Lower Eyelid Stain Post Fat Transfer: Hemosiderin or Hyperpigmentation?

Black eyes and lumps after fat transfer are often seen in dark skin patients due to hemosiderin. Time is what you need not a laser.

You would need a physical exam to try to discern the cause for the coloration. It is very rare on the face to have hemosiderin staining.  Bruises typically resolve on the face before 3 weeks.  Vascular congestion can cause some bluish-red discoloration in some people, but postinflammatory hyperpigmentation is more common, especially in skin of color, Asian and Mediterranean skin.  Periocular familial hyperpigmentation is a discoloration from excessive melanin that someone inherits.  If the fat injections had created a nice elimination of hollowness of the lower eyelid but the skin still appears dark, it may be epidermal or dermal pigment that no filler will help. In that case, multiple treatments including peels, lasers and topical agents might help, although there is a risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation with some treatments.

Hi Rockdude.  To determine the best course of action, we would need to see you in person.  The reason is that it is hard to tell from the photo whether the issue is more pigmentation or a vascular (healing) response. 

Ultimately, the q-switched Nd:Yg laser is excellent for pigmented issues and the Cynosure V-Star is great for vascular issues.  It's likely we would use one of those two.  Finally, we normally wait more than one month to take on a case like yours.  If it has been less than 6 months since surgery, we require that your surgeon consent to laser treatments.