Under Eye Fillers in Singapore
Under eye filler, also called tear trough filler, softens the hollow running from the inner corner of the eye across the top of the cheek, using a small amount of hyaluronic acid (HA) filler placed deep against the bone. Under eye fillers in Singapore are performed here by Dr Gerard Ee, MBBS (UK), MRCS (Edinburgh), PGDip Practical Dermatology (Cardiff). Only HA fillers are used in this area, and the reason is below.
At a glance
| Filler used | HA filler only. No CaHA or PCL fillers are used under the eye. |
| Price | $1,200 per syringe, before GST. Review appointment included. |
| Session | About 20 minutes |
| Volume needed | 1ml in total, roughly half a millilitre a side. One syringe is 1ml. |
| Sessions needed | Usually one visit |
| Results | Visible immediately, settling over 2 to 4 weeks |
| Downtime | 3 to 7 days of swelling, bruising is common here |
| Reversible | Yes, dissolved with hyaluronidase |
The question that decides everything
Under eye filler treats a hollow. It does not treat a bag. That single distinction decides whether this treatment will work for you, and it is why a good result here depends far more on patient selection than on product or technique.
A hollow is a loss of volume, a groove where the lower lid meets the cheek, and filler fills it. A bag is the fat pad that cushions your eye pushing forward through the thin sheet of tissue that normally holds it back, and no injection removes fat or repairs that sheet. Filling in front of a true bag leaves the bag exactly where it was while adding volume in front of it, so the lid ends up fuller rather than smoother. The two look similar in the mirror and behave completely differently under a needle.
Most people have some of both, and working out the proportion is what the consultation is for. If the bag dominates, I will say that filler is the wrong treatment rather than inject it anyway. The full explanation is in why tear trough fillers can make true eye bags worse and in eye bags vs tear troughs. If it turns out to be a bag, the options are set out in how I choose between eye bag treatments.
Why only HA fillers here
Everywhere else on the face there is a reasonable argument for a collagen stimulator, because the tissue is thick enough to hide a firmer product, and this clinic offers both CaHA and PCL fillers. Under the eye there is not.
The first reason is reversibility. The skin under the eye is the thinnest on the face and the margin for error is measured in fractions of a millilitre. If the result is lumpy, asymmetric or simply too full, an HA filler can be dissolved with hyaluronidase within hours. A CaHA or PCL filler cannot be, because no enzyme removes it. Nothing about this area justifies giving up that option.
The second is behaviour. Stimulators work by prompting the body to lay down firmer tissue, and that is not what you want under a lid this thin and this mobile. The firmness can be felt through the skin, it can show as an uneven contour rather than a smooth one, and no enzyme removes it. An HA filler placed deep and in a small amount suits the tissue far better, and where the problem is skin quality rather than volume, under-eye skinboosters are the better fit.
What under eye fillers cost in Singapore
Under eye filler is $1,200 per syringe, before GST, and that includes your review appointment.
It is priced above the HA filler used at the other sites here, which is $800, because the under eye takes longer, uses a slower and more cautious technique, and needs correcting more often than any other area on the face. This is a fixed price, not a starting price. A typical treatment is one syringe covering both sides. The consultation is charged separately and waived if you go ahead on the day.
How much filler will I need
A typical treatment is 1ml in total, roughly half a millilitre a side. That restraint is the point of the area rather than a limitation of it. Adding more under the eye does not improve the result, it produces puffiness.
One syringe is 1ml, so a typical under eye treatment is a single syringe covering both sides.
What happens on the day
I work out how much of what you are seeing is hollow and how much is bag, check your skin quality and the position of your lower lid, and tell you whether filler will improve it. If it will not, that is where it ends, and I will explain why rather than leave it as a no. If it will, numbing cream goes on and a small amount of gel is placed deep, on the bone, below the level where it could show through the skin. The injection takes about twenty minutes and uses less material than most people expect.
Afterwards
Keep the area clean and leave it alone. No pressing, rubbing or massaging for two weeks. Sleep with your head slightly raised for the first few nights, since this area holds fluid more than any other. No strenuous exercise, alcohol or very hot environments for 24 to 48 hours, and be strict about the alcohol because it makes the swelling noticeably worse. Sunscreen goes on daily.
Swelling and bruising settle over three to seven days, and bruising is more common under the eye than elsewhere. The final result takes longer to read here than in other areas, two to four weeks rather than one to two, which is why the review is set accordingly and why nothing should be added before then.
Contact the clinic straight away, not at your review, if you develop increasing pain rather than settling discomfort, blanching or dusky discolouration of the skin, or any change in vision. These are uncommon, and they are treatable when treated early, which is why the call should not wait.
When it is not suitable
Filler is postponed or declined with an active skin infection over the area, in pregnancy or breastfeeding, with a known allergy to a component of the product, and where an autoimmune or connective tissue condition is active. Blood-thinning medication is not an absolute barrier but raises the bruising risk considerably here.
Three situations make under eye filler a poor choice specifically. The first is a true eye bag, for the reason above. The second is a lower lid that already holds fluid, puffs up in the morning or swells with salt or allergy, because HA draws water in and will make that worse. The third is very loose lower lid skin, where adding volume to tissue that has lost its support produces weight rather than smoothness. If any of the three applies to you, I will say so and tell you what would actually help.
Why more is not better
Two things make over-filling under the eye worse than over-filling anywhere else.
The first is that HA draws water into the tissue, and the lower lid is the part of the face most prone to holding it. That is malar oedema, a soft puffiness sitting on the upper cheek that appears weeks or months after treatment and is often mistaken for a result that needs topping up. It does not. It needs the filler dissolved.
The second is duration. Filler under the eye lasts far longer than most people expect, because the area barely moves. Material placed years ago is often still there, and how long results actually last is worth reading before you agree to a second syringe.
Safety
The under eye area sits at the top of the midface where several arteries meet, and the reassurance that deep injection is automatically safe needs qualifying.
There are two risky places in this area. One is injecting too close to the surface across the middle of the cheek. The other is injecting right down on the bone when correcting the hollow under the eye, which is exactly the layer usually described as the safe one, because filler can travel backwards through a blood vessel from there. An artery under the eye joins the vessels running towards the nose and the eye itself, which is how filler placed below the eye can reach the eye.
Before injecting I draw back on the syringe to check the needle is not sitting in a blood vessel, then use low pressure and very small amounts delivered slowly, keeping to the entry points known to be safest. Hyaluronidase is kept in the room, and that is not a formality. It is the reason no other class of filler is used here.
Common questions
How much do under eye fillers cost in Singapore?
Under eye filler is $1,200 per syringe, before GST, including the review appointment. It is priced above the HA filler used at the other sites here, which is $800, because the under eye takes longer, uses a more cautious technique and needs correcting more often than any other area of the face. The consultation is charged separately and waived if you proceed on the day.
Are under eye fillers worth it?
For a genuine hollow, yes, it is. It is one of the more reliably satisfying treatments on the face when the right people are selected for it. For a true eye bag, no, at any price, because filler cannot remove fat and filling in front of a bag makes the lid fuller rather than smoother.
What is the difference between under eye filler and tear trough filler?
They are the same treatment, described by two names because one names the anatomy and the other names the area. The tear trough is the groove running from the inner corner of the eye across the top of the cheek, and it is the specific hollow that under eye filler addresses.
How long do under eye fillers last?
Under eye filler lasts longer than most people expect, because the area barely moves. Filler placed under the eye is often still there years after a single treatment, which is worth knowing before you agree to a second syringe.
Does the filler completely dissolve away?
Eventually, but much more slowly than under-eye patients expect, because the area barely moves. Residual filler is commonly still present years after a single treatment. It can also be dissolved on purpose with hyaluronidase at any point, which is the reason no other class of filler is used here.
Can under eye filler fix dark circles?
It depends on the cause. Dark circles from a shadow cast by a hollow improve, because the hollow is casting the shadow. Pigmentation in the skin, or visible vessels through thin skin, do not improve with filler. Which treatment works for each type of dark circle sets out the rest, and if yours flare with a blocked nose, treating the rhinitis often matters more.
What is the Tyndall effect?
A blue-grey tint that can appear when an HA filler is placed too close to the surface under thin skin and scatters the light passing through it. It is uncommon, and it is avoided by placing the gel deep, down on the bone. If it does happen, it is corrected by dissolving the filler.
Will it make my eyes puffy?
It can, if too much is used or if your lower lids already hold fluid. HA draws water into the tissue, and the resulting puffiness on the upper cheek is called malar oedema. It is treated by dissolving the filler, not by adding more.
What are the side effects?
Swelling and bruising are the common ones, and both settle. Redness is less common. Some people get a visible lump or an uneven contour, and that is the main reason this area is treated cautiously and reviewed before anything more is added. The rare serious one is filler getting into a blood vessel, which can damage the skin or affect sight.
Do under eye fillers hurt?
Numbing cream is applied first and left on until the skin is numb. Most patients describe pressure rather than pain. The inner corner, nearest the nose, is the most sensitive part, which is why it is injected slowly and in small amounts.
Who performs the treatment
Dr Gerard Ee, MBBS (UK), MRCS (Edinburgh), PGDip Practical Dermatology (Cardiff). He trained and practised in orthopaedic surgery at Singapore General Hospital and the National University Hospital before moving into aesthetic medicine, and is the author of sixteen peer-reviewed papers, thirteen of them indexed in PubMed.
More about the training is on the about page, and the published work is listed on the publications page.
Where to find us
50 Raffles Place, #01-01 Singapore Land Tower, Singapore 048623. Telephone 6532 2048. Raffles Place MRT is a two-minute walk.
Monday to Friday, 10am to 8pm. Saturday, 10am to 5pm.
