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Lower SOOF Lift Blepharoplasty

Lower Eye Lid Surgery

Surgical rejuvenation of the lower lid was a problem in need of a good solution for many years. Dr. Sean Freeman developed the SOOF lift blepharoplasty as an effective treatment for this area. This procedure addresses the “SOOF,” which stands for suborbicularis oculi fat, to correct a puffy appearance beneath the eyes without making the area look sunken or hollow, as traditional procedures sometimes do. With this relatively simple surgery, Dr. Freeman can restore a youthful, rested look through blepharoplasty, or eyelid lift surgery.

Patients who choose Dr. Freeman at The Center for Facial Plastic and Laser Surgery, in Charlotte, are choosing a physician who has specialized in facial cosmetic surgery since 1988. You can request your consultation online to receive $25 off your consultation fee, or call Dr. Freeman’s office at(704) 543-1110.

Background

Many physicians in the facial plastic surgery world operate on the lower lid using approaches that do not work as well as a SOOF lift blepharoplasty. Many use an open approach, with an incision beneath the eyelashes of the lower lid (known as a subciliary incision). They lift the skin and muscle of the lower lid, and remove fat from each of the 3 compartments underneath and behind the orbit. The problem with this approach is that we don’t grow fat in the lower lid as we age. The fat simply protrudes because of the relaxation of a fascia layer that holds the fat in check when we are younger.

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Removing this fat simply takes a bulging lower lid and makes it look hollow. Neither of these looks is pleasing. The other important point that this procedure ignores is the hollowness that occurs under the puffy area, commonly known as the tear trough. Some surgeons will take fat from either the lower lids (which creates hollowness) or other areas of the body and try to “graft” this area to fill it in. While this may occasionally help, it is prone to failure due to clumping, resorption, or migration of the fat, among other concerns. In addition, using an open approach puts pressure on the support structure of the lower lid and can lead to a change in lower eyelid position, known as scleral show or frank ectropion (the lower lid is pulled away from the orbit). Dr. Freeman does find a subciliary incision to be necessary in the rare patient, and if you are in that category he will discuss this approach during your office consultation.

Dr. Freeman’s SOOF Technique

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At his Charlotte practice, Dr. Freeman performs blepharoplasty for the lower lids using an incision inside the eyelid, known as a transconjunctival incision, for the vast majority of his patients. He has devised a way to tighten the structure that contains the protruding orbital fat, returning this area of the eye to its smooth, youthful position and appearance. That means improving the puffiness without causing a hollow appearance. He lifts the mid-face fat that used to be under the lower lid, called the “SOOF”. This corrects the hollow appearance under the eye.

You can view more photos of Lower eyelid surgery with  SOOF Lift here.

The results from this approach look very natural because the surgery puts the lower eyelid anatomy back to its youthful position.