Can Eye Bags and Fat Be Removed Without Blepharoplasty?

The short answer to your question is no. If you are adamantly against surgery, you may consider having dermal filler injected into the area surrounding the fat to improve the appearance by softening the look of the area, but it will do nothing to remove the fat.  An experienced board certified plastic surgeon can utilize a lower blepharoplasty technique that involves making a small incision on the back side of lower eyelid that will not produce a visible incision line or scar.  

There are many causes of eye bags. Some are shadow issues, some are discoloration issues. 

1. Prolapsed orbital fat through the orbital septum: treated with lower lid blepharoplasty and fat re-positioning. Can also be helped with fillers or auto fat transfer to the face but the ideal treatment in my hands is surgery for this issue.



2. Ezcema: much more common in young people with fair skin. The treatment for this is to hold off on makeup and any manipulation of the lower lid for a few weeks and try some topical anti inflammatory creams. If you have allergies those should be treated also.  A dermatologist is the best person to see for this. We have a multidisciplinary clinic with myself, a plastic surgeon, and my partner, a dermatologist which I think is ideal!



3. Fluid accumulation and/or redundant skin. Could be possible in young patients but would need a good facial analysis and exam to determine. A low salt diet (< 1000mg/day) and a warm compress can help.  I would consider treating with filler/fat transfer, lower lid fractional ablative laser and/or lower lid blepharoplasty.



4. Descent of midface cheek pad. This then causes the nasojugular ligament to become more prominent creating a demarcation and separation of the eye from the cheek subunit. Treated with mid face lift and fat transfer.



It is all about the balance of this transition from the orbit to the cheek. There are many ways to treat this and they vary by the underlying cause. I recommend seeing a surgeon who also does a lot of these treatments. This can make a big difference as most people have a combination of the above that lead to the issue.



Hope this helps.



Best of luck,



DrC

No is the short answer.  It is risky to have injections to dissolve fat and not approved and could be very dangerous.  Surgery is perfect for removing loose excessive skin.