How To Fix Tired-Looking Eyes Without Filler, According To Four NZ Skin Experts

Tired eyes are a telltale sign of late nights, dehydration, allergies or genetics.

The skin under your eyes is the thinnest, most fragile skin on your face, measuring around half a millimetre at its thickest, says Tania Cibulskis, founder and formulator of natural skincare brand Scenturie.

The under-eye area also produces fewer lipids because it has significantly lower density of sebaceous (oil-producing) glands, unlike the forehead, nose and cheeks, which pump out sebum to lubricate and protect skin.

This natural lack of lubrication and structural support means fine lines, dehydration and irritation tend to show up here first, long before they appear elsewhere on the face.

According to The Face Place director and cosmedicine doctor Dr Jenni Irvine, tired-looking eyes can make us appear older, when the goal should be to highlight eyes as a prime feature.

Cibulskis says the delicate anatomy of under-eyes means they’re more prone to structural shadowing and volume loss, causing eyes to appear sunken or “hollowed”.

Four experts share the topicals and treatments to brighten and plump the under-eye area for a well-rested look.

Bhavna Maharaj is the territory manager for iS Clinical in NZ and says the hollowed-out look is caused by a decline in collagen and elastin in the skin, alongside the shrinkage and downward shift of fat pads as we age (thank you, gravity).

While ageing is the primary cause of under-eye hollowing due to volume loss in the orbital area, Maharaj says it isn’t the only one.

“The most recent trend that we are currently seeing in the aesthetics industry is that it is caused by rapid weight loss with medications such as GLP-1,” she says.

“This reduces soft tissue and fat loss in the face and therefore the eye area, resulting in under-eye hollowing.”

Caci advisory board clinical director John Csapo-Camu adds that natural facial anatomy plays a significant role, with some people having naturally deeper tear troughs beneath their eyes, creating shadowing and a hollow appearance from a young age.

Csapo-Camu says there’s a difference between structural hollowing and dark circles, too. He cites dehydration, fatigue and lifestyle factors that make skin look dull, thin or dehydrated, exaggerating shadows and making existing hollows appear more noticeable.

“Pigmentation, visible blood vessels beneath thin skin and shadows created by the contours of the face can all contribute to that ‘tired eye’ appearance, and often there is more than one factor at play,” he says.

Cibulskis lists physiological factors that exaggerate that hollow look, including periorbital dehydration, hormonal fluctuations and oestrogen decline (in perimenopause and menopause), dietary triggers like high sodium or alcohol intake, sluggish circulation and chronic sinus issues or allergies which can make even slight hollows look much deeper.

Eye cream is an important step in any skincare routine, but for under-eye hollowing, our experts agree it’s not a miracle cure.

“It’s important to remember that skincare like an eye cream can’t replace lost volume, but it can make a noticeable difference to hydration, brightness, firmness and skin texture,” Csapo-Camu says.

“Improving those things can help the eye area appear plumper, smoother and less tired.”

Irvine says it’s important to seek out a formula specific to the issues you want to address, and just because a formula is expensive doesn’t always mean it’s the gold standard (she says The Ordinary is one of her favourite affordable skincare lines).

“Because the skin of the under-eye is so thin, it reflects the colour of the blood vessels underneath. So if we improve the quality of this skin, the dark circles can be minimised. Not all dark circles are hollowing,” she says.

The goal should be to use ingredients that help to deeply hydrate the skin to restore natural firmness, and strengthen the skin barrier so the under-eye area appears smooth and rested, Cibulskis adds.

Ingredients that support tissue repair and regeneration include vitamin C, peptides and sodium hyaluronate (a form of hyaluronic acid), which Maharaj says can stimulate the fibroblast cells responsible for producing proteins in skin like collagen, elastin, glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronic acid.

“Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that helps to lighten and brighten the shadowing under the eyes, which in turn may reduce the appearance of hollowing,” she says.

Cibulskis favours New Zealand natural botanicals including harakeke leaf extract and organic green tea leaf extract. The former is said to work hand-in-hand with hyaluronic acid to draw water to the upper epidermal layer (and keep it there), while the latter is rich in polyphenols and caffeine to soothe inflammation and stress while supporting microcirculation.

Volufiline is a buzzy new ingredient said to improve skin density on areas that appear sunken or hollow, including under the eyes, on the temples and around the cheeks.

No matter the eye cream you choose, our experts agree that wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day is a must, as Csapo-Camu says UV exposure can “contribute to collagen breakdown and pigmentation, both of which can make the eye area look older and more tired”.

Cibulskis is a fan of using targeted facial massage or gentle acupressure for two or three minutes morning and night to stimulate microcirculation, release tension and boost product absorption.

Stimulate circulation by “using your ring fingers to lightly tap across the orbital bone (like playing a gentle melody on piano keys) flushes pooled fluid and brings fresh, oxygen-rich blood to the surface”, she says.

Or for a gentle acupressure massage, “apply gentle, steady pressure with your fingertips to a few key spots – the inner corner of your brow bone, just above the middle of your eyebrow, and into the soft hollows of your temples. Relaxing that built-up tension allows the whole eye area to soften, rest, and look naturally more open and refreshed.”

She says fingers are best, and heeds caution when using rigid tools like a gua sha which she believes can cause micro-tears, broken capillaries or unnecessary stretching when used on delicate periorbital skin.

Maharaj agrees, adding that while she supports using holistic tools on the rest of the face, be wary of using them on under-eyes due to the number of tiny veins and blood vessels in this area.

“Gua sha is a great tool to reduce the appearance of puffiness, promote lymphatic drainage and increase blood flow but may do little else for under-eye hollowing,” she says.

Irvine says tear trough filler is her last resort as a treatment.

Her preference is to correct the structure around the orbital area without putting volume into the tear trough itself, using injectable skin boosters like Rejuran, Sunekos and NCTF135 HA that improve skin health at a cellular level.

Tell-tale signs of filler can appear more obvious in the tear troughs than other areas, Irvine says.

“Because filler is so superficial, this area is the one place where filler can become really visible. People can get a blue reflection called the Tyndall effect,” she says.

This optical phenomenon scatters light off translucent hyaluronic acid filler injected close to the surface of the skin, leaving a persistent blue, grey or cool-toned tint.

Among Irvine’s top picks is NCTF135 HA, a popular injectable used to nourish, hydrate and revitalise skin from within.

The formula contains up to 60 essential active ingredients, including non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid (which is broken down more quickly by the body than traditional HA) for deep hydration and water retention, vitamins A, B, C and E for cell metabolism and antioxidant protection, plus amino acids (or the building blocks for collagen and elastin).

For best results, three sessions spaced three weeks apart is recommended.

NCTF135 HA is included in The Face Place’s Summer Glow Treatment package, which includes multiple sequenced treatments for $2799 (including three NCTF135 HA skin boosters).

“Treatments should be looking at all the different layers of your skin. The first is to improve the quality of skin because as soon as that’s nice and firm, it already looks better. The next layer down is the muscle, and if you tighten up the muscle so its standing up and not sagging in, the area it looks a bit better and less hollow,” Irvine says.

Treatments that help tighten muscles include EMFACE, a non-invasive treatment that couples synchronised radio frequency (RF) with high-intensity electromagnetic stimulation (HIFES). RF gently heats the dermis to stimulate natural collagen and elastin production, tightening skin and smoothing lines, while HIFES causes selective muscle contractions to restore strength, structure and tone.

The procedure is quick (around 30 minutes) and results are visible after about six sessions spaced five to 10 days apart.

A course of six treatments is $6995 at The Face Place, including a follow-up appointment, and a single maintenance treatment is $1495.

Illuma Luna is another option, a Korean under-eye skin booster designed for use on the delicate under-eye area to brighten dark circles, soften fine lines and improve crepey texture.

Available exclusively at Caci, this advanced skin booster combines key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, polynucleotides, peptides and amino acids.

“Each component has a different role. Hyaluronic acid provides hydration and helps create a plumper, fresher appearance, while polynucleotides support skin regeneration and repair. The peptide complex supports firmness and elasticity, with the overall treatment designed to improve hydration, texture and skin quality,” Csapo-Camu says.

“That makes it particularly suited to concerns such as fine lines, crepey texture, dark circles, loss of elasticity and the appearance of under-eye hollowing.”

An initial course of three treatments spaced four weeks apart is recommended, and Csapo-Camu says results build progressively through the treatment course.

Illuma Luna is $1399 for a course of three, or $549 per treatment.

The needle-averse among us might like to adopt a different approach, and Maharaj says LED light therapy is her top pick to rejuvenate under-eyes.

“One of the least invasive, well-researched and affordable treatments to go alongside a good skin regimen would have to be LED light therapy,” she says.

“A course of treatments can help stimulate collagen activity, support wound healing and tissue repair and regeneration.”

LED Light Therapy varies depending on the clinic, but expect to pay between $50 to $150 for a single standalone session, or $20 to $85 as a treatment add-on.

Discover our top picks of topical under-eye treatments to fake a full eight hours’ sleep.

Scenturie Firm & Regenerate Natural Eye Cream, $72.

iS Clinical GeneXC Firming Eye Gel, $245.

Murad Retinal ReSculpt Eye Treatment, $179.

Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Volume Multi Balm, $43.

The Ordinary Volufiline+ 92% + Pa-Isoleucine 1% A Targeted Plumping Serum, $44.

Dermalogica Smart Eye Density Undereye Serum, $265.

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