All About Tear Troughs: How They Differ from Eye Bags & Aegyo Sal — Plus 4 Ways to Brighten Your Under-Eyes

Tired, sunken eyes can instantly age your appearance, and one of the biggest culprits is tear troughs — a common yet often misunderstood under-eye concern. Many women confuse tear troughs with eye bags, dark circles, or aegyo sal (the Korean term for cute under-eye fat). In this post, we’ll help you spot the difference and explore 4 effective ways to reduce tear troughs for brighter, more youthful eyes.

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What Are Tear Troughs, Eye Bags, Aegyo Sal, and Dark Circles?

The under-eye area is delicate, and it’s prone to multiple overlapping issues. Alongside fine lines, four main concerns commonly affect the appearance of the eyes: tear troughs, eye bags, aegyo sal, and dark circles. Here’s how to tell them apart:

1. Tear Troughs

Tear troughs are the hollow grooves that run from the inner corners of the eyes down along the orbital bone. In more severe cases, they can extend toward the sides of the nose. These indentations create shadows and give the appearance of tired, sunken eyes. If you notice deeper shadows under your eyes when tilting your head slightly down, or a visible depression from a side view, you’re likely dealing with tear troughs.

Tear troughs often appear alongside dark circles and eye bags, intensifying the look of fatigue and aging.

2. Eye Bags

Eye bags form when the muscles under the eyes weaken, causing fat to bulge outward. This protrusion becomes more pronounced with age as collagen levels drop and the skin loses elasticity. Severe eye bags can sag down toward the cheekbones and may lead to the formation of tear troughs just below them.

3. Aegyo Sal (Under-Eye Fat Pads)

Unlike eye bags, aegyo sal refers to the small, plump band of muscle just beneath the lower lash line — often considered attractive in East Asian beauty standards. These soft pads are visible when you smile and stretch from the inner to outer corners of the eyes. They’re associated with youthfulness and a cheerful expression.

Many people confuse aegyo sal with eye bags, but the difference lies in their position and appearance: aegyo sal sits right under the lashes and looks perky, while eye bags are puffier, droopier, and sit further below.

4. Dark Circles

Dark circles are typically caused by poor blood circulation or pigmentation under the eyes, leading to shadows and discoloration. They can appear bluish, purplish, or grey depending on the cause. Lack of sleep is a common trigger, and in many cases, tear troughs make the discoloration appear even darker.

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The 4 Types of Tear Troughs

Since tear troughs often appear alongside eye bags and dark circles, it can be hard to determine what you’re actually dealing with. Here are the four common types of tear troughs and how to identify them:

1. Structural (Ligament-Related) Tear Troughs

These are typically hereditary. If your tear troughs have been noticeable since childhood, it’s likely due to the way your eye bones or muscles developed. Over time, the natural aging process — including skin laxity and fat loss — can make genetically-influenced tear troughs more pronounced.

2. Eye Bag-Induced Tear Troughs

When fat bulges out to form eye bags, it creates a sharp contrast with the area just beneath, forming a groove — the tear trough. In these cases, treating the eye bags is key to improving the appearance of the tear trough.

3. Sagging-Related Tear Troughs

Aging is one of the main causes of tear trough formation. As collagen and hyaluronic acid decline with age, the skin loses firmness. The under-eye skin, which is particularly thin, becomes more vulnerable to sagging. When fat from the cheekbones shifts downward, the hollow under the eyes becomes more noticeable.

4. Muscle-Related Tear Troughs

The orbicularis oculi muscle surrounds the eye, and in some people, it can become overly thick or prominent. If your tear troughs seem to shift or change depth depending on your facial expression, it may be due to hypertrophy (thickening) of this muscle.

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Why Do Tear Troughs Develop?

Many women wake up one day and suddenly notice a deep groove under their eyes — but tear troughs often form gradually over time, influenced by both genetics and lifestyle. Here are four common contributing factors:

1. Rubbing Your Eyes

Frequent eye-rubbing — whether from allergies, tiredness, or habit — can stretch and damage the delicate under-eye skin, leading to sagging and pigmentation buildup. Over time, this can worsen tear troughs, eye bags, and dark circles.

2. Lack of Sleep

Irregular sleep patterns and chronic sleep deprivation slow down circulation and cellular repair, particularly around the eyes. This speeds up aging and leads to issues like puffiness, discoloration, and — you guessed it — tear troughs.

3. Too Much Screen Time

Endless scrolling and screen exposure strain the eyes, making them more prone to fatigue and weakening the skin around them. Overuse of digital devices is also linked to premature signs of aging and vision problems.

4. Natural Aging

As we age, it’s only natural for collagen and fat to decrease, especially around the thin-skinned eye area. This leads to skin laxity, hollowness, and the development of tear troughs, even in people who previously didn’t have them.

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How to Minimize Tear Troughs with Makeup

Makeup can offer a quick fix to disguise tear troughs and brighten up the eyes. Many women use concealer to blur out the shadows and create a more even skin tone.

Here’s how to do it right:

• Use a concealer that’s 1–2 shades lighter than your skin tone. Dot it along the tear trough area.
• Blend gently using your fingertips or a beauty tool.
• Follow up with a skin-tone concealer to soften the contrast, blending everything seamlessly.

While makeup can help visually reduce tear troughs, it’s not a long-term solution. Heavy concealer use can sometimes worsen pigmentation over time, so it’s best used sparingly and in combination with proper skincare.

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Can Eye Creams Help with Tear Troughs?

Eye creams are a staple in many skincare routines, especially those claiming to firm or lift the delicate under-eye area. Consistent use can help improve hydration and delay premature aging.

Massaging in a small amount of eye cream daily can support the skin’s texture, but its effectiveness on tear troughs is mixed — especially for more severe cases. Most tear troughs are caused by volume loss or fat protrusion, which topical creams can’t fully reverse. Eye creams also can’t penetrate deep enough into the dermis to rebuild collagen or eliminate excess fat.

So while eye creams may help improve the overall condition of your under-eye area, they’re unlikely to completely erase tear troughs on their own.

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Can Eye Massage Help With Tear Troughs?

If you’re into eye care, you’ve probably heard that eye massage can help firm up the skin around your eyes — and there’s actually science behind it. But while it may seem simple, there’s a right way to do it if you want real results, especially when targeting tear troughs.

Why Massage Can Reduce Tear Troughs

Many dermatologists and skincare experts believe poor blood circulation around the eyes plays a major role in common under-eye concerns — including tear troughs. When blood flow is sluggish, toxins and fluids can build up in the area, making the skin appear puffy and tired, and accelerating aging.

Massage helps stimulate circulation, boost metabolism, drain fluid buildup, and encourage collagen production — all of which can help firm the under-eye area and soften the appearance of tear troughs.

7-Step Japanese Eye Massage Technique

A Japanese beauty expert developed a 7-step massage routine that helps improve tear troughs while boosting overall eye radiance. It’s easy to do at home and doesn’t require any tools.

Step 1: Start by stretching your neck and shoulders. Place your hands on your shoulders and gently rotate your head from side to side for about 45 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

Step 2: Use your fingertips to press (not scratch!) your scalp in circular motions for 15 seconds to enhance scalp and facial blood flow.

Step 3: Gently massage around your ears using circular motions, working from top to bottom. Stop when you feel a warming sensation — that means your circulation is kicking in.

Step 4: Lightly pinch the skin at your temples using your index finger and thumb, and gently lift it upwards. Don’t tug too hard — a soft upward motion is enough.

Step 5: Use your knuckles to massage the muscle along your brow line — from the inner to outer brow — in slow circles. You should feel the bone under your eyebrows being stimulated.

Step 6: Time for some eye muscle training! Hold one finger in front of you at eye level and slowly move it side to side. Keep your eyes fixed on the finger, following it with your gaze to work out your eye muscles.

Step 7: Finish with a “visual breathing” technique. As you inhale, imagine pulling the fat under your eyes back toward the center of your face. Purse your lips slightly as you do this — it helps engage the eye area muscles and tighten under-eye fat.

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Tear Trough Fillers: The Surgical (But Minimally Invasive) Fix

For more dramatic or long-lasting results, some people opt for tear trough filler procedures — a minimally invasive way to restore volume and reduce shadows.

By injecting a filler into the under-eye hollow, the skin becomes plumper and smoother, helping to soften tear troughs, eye bags, and even fine lines.

How It Works

This procedure involves using injectable fillers to replace lost volume in the tear trough area. As we age, we lose collagen and hyaluronic acid, which weakens the skin’s structure and creates space between skin cells. That’s when hollowness, sagging, and wrinkles develop.

By injecting fillers into the area, you help fill in these gaps and support the under-eye tissue. This restores volume and elasticity, reducing the appearance of tear troughs. In some cases, lower eyelid surgery (for eye bags) can also help improve tear troughs — treating both concerns in one go.

Filler Types: Hyaluronic Acid vs. Fat Grafting

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Fillers

• HA is a naturally occurring substance in the body, so allergic reactions are rare.
• It holds moisture well and makes skin appear plumper and more hydrated.
• Results are immediate, with no downtime, and last around 6 to 18 months.
• The procedure takes 30 to 60 minutes.

Autologous Fat Grafting (Fat Transfer)

• Uses your own body fat, typically taken from areas like the thighs or abdomen.
• Injected into the tear trough, inner and outer corners of the eyes.
• Offers sculpting benefits and longer-lasting results than HA fillers.
• Since it’s your own fat, there’s no risk of rejection.

That said, fat grafting is slightly more complex, and results can vary depending on how your body retains the fat over time.

Are There Any Risks?

Compared to surgical eye bag removal, filler treatments for tear troughs are relatively low risk. However, they still require a skilled and experienced injector.

• The success of the treatment depends on correct placement and dosage.
• Inexperienced injectors may leave uneven results or worsen the hollowing effect.
• HA fillers are temporary and will eventually be reabsorbed by the body.
• Fat grafting, while longer lasting, can be affected by future aging and skin changes — sometimes even leading to worsened eye bags or volume shifts.

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Want a Safer, Non-Invasive Way to Treat Tear Troughs? Try This "Upgraded" Eye Treatment

Not everyone feels comfortable with injectables — concerns over needles, scarring, or unpredictable costs can be off-putting. If you're looking for a non-invasive, needle-free alternative that still delivers visible results, there's a new-generation treatment worth trying.

Perfect Medical’s R6 Miracle Eye Rescue Treatment

This advanced medical-aesthetic treatment uses three types of radiofrequency (RF) energy to target the skin at different depths:

• It tightens the superficial, mid, and deep layers around the eyes.
• Boosts microcirculation to drain excess fluid and improve skin tone.
• Melts and reshapes under-eye fat to reduce puffiness.
• Stimulates collagen regeneration and repairs the skin’s support network.

The result? Firmer, smoother, more lifted under-eyes — with tear troughs and eye bags visibly reduced over time.

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