Why Under-Eye Filler Goes Wrong: Cliff Clinic's Dr. Gunwoo Hong Splits Dark Circles Into Three Problems

Cliff Clinic's Dr. Gunwoo Hong Separates Dark Circles Into Three Problems at Seoul Forum

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, October 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- At the YAPMS Aesthetic Medicine Innovation Forum, Dr. Hong outlined the three components of dark circles and the three grooves behind under-eye hollows, including the tear trough, and why each calls for a different filler plane, tool, and product.

"My dark circles are getting worse." "The hollows under my eyes make me look tired." Patients describe under-eye concerns in many ways, and the cause is often different from what they feel.
On August 26, Dr. Gunwoo Hong of Cliff Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, addressed that gap in a lecture titled "Beyond the Tear Trough: Three Anatomical Structures Behind Under-Eye Hollowness" at the 7th Aesthetic Medicine Innovation Forum, hosted by the Young Aesthetic Physicians Medical Society at BTQ Clinic.

Three components of a dark circle
Dr. Hong began by separating what patients call a dark circle into three distinct components: a depression along the under-eye grooves, a loss of skin elasticity, and actual dark pigment in the skin. In most patients these overlap, and each responds to a different approach. Treating a hollow as if it were pigment, or pigment as if it were a hollow, is where results go wrong.

"When performing lower eyelid fat repositioning or under-eye filler, adding volume without first identifying the cause tends to fill areas that never needed it. The result looks unnatural, and it is where complaints about side effects begin," Dr. Hong said. An anatomical diagnosis, he stressed, has to come before any treatment decision.

Three grooves behind the hollow

The lecture then focused on the depression component. Under-eye hollowness, Dr. Hong explained, is made up of three grooves that should be assessed separately: the tear trough, the palpebromalar groove, and the midcheek groove, where loss of midcheek volume including the suborbicularis oculi fat (SOOF) plays a role.

Because the three grooves sit at different depths over different tissue, the injection plane, the instrument, and the physical properties of the filler have to be chosen for each one rather than treated as a single area.

Matching filler properties to depth

In his clinical case presentations, Dr. Hong showed how he applied two Galderma products according to that principle. Restylane Original, with its high cohesivity, was placed in deeper planes where firm structural support and localized volume were required. Restylane Defyne, with greater tissue adaptability, was used in more superficial areas where the filler needed to spread evenly and move with facial expression.

In the live case presentation that followed, Dr. Hong presented site-specific injection strategies intended to reduce complications from under-eye filler while producing a natural lifting effect. He named three habits that decide patient satisfaction: assessing the result immediately after injection, molding the product carefully with a cotton swab, and stopping short of overcorrection.

From the society

A YAPMS representative said: "Dark circles and under-eye hollowness cannot be explained by a single cause. For members who already work with under-eye fat and periorbital procedures, this lecture gave a practical framework for planning treatment structure by structure."

About YAPMS
The Young Aesthetic Physicians Medical Society is an academic community led by younger physicians in aesthetic plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine. Through its recurring Aesthetic Medicine Innovation Forum, the society shares current clinical knowledge and techniques and contributes to the development of aesthetic medicine in Korea.

About Cliff Clinic
Cliff Clinic is an aesthetic medicine clinic near Gangnam Station in Seoul, led by Dr. Gunwoo Hong. Consultations are conducted in English by the treating physician.

Taesoon Shin
Contentslab Korea
info@contentslabkr.com