What it means for a patient
- Standard eyelid surgery removes tissue and can leave hollow upper lids. Here, the patient's own fat was added to avoid that.
- The fat was placed through very small cannulas in the inner upper lid, the groove under the eye and the cheek.
- No major complications occurred. Bruising and swelling were the minor ones reported.
- Results were judged by clinical exam and photographs in one series. There was no control group, and the abstract reports no scoring scale.
Why this paper matters
It reported a large consecutive series of blepharoplasty combined with microfat grafting. The authors present microfat grafting as a safe alternative to complicated eyelid and midface techniques.
Overview
Volume loss in the upper and lower eyelids and in the cheek is now considered a major part of aging around the eyes. Classical resection blepharoplasty does not address this loss, and filling procedures are becoming more common. The authors retrospectively reviewed 500 consecutive patients treated from January 2008 to September 2011 with blepharoplasty plus their periorbital augmentation technique. The technique used small-diameter cannulas to place fine particle fat (microfat) in the inner upper lid, the orbitomalar groove and the cheek.
Findings
- 500 consecutive patients, January 2008 to September 2011, reviewed retrospectively.
- Microfat was grafted to the medial upper eyelid, the orbitomalar groove and the malar area.
- Clinical evaluation and photographs showed favorable, natural-looking and long-lasting improvement.
- Upper lid hollowing, incomplete blending of the lid-cheek junction and persistent midface deflation were avoided.
- The authors report that the lids regained the full, crisp look seen at a younger age.
- Complications seen in an earlier patient series did not occur with this technique.
- No major complications occurred. Minor complications were bruising and swelling.
- The abstract gives no rates for minor complications and no measured volume.
Terms
- Blepharoplasty: eyelid surgery.
- Resection blepharoplasty: eyelid surgery that removes skin, muscle or fat.
- Augmentation: adding volume.
- Microfat: fat processed into very small particles for injection through fine cannulas.
- Cannula: a thin tube used to place fat.
- Orbitomalar groove: the groove between the lower lid and the cheek.
- Malar: relating to the cheek.
- Periorbital: around the eye.
- Retrospective review: a study that looks back at the records of patients already treated.