What it means for a patient
- Fullness below the lower eyelid can come in part from a fat pad that lies over the cheekbone, under the muscle that closes the eye.
- A similar fat layer under the same muscle in the upper lid and brow area contributes to the appearance of the upper lids.
- The authors describe correcting these fat pads on their own or during eyelid surgery.
- This is an anatomic and clinical description. The abstract reports no measured results in a group of patients.
Why this paper matters
It described the SOOF as a distinct anatomic structure and linked it to the appearance of the lower lids. It paired the SOOF with the ROOF as the lower and upper fat layers under the orbicularis muscle, and proposed correcting both.
Overview
The authors had earlier worked with the concept of retro-orbicularis oculi fat (ROOF), a fat layer that affects the appearance of the upper lids. In this paper they focus on a second anatomic entity, the suborbicularis oculi fat. They define it as excess fat that lies on the bone surface, under the muscle, over the zygoma (cheekbone). The paper gives its anatomic description and demonstrates its correction. The abstract reports no patient numbers or measured outcomes.
Findings
- SOOF is a supraperiosteal, submuscular fat excess situated over the zygoma.
- SOOF contributes to the aesthetic deformity of the lower lids.
- ROOF contributes in the same way to the aesthetic deformity of the upper lids.
- The paper gives the anatomic description of SOOF and demonstrates its correction.
- The authors study both the upper and lower orbital areas.
- They advocate a new approach to correct these areas, alone or combined with a blepharoplasty.
- The abstract gives no patient numbers, follow-up or complication data.
Terms
- Suborbicularis oculi fat (SOOF): a fat pad under the orbicularis oculi muscle, over the cheekbone below the eye.
- Retro-orbicularis oculi fat (ROOF): a fat layer under the orbicularis oculi muscle in the upper lid and brow area.
- Orbicularis oculi: the ring-shaped muscle around the eye that closes the eyelids.
- Zygoma: the cheekbone.
- Supraperiosteal: lying on top of the periosteum, the thin layer that covers bone.
- Submuscular: beneath a muscle.
- Blepharoplasty: eyelid surgery.
- Orbital area: the region of the eye socket and the eyelids.
- Aesthetic deformity: a change in appearance that a patient may want corrected.