Lower Transjunctival Blepharoplasty and Fat Transfer - How Long Will my Cheeks Be Hard and Swollen?

You certainly may have swelling and some firmness for several weeks and will not likely have your final result for 6 weeks.  The majority of the swelling should resolve in the forst 2-3 weeks but some will linger for a few more weeks.  The cheeks should not be hard, just mildly firm and also not painful.  If the swelling is really hard and tender to the touch you should see your surgeon right away.  If not, just be patient and expect good results to come soon!

Dear Eyelid and Fat Grafting Patient from New Jersey,
According to what you describing, you are experiencing a normal post operative fat grafting to the cheek, and lower transconjunctival blepharoplasty. Since you did not experience any bruising, I doubt that there is any excess blood clot causing the hardness in your cheeks. The swelling is most likely due to swelling associated with fat grafting. Talk to your doctor he knows your situation better. Good luck and good healing
 

Hi NewMe,

It takes some time after Trans-conjunctival blepharoplasty and fat transfer for your swelling to go down.  It may take up to 2 to 3 months before things settle down completely, but you should see continued gradual improvement.  As for "are you being paranoid?", did your surgeon implant any computer chips during your surgery, are you hearing voices or being followed?  Just kiddin'.  You should heal well, and hopefully quickly.  Good luck and be well.

Dr. P

For a lower lid transconjunctival blepharoplasty there should not be swelling in the cheeks as the operation is performed behind the orbital septum. However, if the fat transfer that you mention represents fat transferred from the eye to the cheek region - then you will have swelling for several weeks. This is normal. Some people also fat transfer to their cheeks after liposuction (fat from other parts of the body). In either case the hardness that you feel is normal post-operative swelling that decreases considerably over the first few weeks. This is also combined with the volume increase to your cheeks from the fat transferred to the region. Please keep your surgeon aware of your concerns as she will appreciate the feedback. James M. Ridgway, MD, FACS



Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hi NewMeNJ,

Typically the cheeks are not too firm after lower lid blepharoplasty, but occassionally, this can occur.  I wonder if there has been a collection of blood (hematoma) that has accumulated in the region.  If so, this will likely take 2-3 weeks to go away.  However, this would be quite unusual and is unlikely. 

The more likely scenario is that you just have some residual edema that is taking some time to go away.  You are right that 7 days is a short amount of time to expect the swelling to have resolved; however, you should start to see a dramatic decrease in swelling in the next few days.  You should be evaluated by your surgeon to see if there is anything that can help with the swelling, such as a steroid (either an oral tablet or an injection).

Good Luck!

You may definitely have firmness and significant swelling 1-2 weeks after a lower lid blepharoplasty and fat transfer.  The firmness is probably the fat and it should soften with time.

Swelling after a lower lid blepharoplasty and fat injections is completely normal and expected.  At 7 days, most patients will still have at least some degree of swelling.  Keep your follow-ups with your doctor, and try to keep your head slightly elevated, avoid strenuous activity, and it should steadily improve.  It can take several weeks for the majority of the swelling to subside.