Can having a facelift cause or reveal under eye bags?

Question

I had a full facelift 3 months ago and I'm noticing under eye bags that I didn't have before. Can having a facelift cause this?

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and I appreciate your concern. There are some different reasons why eye bags might occur after a facelift, from post-surgical swelling to hollowing caused by moving around the underlying muscle and tissue. It is also possible the bags were there before surgery but became more noticeable when the rest of the face was tightened. I would schedule a follow-up with your surgeon to determine why the bags appeared and whether a treatment plan is needed to minimize them. Always work with an experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon to ensure the best possible outcome.

Robert Glasgold, MD, FACS · Answer

A facelift should not impact the degree of fat prominence of the lower lids.  In theory if the area below it is improved from a facelift it could be that you are noticing the bags more.  Alternatively, if the "bags" are actually on the cheek, and triangular in shape, this could be a malar mound that you are noticing.  Malar mounds are not caused by under eye fat, but can temporarily worsen due to facial swelling following facelift.

Husam Elias, MD, FACS · Answer

Some changes to facial structures not addressed during facelift is expected to occur; this happens due to internal tissue rearrangement and tightening during facelift surgery. I hope this helps answer your question.

Patrick Flaharty, MD FAACS · Answer

Any procedure that causes facial swelling can cause under eye bags. Fortunately in almost all cases this is temporary swelling that will resolve over time. There are some tricks you can use to help this swelling resolve quicker. This includes a low salt diet to limit fluid retention, sleeping with your head slightly elevated to reduce night time swelling, and using your finger tips to do gentle lymphatic massage over the bags 3 to 4 times a day for a minute which helps improve fluid absorption. And as always you should discussing these finding with your surgeon to make sure there is not anything else going on which might be treated differently.

Raffi Der Sarkissian, MD, FACS · Answer

In many cases, if the facelift creates any significant midface/cheek elevation, this can create “hammock-like” effect in the lower eyelids thy can give the appearance of lower eyelid bags. The key to correcting this would be to determine if is simply a bunching up of lower eyelid skin from the lift, as you would get if you smile, bunching of skin and lower eyelid muscle, actualforward bulging of lower eyelid fat or some combination of these elements. At 3 months post op, there may be some interval improvement over the next couple of months. If not, lower eyelid blepharoplasty could correct the bulging. Hope this helps

Can having a facelift cause or reveal under eye bags?

Answers (5)

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