Mid Face Lift for Malar Bags?

Malar bags have been one of the hardest areas to address surgically. A midface lift can often improve the area, however it is a big procedure with a lengthy recovery. I have recently been using fillers to lift the cheek ( Juvederm, Restylane, or Radiesse), but I am especially excited about the Acculift Procedure which uses the Accusculpt laser, 1440 nm wavelength laser, to melt the fat and cause tissue tightening. This is a new procedure, so the results are early, but especially... more

 These malar bags are the result of fluid collection. They can be improved with surgery to cauterize the area as well as removing tissue. The recovery can be prolonged and the results are not a complete correction of the problem, but improvement.

Many treatments have been used to correct malar festoons ranging from deep laser resurfacing over volume correction to excisions. I certainly would discourage a midface lift for the goal of malar bag reduction. In my opinion, it would be pure luck if it would help.

The appearance of fullness below the orbital rim can be either real or relative. When real, it is usually due to a fluid accumulation. This is why it is often very variable and will change with diet, position you sleep in, and sun exposure. This will often respond to a mild diuretic, sleeping with your head higher, and avoidance of salty foods. When relative, it is due to a hollow area in the "tear trough" above it. This can be helped by very careful injections of a filler (we use... more

Of course it is impossible to advise you on the best treatment for your specific situation without examining you but in general early aging changes around the eyes respond to interventions that stress volume enhancement. Some patients will benefit from a fat transposition Blepharoplasty where orbital fat is brought down over the malar prominence smoothing the deflated cheek. Other patients may get by with fillers such as Juvederm or Radiesse. 30 is a bit young for a big procedure like a... more

Malar bags are one of the most difficult problems to treat.  The key step is to look at the underlying anatomic cause: Muscle excess-  The orbital muscle can sometimes create redundancy along the malar area.  This is one of the more correctable causes of malar bags can be corrected through a lower lid blepharoplasty. Lymphatics-  Lymphatics are one of the more common causes of malar bags and one of the more difficult to treat.  Sometimes the... more

A mid facelift may help with malar bags, along with cheek augmentation. At 30 years of age, most people do not have malar bags. A mid facelift can sometimes help if performed properly. Malar augmentation can also help. Make sure your allergies are under good control and the malar mounds are not caused from fluid retention from allergies. A low-salt diet would also be helpful because salt intake can affect malar mounds.

The midface lift will not correct malar bags or festoons. I have used various lasers for many years and they have ALWAYS failed. The only procedure that has worked has been to extend the lower blepharoplasty incision and do a lateral cheek lift-it works, but canthoplasty is also required.

Dear Sara Midface surgery will generally not correct your bags. However given your age, your best option is to have restylane injected around your festoons to fill in the cheek. This will work for you for many years. Treatment will last about a year. I would advise against Juvederm for this purpose. This agent is a little runny and the filler tends to drift out of the treatment site. This is not seen with Restylane and Perlane.

If your friend asks you if you would be "right" for person "X" your first question might be... "tell me more about "X" - right? Mid-face lifts can provide improvement for the right person. The longevity depends a great deal on the problem and the person's expectations. Unless you very unique, most 30 y/o do not have malar bags that require a surgical procedure. Maybe a non-surgical approach may provide a better pathway for you. Check out these options in your more

Malar bags are one of the most difficult problems to correct. An endoscopic midface lift performed from the temple area I have found to improve these bags by a minimum of 50 % and usually more. Traditional face lift and eyelid lift surgery will not do this.