All About Festoons vs Eye Bags: The Key Differences

What is the main difference between eye bags and festoons? Eye bags are made of fat that pushes out right under your eye. Festoons are made of swollen skin and fluid that sit much lower on your cheek. People often mix them up, but they are two totally different things. Eye bags make you look tired right below the lashes, while the other makes your cheeks look very puffy. Knowing the difference helps you find the right fix to look fresh again. I have helped people with both of these problems for over nineteen years.

Understanding Regular Eye Bags

As we get older, the skin around our eyes gets very weak. The fat that protects our eyeball starts to slip forward over time. When this fat pushes out, it makes a puffy bump right under the eyelashes. This puffiness is what we call a normal eye bag. They are mostly made of fat, not extra water or fluid. These bags can make you look very sleepy even when you feel great. Many people visit Boston Eyelid to make these tired bumps go away forever.

Learning About Festoons

festoons are a totally different problem from regular fat bags. They do not sit high up against your eyeball like a fat bag does. Instead, they sit much lower down where your cheek meets your eyelid. They look like little hammocks of swollen skin and trapped water. If you poke them very gently, they feel quite squishy and very soft. These puffy spots can look much worse in the morning when you wake up. They can also look worse if you eat lots of salty foods for dinner.

What Are Malar Bags?

You might hear the term malar bags used by your face doctor. This is just another medical name for the exact same cheek swelling. The tricky word “malar” simply means cheek bone in doctor language. So, these are puffy fluid bags that sit right over your hard cheek bones. They are the exact same annoying problem as a festoon. Some doctors use both words to talk about the very same puffy spot. No matter what name you use, they can be very hard to treat without a true expert.

Where Exactly Do They Show Up?

It is very easy to tell them apart if you look closely in your mirror. You just need to see where the big swelling rests on your face.

• Regular eye bags sit very high up on your face.
• They start right under your lower eyelashes and stop before your cheek.
• Swollen malar bags start way down below the normal eye bag area.
• They sit heavily right on top of your hard cheek bone. Paying close attention to this exact spot helps us know how to help you.

Why Do We Get Eye Bags?

There are a few big reasons why people get regular bags under their eyes. The biggest reason is just getting older and having lots of birthdays. Over many years, the thin wall that holds our eye fat back gets very weak. When that thin wall stretches out, the fat slips right through it. Another big reason is your family tree and your special genes. If your parents had under eye bumps, you will probably get them too. Sometimes bad plant allergies can also make this top area look a little bit more puffy.

Why Do We Get Festoons?

The reasons for cheek swelling are a little bit different than for fat bags. Sun damage is one of the biggest reasons why people get festoons. When you get too much bright sun, it hurts the stretchy parts of your skin. The sun makes the thin skin and muscle on your cheek very loose and weak. When the skin gets loose, normal body fluid gets stuck in that spot. Smoking cigarettes can also make this bad cheek swelling happen much faster. Having very fair skin can also mean you might get them more easily.

How Does Aging Change Our Eyes?

Getting older changes our face in many different ways over time. Our skin stops making the special glue that keeps it tight and bouncy. Without this bouncy glue, our face skin starts to droop down toward the floor. The muscles around our eyes also get tired and very thin. When everything gets loose, it leaves space for fat and fluid to bulge out. This is perfectly normal, but it can make us look sad or mad. We can help you fix these normal changes at Boston Eyelid.

Can The Sun Make Things Worse?

The bright sun is not a good friend to your soft face skin. Hot sun rays break down the strong walls inside your lower cheeks. This damage is a huge reason why these puffy bags start to grow big. People who spend years in the sun without a hat see more damage. The skin becomes like a loose old sweater that has lost its nice shape. Wearing dark sunglasses and strong sun cream every single day is super important. Good habits can stop the sun from making your cheeks look even puffier.

Do Salty Foods Cause Face Swelling?

What you eat and drink can change how your face looks every day. Eating too much salty food makes your whole body hold onto extra water. This extra water loves to hide in the loose skin of your cheeks.

• Eating salty chips makes cheek swelling look much bigger very fast.
• Drinking lots of pure water helps flush the bad salt away.
• Getting a good night of sleep also helps the water drain away. Changing what you eat can help your puffy cheeks look a tiny bit better.

Can Fancy Creams Fix Eye Bags?

Many people buy very expensive creams to try and fix their tired eyes. Sadly, no magic cream can push the loose fat back behind your eye. Creams can only help make the very top layer of your skin feel soft. They cannot tighten the weak wall that is letting the fat bulge out. If you have real fat bags, you need a doctor to help move the fat. Do not spend all your money on tiny jars that make big promises. Surgery is usually the only real way to fix the bulging fat for good.

Can Fancy Creams Fix Malar Bags?

Creams are also not very good at fixing big cheek swelling. Loose malar bags are caused by broken muscle and trapped water deep inside. Lotion cannot reach deep enough to fix the broken muscle or drain the water. Some cool gels might make the puffiness go down for just a few minutes. But the heavy swelling will always come right back later in the day. You need a deeper treatment to make the loose cheek skin tight again. Your doctor can tell you what treatments will actually work for your cheeks.

What Is The Best Fix For Eye Bags?

The best and longest lasting fix for fat bags is a small surgery. This tiny surgery is called a lower eyelid blepharoplasty. During this quick fix, the doctor hides a tiny cut inside your pink eyelid. Then, they gently remove or move the extra fat that is bulging out. Because the cut is hidden inside, you do not see any scary scars later. This makes the area right under your eyelashes look very smooth and flat again. Most people heal very fast and look wonderfully awake after this gentle fix.

What Is The Best Fix For Cheek Swelling?

Treating cheek swelling takes a completely different plan than treating fat bags. Surgery does not always work well for fluid trapped in the loose cheeks. Sometimes, doctors use strong heat lasers to peel and tighten the cheek skin. Lasers help build brand new, tight skin that holds the fluid back better. Other times, special medicines can be used to help the swollen area shrink down. Every single face is different, so we always make a special plan just for you. We know exactly how to treat these tricky spots with very safe tools.

Why Choose Us For Your Face?

You always want to pick a doctor who knows all about the eyes. I have spent nineteen long years helping people fix their puffy eyes and cheeks. I know exactly how to tell the difference between fat and extra fluid. We treat every single person like they are our own dear family members. Our office provides the best customer service to make you feel very safe. We want you to be totally happy with your fresh new look. You can trust Boston Eyelid to take great care of your beautiful face.

How To Get Ready For Your Visit

Getting ready for your first visit with us is very easy and fun. You should write down any big questions you have on a piece of paper. Bring a list of all the pills or vitamins you take every single day. We will sit down and look very closely at your eyes and your cheeks. We will talk about what bothers you the most when you look in the mirror. Then, we will make a safe plan to help you reach your goals. We always make sure you understand everything before you leave our friendly office.

What To Expect After Your Treatment

Healing after an eye or cheek treatment takes a little bit of time. You will need to rest at home and use cool ice packs on your face.

• Your face might look a little bit black and blue for a few days.
• You might feel a tiny bit sore, but it does not hurt very much.
• We will give you simple rules to follow to help you heal fast.
• Most people can go back to reading and watching TV very quickly. Soon, you will look in the mirror and see a bright, happy face looking back!

Conclusion

Now you know the big difference between puffy eye bags and swollen cheek festoons. Fat bags happen right under the lashes, and fluid bags happen lower on the cheek. They both make you look sleepy, but they need totally different types of fixes. Using the wrong fix will not make your tired face look any better. That is why seeing an eyelid expert is the smartest choice you can make. We would love to help you find the perfect treatment for your unique face. Call us today to start your journey to a brighter, younger looking you!