Does the "Soof lift " blepharoplasty result in a fuller looking face as compared to traditional blepharoplasty?

The SOOF is an anatomical fat pad located underneath the orbital portion of the eye muscle that forcefully blinks the eye below the lower orbital rim. Traditional blepharoplasty dissections stop at the lower orbital rim, whereas extended blepharoplasties "extend" below the the rim to release what is known as the orbital malar ligament (OML). The SOOF will move with muscle suspension after OML release. This camouflages the lid cheek junction after lower lid blepharoplasty...a desirable result. I wouldn't say a SOOF lift bleph makes the face look more full. I commonly perform the extended blepharoplasty procedure in conjunction with fat grafting to add more youthful fullness to my patients' faces. 

  This procedure was extremely populated approximately 10-20 years ago, and although people still perform it and in good hand a can give good results, many people have abandoned it because it tends to have a higher complication rate.  It is not that it is a bad procedure, it is just a lot more complex and significantly more detailed and involved than a standard lower blepharoplasty.  Of course the results that are expected and the indications for it are very different than a standard blepharoplasty.  As the patient, he should never be choosing the operation, but you should be choosing a good plastic surgeon and telling him or her what your problem is so that they can recommend proper operation to you.

Ultimately you need what is right for your eyelids.  Prior to the introduction to mid face hyaluronic acid fillers, SOOF lifts and tear trough implants were very popular.  Many of these surgeries are not nearly as good as a well executed under eye filler treatment.  For the right individual, an orbicularis oculi muscle sling procedure can be very helpful.  Generally these procedures are associated with significant complications when not performed by highly experienced lower eyelid surgeons.  Please be careful what you look for.  

 The cheeks age by losing volume, not by vertical descent. For that reason, we do not perform a Soof lift, but place cheek implants to restore the lost volume. Cheek implants are placed through an intraoral approach under  a brief general anesthesia as an outpatient procedure. An upper and lower blepharoplasty procedure can be combined with the cheek implants since they accomplished different goals.

jim183, In my opinion if you don't lift the SOOF during a routine lower lid blepharoplasty you are not going to give your patients as good as a result. The SOOF falls as we age and leaves the lower lid looking hollow so it stands to reason if you learn how to put it back where it was when you looked younger, you are going to look better! Trust your eyes and look at photos and make your own decision. I am quite proud that I invented this technique and I believe it will help if all plastic surgeons used this approach.