Carboxytherapy for Dark Under-Eye Circles

What actually causes dark under-eye circles?

The skin under your eyes is the thinnest on the body, so what's underneath shows through. Dark circles usually come from one — or a mix — of three things:

• ✓Poor circulation: sluggish blood flow lets deoxygenated blood pool and show through as a bluish, shadowy tint. This is the most common type.
• ✓Thin, crepey skin: as collagen thins with age, the vessels and hollows beneath become even more visible.
• ✓Pigment or hollowing: some circles are brown (melanin) or are shadows cast by a hollow tear trough rather than color at all.

Carboxytherapy is aimed squarely at the first two — the circulation and skin-quality causes behind the classic bluish circle.

How does carboxytherapy fade dark circles?

Carboxytherapy is the injection of medical-grade carbon dioxide just beneath the skin with a very fine needle. It sounds counterintuitive to inject CO2 — but your body reads the local rise in carbon dioxide as a signal that the area needs more oxygen, and responds with a rush of fresh, oxygen-rich blood. That is the Bohr effect, and it's exactly what the under-eye area is missing.

That surge of circulation does two things for dark circles: it clears the stagnant, deoxygenated blood that creates the blue shadow, and it stimulates new collagen that gradually thickens the thin under-eye skin — so less of what's underneath shows through. The CO2 itself is a gas your body produces and clears naturally, so it simply disperses and is exhaled minutes later.

Is carboxytherapy right for your type of dark circle?

Because dark circles have different causes, the honest answer is: it depends on your type — which is why we assess it first.

• ✓Bluish / circulation circles — carboxytherapy is an ideal, targeted fix.
• +Brown / pigment circles — pair carboxytherapy with laser skin resurfacing and a brightening regimen.
• +Hollow tear troughs — a shadow from lost volume is best corrected with dermal filler, sometimes alongside carboxytherapy for skin quality.

How many sessions, and when will I see results?

Dark circles typically need 4–6 sessions, spaced about a month apart. You'll usually see some brightening right after the first session, but the real payoff is cumulative — each session builds a little more circulation and collagen, so the under-eye area looks progressively brighter and less hollow across the series. Many clients then come in for an occasional maintenance session to keep it going.

Does it hurt? Is there downtime?

It's a comfortable treatment. We apply numbing cream first, and because a session is a series of very small injections, most people feel only brief pressure or a light tingling as the gas spreads — which passes within minutes. There is no downtime: you can go straight back to your day, with at most mild redness or a few pinpoint marks for a couple of hours. Carboxytherapy is performed by our medical providers and is safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

How much does carboxytherapy for dark circles cost?

Carboxytherapy for the under-eyes is $195 per session, with package pricing for the recommended series. You'll get an exact quote and a written plan at your consultation, before any treatment.

Financing available through Cherry and CareCredit — split your treatment into flexible monthly payments. Learn more →

Carboxytherapy for dark circles FAQ