Can the thyroid gland affect facial appearance?
Yes.
All thyroid conditions may affect one’s appearance. Thyroid disorders, either elevated/hyper or low/hypo, changes all tissue: mucous membranes, skin, hair, muscle, and bone. Most patients have under active thyroid gland, which may contribute to increase aged appearance. For some thyroid patients, they may have increased under eye bags with a tired appearance, or eyes which seem to pop out of their head.
Most plastic surgeons performing eyelid surgery will evaluate for thyroid condition, in addition to allergies, prior to any facial cosmetic surgery. It is very difficult to determine, however, how much of one’s appearance is specifically due to thyroid condition vs. normal aging, or other factors.
There isn’t a best cosmetic treatment for all thyroid patients. Only after a comprehensive evaluation by a cosmetic surgeon, can one determine what cosmetic treatment is appropriate for a particular patient. Aesthetic treatment may be skin care, injectable fillers, or skin resurfacing (laser, chemical, etc). Malar bags are generally more difficult to treat with than pure eyelid bags, with any approach. Alternatively, plastic surgery of the eyelid, midface, or malar bags may be more ideal after evaluation.
Speak with a surgeon performing eyelid surgery to help determine if cosmetic eyelid surgery is appropriate for you.
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