Indentation after steroid injection

Frank P. Fechner, MD answers: Swelling and indentation on face due to blepharoplasty

I had eyelid surgery to remove fat under my eyes. I still had swelling under my right eye at six months so my doctor injected the site with steroids. Now I have a big purplish indent in my face.

Is this going to go away in time? If not, can this be fixed? I am devastated. And I still have the swelling also. Please respond.

Frank P. Fechner, MD
12 months ago

Your surgeon's goal was to speed up resolution of swelling by injecting steroids into the cheeks. One of the steroid's effect on fat tissue is atrophy, i.e. decrease in the fat volume. This is usually long-lasting (months) but can return to almost normal volume. Sometimes, some permanent volume reduction persists. In addition, the skin can also thin out which may in part be the explanation for the purplish color you mention.

My "distant" advice would be to be conservative at first. Do not try to fix right away what you are concerned about because things are in progress and will change over time. You do not want find yourself chasing a new problem. At the end, these issues can certainly be improved upon by various means (injectable fillers, fat transfer).

Stay in close contact with your plastic surgeon as s/he wants to monitor your progress.

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