Fat Pads Under the Eyes
See More: Facial Surgery
Question: I am a happy pt.of Dr. Davies with a new question. I recently saw a program where the fat pads under the eyes is removed by injecting a needle into the skin and pulling out the fat. Is this something you do? I am very interested in this procedure.
Answer:
The only procedure I know of that resembles what you're talking about is mesotherapy. This is where fluid is injected into the fat pads of the eyes (usually lower lids) and slowly dissolves away the fat-we think. The problem with this is that no one is totally sure of the recipe for the material and no one actually knows what is happening to the fat. When it works, it works beautifully, but it's also not predictable as to who will have success with the procedure. I am under the impression that it's actually been banned in Europe and South America until it can be more quantified and regulated. So, no, I don't do this! Anything this uncertain around the eye area sounds very dangerous to me, so, even if the procedure gets cleared by the FDA someday, I will wait at least six months to see what the studies show and what results other surgeons are achieving. While it's a surgery, I can do a transconjunctival blepharoplasty that won't leave a scar on the outside of your lid. This is where the fat pads of the lower lids are removed through an incision on the inside of the eyelid. There's no incision on the outside, and, if there's loose skin, we can tighten it with laser. I've had this done myself, along with a standard upper lid blepharoplasty. Hope this helped-if you would like to set up a consultation so we can talk more about this, please call one of my patient coordinator, Susan (ext. 129) at (912) 351-5050. Thanks! Barbara L. Davies, M.D.
