Most commonly, there are two distinct areas of the lower eye that can result in an undesirable appearance. Many “plastic” surgeons who claim to specialize in the area of the eyes and eyelids address this via what is called a lower lid blepharoplasty. They “simply” remove some of the fat under the eyeball – which would address part of the problem, and trim any “excess” skin. What has become apparent is that not only does this not address the lower bags, but may actually result in cosmetic and even functional deformities. The midface lift in its many forms addresses both areas, and in addition, rids the aging face of nasolabial folding (the lines that run from the outside of the nose to the corners of the mouth). The SOOF or suborbicularis oculi fatpad is the structure that makes up those saggy bags and can be distinguished from the postseptal fat (the fat by the eyeball) by pressing on the eyeball and witnessing no change in its size. This is what the midface lifts, and in the process helps that nasolabial fold, apart from removing the fat under the eyeball.
Jacob Gerzenshtein, MD, FACS,
A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
