You present a very interesting case to me, and for the purposes of discussing it, there are a couple of things that come to mind. We must first think from a standpoint of causation however, and this leads to the development of a list of options for management. To begin, some people can have inherited conditions which cause cyclical swelling and irritation of their eyelids and orbital regions. This may also be associated with allergic conditions. My first approach to treating these kinds of things in younger people, especially males (I'll explain later) is to try and identify any root causes for the condition so that a) those can be addressed first, and thus a lasting, definitive result can be obtained, and 2) we won't sabotage any efforts at cosmetic correction by allowing an underlying functional or physiologic condition to continue unchecked. You might start with your primary doctor, an ophthalmologist who specializes in eyelid conditions, or an allergist for this purpose.Having said those things, I can also see from your images that there is a distinct anatomical aspect to your condition too. That is where we as plastic surgeons come in, because that is essentially what we do: we analyze your anatomy and come up with ways to change it to hopefully produce a more pleasing aesthetic result. Thus, all of our treatments as cosmetic surgeons should start there. If we can't properly identify an anatomical reason for the problem, we probably shouldn't be doing a procedure. In the images that you have posted I can see a very definite demarcation between the fat pad that encircles the lateral (outside) part of your orbit, or eye socket, and the cheek fat and bony architecture. This is the oblique line that seems to run right across your cheek. Part of the reason why it is so prominent in my opinion, is because the fat pad around the orbit, let's call it the "SOOF" (suborbicularis oculi fat) is relatively more prominent than the malar fat (the "cheek" fat) pad. Additionally, the bony cheek, or maxilla, is relatively underdeveloped in your face, giving you a flatter, broader midface, and providing less of a firm foundation for your cheek soft tissues, including your fat pads. However, I think your orbital structures, including and especially the SOOF and orbital fat appear normal to me. Your brows (including the "ROOF" fat pad which is contiguous with the SOOF fat pad), eyelid structure and position, orbital rims, and eyeball positions all appear optimal for a young man your age. It is the cheeks that are lacking. Thus, with the orbital structures, including the SOOF, taking precedence, you get the contour irregularity that you are now seeing. This could be exacerbated by any cyclical swelling or intermittent conditions that overly your anatomy. This leads to the question of what to do. Assuming that we have ruled out any functional causes as I outlined above, or such causes are at least identified and being treated, I will focus purely on options to address the anatomy. I would personally suggest a plan to augment your cheek soft tissues, and I would suggest a very conservative approach. The reason for this is, as I alluded to above, one of the most common miscues seen in male facial cosmetic surgery is that the men are feminized by either heavy handed technique on the part of the surgeon or the wrong technique for a male, which creates a feminine appearance. This is never more true than in the cheeks and midface. You need more soft tissue volume in your cheeks to camouflage your contours, yet you don't need big, round apple cheeks like most ladies desire. That would make you appear feminine. In order to accomplish that goal, a surgeon might start with some judicious filler injection, or for a more permanent result, transfer of some of your own fat to the cheek would work very nicely. Again, this can be overdone, so the surgeon has to be on board with the technical nuances of this. I would not suggest cheek implants because in addition to being fraught with more complications than other methods of augmenting the cheeks, they will primarily augment what is already sufficient upper cheek projection, leaving you appearing bizarre and feminized all at once, and it is really the soft tissues that need the volume and contouring. I also would not suggest blepharoplasty or anything else on your eyelids themselves, as I don't think that's the problem here.I know this is a long-winded summary, but it's a fun technical discussion about a very delicate situation in a young man that requires a very nuanced approach. However, something can certainly be done to improve things. You should find a board certified plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon who has good knowledge of the detailed anatomy of this part of the face and experience with facial soft tissue augmentation approaches. That way you can get a thorough evaluation and all of your options can be outlined for you. Best of luck.
