Using Fat Transfer to Enhance Results of Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty, or eyelid tuck surgery, classically involve removing excess skin and fat to produce a more youthful facial appearance. I've moved away from the approach as I find that it doesn't really lead to the results I want. When you examine younger patients' faces you'll realize that what makes the peri-orbital area truly youthful is a fullness of the surrounding tissues that frames the eye, making it the focal point.
Erasing shadows
When rejuvenating the peri-orbital area of the face really what I'm focusing on is effacing the distracting shadows that draw one's attention away from the eyes. This patient shown below is a great example of this concept. Her before photos show a prominent lower eyelid fat pads which are accentuated by facial volume loss in the tear trough and orbital rim region.
To address this patient's concerns I treated the patient's medial upper eyelid fat prominence using a small incision placed in the upper eyelid crease. To improve the lower lids I removed some of the excess lower eyelid fat using a hidden incision on the inside of the eyelid. Once this excess fulness was brought down I then built up the entire region with facial fat grafting using fat harvested from the patient's abdomen.
This oblique before and after view best shows the lower eyelid hollowing that was present before surgery. After surgery one can see the much smoother transition from the lower eyelid to upper cheek. The result is a much more youthful appearance without having to remove any skin!
