes the step. Time Freeze Laser LCLR® is another option for lax upper-lid skin, and the Thermage eye tip is also used for crepey lids. The two main protocols are set side by side on FSX Laser vs VF Lift for droopy eyelids, and every non-surgical route is on non-surgical eyelid lift.

“If lifting the brow with my fingertip opens the eye, the problem is above the lid. If the lid edge itself sits low, no device will fix it, and I refer.”

Dr Sin YongOn treating the eye area with the VF Lift

VF Lift under the eyes: Restore for hollows, eye shape and fine lines

Under the eyes, the VF Lift is set to Restore. The mode is customised to hollow areas and used to stimulate the patient's own fat to regenerate, so any change builds gradually rather than appearing on the day. Under the eyes it is also directed at eye shape and fine lines. It is delivered with the small I tip, the manufacturer's tip for the eyes, nose and marionette lines, at conservative settings over thin skin near the orbital rim.

The under-eye is examined before anything is set, because three findings look alike in the mirror:

• A hollow, where fat has deflated. This is the Restore question.
• A fat bag, where fat has pushed forward. Restore does not remove it, and herniated fat is referred for a surgical opinion. The options are compared on eye bag removal.
• Thin, crepey skin, which is a skin-quality question. FSX Laser and Time Freeze Laser LCLR® are both used for lax or finely wrinkled lower-lid skin.

Earlier under-eye filler changes the order. Where filler is suspected, it is mapped with ultrasound, and nothing is planned until the scan is clear. Puffiness from hyaluronic acid that has moved is dissolved first. Because no product is placed, Restore adds nothing that could migrate into a puffy band under the eye. How much change is seen varies between people and with age.

Who suits the VF Lift around the eyes, and the risks

The eye area suits the VF Lift when the brow has settled lower with an intact crease, when an under-eye hollow is soft tissue rather than a fat bag, and when the person prefers no incisions and accepts a gradual response. It is often planned with the temples and forehead, because a hollow temple lets the tail of the brow fall and makes the eye look tired; see VF Lift for temples and forehead.

The general exclusions apply: a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device rules it out, pregnancy and active infection or a cold sore mean waiting, and recent filler near the eye is timed around. Expected effects are warmth, redness and mild swelling, which collects where tissue is loosest and can look uneven under the eyes if you sleep on one side. Less commonly, too much heat can cause a blister or crust, a patch of altered sensation, or a dent over thin skin, and in darker skin any surface injury can be followed by temporary pigment change. A brow that will not lift, or any other change in facial movement, should be reported the same day. The full list is on VF Lift aftercare.