Q I am a woman in my mid-20s with heavy eyebags. Is there any affordable cream or treatment that can shrink them? I am considering dabbing fat-burning cream meant for the tummy area under my eyes. Will that work?

A That is very creative of you but according to Dr Karen Soh, aesthetic and age management physician at Pacific Wellness Centre in Paragon, fat-burning creams are probably not going to work for your eyebags.

This is because the skin around your eyes is very delicate and requires specially formulated products.

She suggests you try eye creams such as SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex ($138.03, from Pacific Wellness Centre and National Skin Centre), which helps to reduce the pooling of fluids between cells, making eyebags less obvious.

You could also try iS Clinical Eye Complex ($109.14, from Pacific Wellness Centre), which brightens, hydrates and reduces undereye puffiness with a mix of botanical extracts.

Alternatively, skin-tightening treatments such as ST Refirme can also give good results.

This procedure, which costs about $400 per session, uses infrared and radio-frequency to tone and tighten skin.

Six to eight sessions are usually required.

“Other than fat pads, eyebags can also be caused by prominent lower lid muscles (known as orbicularis), which show when you smile,” says DrSoh.

“In such cases, small amounts of Botox will reduce their appearance.”

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.