Episode 31: The Eyes, Explained: Hooding, Under-Eye Bags, and More with Dr. Sarah Avila

<p>A year ago, Dr. Sarah Avila did my eyelid surgery, and the questions haven&#39;t stopped since. So I finally brought her on to answer them. Dr. Sarah Avila is the board-certified oculoplastic surgeon who performed my own upper eyelid surgery, and after all the questions that experience generated, I knew I had to bring her on. An oculoplastic surgeon specializes entirely in the upper face and everything to do with the eyes: the eyelids, brows, the lacrimal (tear) system, and the eye socket.</p><p>We start with something most people never consider, that the eyes have to function before they can look good. From there we get practical. We get honest about the non-surgical options too: when under-eye filler genuinely helps and when it backfires, what PRP and PRF can and can&#39;t do, and her candid, study-informed take on PDGF, the injectable that&#39;s everywhere in Miami right now. We talk about the skin pinch trend and why she&#39;s seeing complications from it, when surgery is genuinely the better value, and why she&#39;ll never give you a &quot;trendy&quot; result.</p><p>A quick and important note: this is an educational conversation about aesthetic and surgical options, not medical advice, and it reflects our guest&#39;s clinical perspective. Every concern discussed is deeply individual, and as Sarah says, there&#39;s no substitute for a real, in-person consultation with a qualified provider.</p><p>Whether you&#39;ve thought about eye surgery or just want to understand what you see in the mirror, this one is full of clarity.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Additional info: </strong>A landmark study published in PLOS ONE analyzed data from 16,408 adults to measure the exact mental health impact of dry eyes. The researchers found the following risk metrics: </p><ul><li><p><strong>Suicidal Ideation Risk (Diagnosed DED)</strong>: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of dry eye disease had a 1.24 times higher risk (an increased odds ratio of 24%) of experiencing suicidal thoughts.</p></li><li><p><strong>Suicidal Ideation Risk (Severe Symptoms):</strong> Patients experiencing active, painful dry eye symptoms had a 1.47 times higher risk (an increased odds ratio of 47%) of suicidal thoughts compared to healthy peers.</p></li><li><p><strong>Depression Risk:</strong> Those with active dry eye symptoms had a 1.50 times higher risk of developing clinical depression.</p></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Follow us</strong></p><p>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mimi_a