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

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!