Question:
I am a 46-year-old male. I recently had fat injected into the hollows of my eyes. The swelling seems to have gone down but there are tiny lumps under my eyes now. Could this be a sign that I’m rejecting the injection?
Answer:
No, it is not likely that you are rejecting the fat injection. However, it is possible that you have some small fat nodules that you are seeing. This procedure can be done very safely on the lower lids and typically does not produce lumps along the lower eyelid but certainly is a very technician-dependent technique. We have performed fat transfers for approximately eight years and I am a strong advocate for volume replacement with patients’ own fat. There are a couple of approaches that can be used if there is some unevenness or bumpiness. First would be a very conservative measure resulting in a small amount of steroid injected into the area depending on the location. If they are not visible but only palpated, we would typically take the most conservative approach. If they are visible one can either add some additional volume by way of fat transfer or possibly even excising these under more extreme conditions. Having said that, I do think it is an excellent technique on the lower eyelids but definitely is technician-dependent and varies from one doctor to another.