Lump after fat graft to the under eye, at one week. Is it normal? Will it disappear like my doctor says? (Photo)

Hi Handal,Sorry to hear of your frustration.  This may be fat or swelling - either way the treatment is the same: wait.  Follow your surgeon's recommendations, and ask if you should be massaging the area.  Don't try to have any corrective procedures or treatments to the area for at least six months.Best wishes on your healing,Dr. Jay

At one week, it is common to have irregularities after this type of grafting. These can be due to bleeding, inflammation , or graft material. Most will resolve with time. Should it not resolve spontaneously, steriod injections or removal may be of benefit. Be patient, and follow your surgeons advice.

Dear handalAt one week, it is difficult to predict how much the bump will flatten on its own in relation to surrounding areas. In general, you will see a reduction of 50% in the average fat graft but if the area is inflammed/extraswollen, it will go down further. At this point, be patient and follow your surgeons instructions.

You may still have swelling and it's too soon to tell what your final results will be. It can take up to 3-6 months to see final results after fat transfer. I recommend prp to help improve final results. Icing the area, prednisone, ibuprofen and venus legacy treatments can help reduce swelling. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

There is always significant swelling for a few weeks after fat transfer and that tends to be very visible under the eyes. The lumps you see are a combination of the fat transferred to the area and the swelling associated with the procedure. Until all the swelling subsides it is difficult to evaluate the final result. Keep your follow up appointments with your surgeon and share your concerns. Your surgeon is your best support system as they know specifically what they did during the procedure and can best help guide you through this post operative healing. It may be helpful to know that most people feel that things were "overdone" 2 weeks after fat transfer surgery only to be very happy once the swelling resolves at 2 months.

Thank you for your question. Chances are, yes, the lump will get a lot smaller over the next couple of weeks. With fat grafting, it really takes the body about 6 weeks to absorb fluid and for things to soften. Even though the lump feels hard now, chances are it will soften. I typically have my patients start to massage any firm areas at around 1-2 weeks - just to help with any residual swelling, etc. But each surgeon has his or her own post-procedure regimen, so in the interim I would just follow the recommendations made by your physician. Best of luck! 

it is useless to speculate since what will happen will happen. If it stays it will be a problem as fat grafts here are hard to remove unless they are confined to one plane of the eyelid.