What Does 5 Fu Do if Injected Under Eye Area?

5FU inhibits or slows scar formation and breaks up existing scars.  It is safe to use in small amounts in nonpregnant patients.  Not many doctors use it because not many have had experience in using it.  It is a relatively new, effective treatments.

Dr Taban

Your doctor may have significant experience with injecting 5-FU for this off-label use but there are risks with all treatments, and injections in the eyelids do have risks as well. The 5-fluorouracil has been reported to reduce scar formation by decreasing new collagen formation, I am not aware of how it reduces fat cells.  Small volumes of the 5-FU is one thing to consider, but if it does, in fact, reduce fat volume, it should not be injected in large volumes until scientifically tested.

There are concerns with injecting anything into the lower eyelid area as there are veins which communicate with the vessels in the deeper portions of the orbit. Traditionally steroids are used for this purpose but even with these, there is controversy with injection in this anatomic area.

I personally use 5-FU all the time.  Fortunately, it has not been something that I have needed to do after my own fat grafts but have had to do it in other doctors'f fat grafting work.  The reason that it is safer than steroid is that it does not have the risk of atrophy of the tissues.  Yes, I have used it under the eyes with no problem.  The one thing about 5-FU is that if it is placed right into the outer dermis then it can lead to temporary or permanent darkening of the skin.  This is extremely rare and I have personally only encountered this in one patient who was African-American.  In your case it would be placed much deeper so the likelihood of this is almost zero.  Now here is the bad news:  5-FU will NOT dissolve fat.  It will only dissolve scar.  If the area feels firm and fibrotic, it can work very well to soften the lump.  If it is just a soft lump then the fat will not be improved, and you will really only be improved with an excision of the lump.    I have unfortunately had to do this for other surgeons' fat grafting too.  You can place the incision along the tear trough and that usually leaves behind a very acceptable scar.  If it is on the outer portion of the eye, that will be harder to manage but still can be done along the orbital bony rim.  hope that helps.

best,

sml

Very concerned with a 5 FU injection into the sensitive lower eyelid. Seek other in person opinions. From MIAMI Dr. Darryl j. Blinski