Fat transfer from eye bags to tear troughs - is this method legitimate?

Tear trough deformity is frequently treated with transposition of fat pads from lower eyelid into more distal position underneath the orbicularis muscle insertion, to fill the concavity and prevent adherence of the muscle and oblique ligament. Fat grafting, in form of micro and nano fat graft, is frequently used in the same procedure to further augment cheek/eyelid area. Fat is usually harvested from abdomen and inner thighs or any other available deposit. The amount of fat that is obtained with reduction of fat pads before they are transferred over orbital rim, is usually too small to provide significant augmentation, but can be used for that purpose, if needed. Hope this helps.

Most plastic surgeons, do this by chance positioning, leaving the fat, still attached to its blood supply, and simply pulling the fat from the infraorbital fat pads through the Peri orbital septum, sometimes taking a suture to hold the fat in place in the tear trough.
For the purpose of grafting fat fat can be harvested from any area, but generally we need more fat than once removed from the lower eyelids during a lower eyelid blepharoplasty
I suggest confirming exactly what your surgeon is planning to do and ask them to show you numerous before, and after pictures, showing long-term results and outcomes of this technique.
I generally encourage people to ask to see the before, and after pictures of 50 previous patients, when contemplating commonly done procedures.
I cannot over, emphasize the importance of provider, selection and properly bedding, plastic surgeons during the consultation process. An experienced plastic surgeon should have hundreds of before and after pictures to choose from and should not have any difficulty conveying what the procedure is going to be including what the results are likely to be.
I generally encourage people to have multiple in person, consultations before scheduling, permanent irreversible cosmetic surgery.
And effective consultation should not leave any questions about what technique is going to be used
It should also include showing the patient enough before, and after pictures to convey what consistent quality results look like. Being shown a handful of pre-selected images, representing the best results of a providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like.
When it comes to fat transfer, recognize that early results can look very impressive, but do not in any way represent long-term final results. Do you understand long-term outcomes from fat transfer always confirm that after pictures were taken a minimum of 3 to 6 months from the date of the surgery.
Don’t assume after pictures represent mature, final outcomes.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD