Longevity of Fat Replacement After Eyelid Surgery?

I had lower and upper eyelid surgery done 3 1/2 months ago. My doctor removed too much fat and I have sunken hollow eyes. I also have ectropion in one eye along with chemosis. I will have a second surgery soon by another doctor, and he will be putting fat into the hollow places. He says that by fixing the ectropion, it will heal the chemosis. I want to know, how long will the new fat last? I heard that it goes away in 6 months. But the doctor said if, it is done right, it will last a very, very long time. Is this true?

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9 Doctor Answers | Asked by eric12 in ca

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Fat grafting can provide long lasting results

Fat grafting is a very accepted technique for a variety of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. Since the fat is your own tissue, it is not rejected. However, there is always some degree of uncertainty as to how much of the fat will "take" and how much will resorb. There is also a risk of lumpiness, and the eyelids are one of the more challenging areas in this regard. Other options include fillers such as Juvederm which can provide improvement for about a year, but, again,... more

Eyelid fat replacement after eyelid surgery

"I had lower and upper eyelid surgery done 3 1/2 months ago. My doctor removed too much fat and I have sunken hollow eyes. I also have ectropion in one eye along with chemosis..." - I am truly sorry to hear of your predicament but it sounds to me like you are rushing head long into another complication. For the absolute best revision results all traces of inflammation must be gone and the eyelid tissue must be supple. Operating before 5-6 months have passed invites miscalculation and f more

Fat for Hollow Eyes

The fat that the first surgeon removed is located within the orbit, around the eyeball or globe. I honestly have never heard of anyone replacing this fat. First, for fat to survive it must get blood supply. So when fat grafting is done the smaller the transferred product the better. For instance I use 1.2mm cannulas to inject fat (smaller than most use). When injecting this into the face the blood supply comes from the surrounding skin and muscles. Injecting fat into the orbit poses... more

I would be careful being treated so soon after the initial eyelid surgery

Dear Eric Unfortunately, this can occur with over enthusiastic eyelid surgery. While there is not an exact best time to correct surgery, unless there is an ocular emergency related to drying of the eye, it is generally best to wait a minimum of 6 months before carrying out corrective surgery. Especially if you still have chemosis, this is evidence of persistent swelling after the surgery. This would cause a surgeon to underestimate the amount of fat grafting potentially leading to an... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

8 reviews

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Longevity of fat graft injections

The ectropion is certainly causing the chemosis and needs to be addressed. Fat grafting to the eyelids can be done; however, the rate of fat resorption varies significantly making results inconsistent. After two months when the injected fat graft has healed, what remains is permanent.

Fat replacement does work but fillers do too

Replacement of eyelid fat with corrective eyelid surgery is a standard oculoplastic surgical technique. In the hands of a skilled oculoplastic surgeon, it is a straight forward, quite routine, and well accepted technique. In general the fat tends to last months to years, perhaps longer. Whether or not, the fat cells survive is questionable, but the healing process as the fat would slowly resorb still leaves good volume replacement. Some of the fillers also work very well for this problem I... more

Fat in lower lids

Adding fat to the lower lids to fill out the hollowness may or may not be a permanent thing. Some of the fat may likely resorb. Dealing with an ectropion is hard enough.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Correction of Hollow eyes and ectropion

Typically, it is best to wait at least six months before repairing an ectropion unless you are symptomatic such as dry watery eyes. Chemosis will generally resolve before the need for an ectropion repair and often it causes a temporary ectropion until it resolves so I would advise waiting on the ectropion repair but without pictures it would be hard to say otherwise. Also, you should have been prescribed by your physician eye massage techniques to help with the chemosis. As far as fat... more

Scott Trimas, MD

3 reviews

Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facesonly.com

Fat injections can provide permanent correction for hollow lower eyelids.

Hi! Your doctor is right. Fat injections can provide very long lasting correction for the tear trough deformity and for post surgical hollows of the lower eyelids. With good technique, about 80% of the fat should last. The result you see at 4 months should be the final result.