[Real Patient Case] Under-Eye Fat Repositioning

#UnderEyeFatRepositioning #DullEyes #DarkCircles #UnderEyeSurgery #LowerBlepharoplasty #TearTrough #GangnamUnderEyeSurgery #GangnamPlasticSurgery #ParkSunHee #ShimJungHwan #Uber #SeoSeungJo #GangnamUnderEyeFatRepositioning #BulgingUnderEyes

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Under-eye fat repositioning is a surgery that resolves bulging fat under the eyes or

sunken under-eyes due to a lack of fat.

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These days, many young people are also

interested in under-eye fat repositioning due to protruding under-eye fat or dark circles.

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The reason under-eye fat occurs is that the orbital septum becomes loose, causing the under-eye fat

to protrude forward. As aging progresses,

the fat gets pushed out more.

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Recently, an increasing number of people in their 20s

are visiting the clinic with these symptoms.

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Today, we will look into a real case of a patient

who underwent under-eye fat repositioning surgery.

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Under-Eye Fat Repositioning

This patient received aegyo-sal (under-eye) fillers 4 years ago.

She visited us with concerns about under-eye fat and dark circles.

Her under-eyes looked sunken and her dark circles were quite severe,

so she wanted to improve the dark circles and the sunken appearance of her under-eyes.

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Pre-operative Analysis

Patient's Condition Before Surgery

✅ Sunken tear troughs

✅ Lack of volume under the eyes

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In cases requiring under-eye fat repositioning, just as important as how bulging the under-eyes are

is how sunken the tear trough area is.

For this patient, the main problem was the sunkenness rather than the bulging.

A characteristic of such patients is that, in addition to sunken tear troughs, the bone structure up to the inner front cheekbone is small, making it look like there is a lack of volume.

We could consider fat grafting for the under-eyes and front cheekbones,

but we planned that under-eye fat repositioning alone would provide significant improvement for now.

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Desired Eye Shape

Looking at the before photos, the patient was stressed by a tired and dull impression

caused by overall sunken eyes and dark circles,

so she wanted to improve her dull eye appearance.

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Diagnosis and Surgery

✅ Under-eye fat repositioning

✅ Orbital septum reinforcement

Slight bulging of under-eye fat was observed, and the tear troughs below it were deeply sunken.

In this case, if the under-eye fat is removed, the area around the eyes might look sunken overall,

so it is better to reposition it without removal.

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Also, if we try to fill only the tear troughs with simple fillers or fat grafting without repositioning surgery,

the tightly attached tissue between the skin and bone is not properly separated,

so forcing it to be filled will likely result in 1) improper filling or 2) a bumpy appearance.

The surgery is performed in the usual way by everting the lower eyelid, making an incision in the conjunctiva,

and thoroughly dissecting up to the tightly attached tear trough area.

Then, the under-eye fat is spread out and fixed securely beyond the tear trough area,

and the septum wrapping the fat is robustly reinforced.

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3 Weeks Post-operative Progress

✨ Under-eye tape is self-removed on the 3rd day after surgery ✨

✅ Smoothed tear trough boundaries

✅ Alleviation of shadowed areas through dark circle improvement

✅ Improved to a softer impression

After the surgery, you will keep the tape under your eyes for about 3 days and then remove it yourself.

After just about 1 week, swelling and bruising will resolve, and the incision site will heal.

Before surgery, the boundary between the under-eye (bulging) and tear trough (sunken) made

the dark circles look severe, but you can see that the boundary has become smooth after surgery.

The skin tone of the dark circle area itself does not change, but

the shadows in the surrounding area are alleviated, giving a much softer impression.

This patient had a small left front cheekbone and deep tear troughs,

so if aging progresses later, the lack of volume on the left side will be noticeable first.

At that time, a small amount of fat grafting can be tried.

Since proper dissection has already been done through the repositioning surgery,

fat grafting can be performed more accurately with just the necessary amount in a situation without swelling,

so I believe the surgical satisfaction will be higher.

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Today, we looked into an under-eye fat repositioning case.

➰ We will see you next time with another case review. ➰

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Want a quick consultation?💖

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the recovery period after under-eye fat repositioning surgery?

It takes approximately 1 week. The tape applied under the eyes after surgery is self-removed on the 3rd day, and after about 1 week, most of the swelling and bruising subside, and the incision site inside the conjunctiva heals, allowing for daily activities.

Why is under-eye fat only repositioned and not removed?

This is to prevent the entire eye area from looking sunken. If the under-eye fat is slightly prominent and the tear trough below it is deeply sunken, simply removing the fat can make the under-eye area appear more hollow, so repositioning is recommended.

Does under-eye fat repositioning make the dark circle skin itself whiter?

No, the skin tone itself does not change. However, as the boundary between the prominent under-eye area and the sunken tear trough becomes smoother, the shadowed area is alleviated, visually improving dark circles and making the impression much softer.

Can tear trough hollowness not be solved with just fillers or fat grafting?

No, there are limitations with simple procedures alone. If tissue firmly attached between the skin and bone is not thoroughly detached and is forcibly filled, it may not fill properly or the surface may become uneven, so repositioning surgery is more effective.

Do many young people in their 20s also undergo under-eye fat repositioning surgery?

Yes, recently, many patients in their 20s are undergoing the procedure. In addition to the loosening of the orbital septum due to aging, there is an increasing trend of young people seeking to improve tired-looking impressions due to congenital under-eye fat protrusion or severe dark circles.