Why Choose Lower Lid Blepharoplasty with a SOOF Lift?

Posted Tuesday, August 17, 2010 to PROCEDURES > Face

Posted by M. Sean Freeman, MD

Standard lower-lid blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) treats "bags" under the eyes by removing fatty deposits to create a smoother transition between the eye and cheek. However, removing fatty deposits requires precise control and an acute aesthetic sense, since removing too much fat frequently results in cosmetically unappealing, hollow-looking eyes.

If during a blepharoplasty the lower-lid is pulled too far down, it can expose the white part of the eye. And when too much skin is removed, it can cause cicatrical extropion (the skin pulls away from the eyeball). Both of these complications can occur when a surgeon uses a transcutaneous (skin) incision.

In response to the possible complications and undesirable, external scars associated with fat removal using a transcutaneous incision, I developed the transconjunctival SOOF lift technique. With the SOOF lift, the fat below the eye (called suborbicularis oculi fat, hence SOOF) is lifted to restore a patient to their youthful anatomy and improve or eliminate the hollowness that occurs over time in the lower lids. Before this procedure was invented this was not accomplished with traditional lower lid blepharoplasty. When the fat is repositioned, it can create a more even contour to the face while making the patient's eyes look younger and more alert. This technique also eliminates visible scarring through a transconjunctival incision (an incision through the membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelid).

The SOOF lift can treat functional disorders in addition to cosmetic concerns, and typically is safer than standard lower-lid surgery, which is why I recommend it to my patients considering blepharoplasty in North Carolina. I routinely perform the procedure because of its advantages and I have taught the procedure to many U.S. and European surgeons since I developed the technique 10 years ago.

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