49.14.2 Injectable Fillers

Recent trends in nonsurgical treatment of facial aging have resulted in the creative application of the widely available injectable fillers in the periorbital area. Specifically, the use of nonanimal, stabilized, hyaluronic acid (NASHA) fillers have enabled the treatment of early signs of aging in the periorbital complex.

Filling infrabrow hollows can be preformed in the office setting with topical and/or local anesthesia. Following infiltration of a small amount of local anesthesia containing 1% lidocaine with 1:100,000, epinephrine can be injected directly into the treatment areas for vasoconstriction. Alternatively, ice packs may be applied before and after injection to decrease bruising. The filler is injected in a retrograde linear threading fashion in the submuscular plane.

The material should be injected only during retraction of the needle to prevent vessel embolization. Layered injections are suggested. These injections should be attempted only after one has gained sufficient experience injecting in more forgiving locations. Gentle massage should be preformed after every few injections to disperse small isolated collections of material that may become palpable or visible as edema subsides. Risks specific to this treatment include bruising, palpable subcutaneous bumps, fluid collection in the injected area, and very remote risk of retinal embolus.

Fig. 49.6 Fat injected using a microcannula along the orbital rim using a microinjection technique

49.15 Complications

Complications after blepharoplasty are usually the result of overzealous skin or fat resection, lack of hemostasis, or an inadequate preoperative assessment [9, 10]. Less commonly, an individual’s physiologic response to wound repair may lead to undesirable sequelae despite execution of the proper technique. The goal in minimizing complications consequent to blepharoplasty must therefore focus on prevention by identifying and managing known risk factors.

49.14.3Structural Fat Grafting of the Infrabrow Region

Autologous fat grafting along the superior orbital region is used to restore volume loss along the skeletonized superior bony rim and infrabrow hollows. This helps restore the natural fullness and smooth convexity of the youthful eye. The fat is typically harvested from the abdomen or thighs using a low-pressure liposuction technique. Then the fat is prepared by separating the serum and blood using a centrifuge. Once purified adipose tissue is isolated, it is injected using a microcannula along the superior orbital rim using a microinjection technique (Fig. 49.6). The most common complication of this technique in this region is contour irregularities and palpable nodules. Due to the thin skin and bony nature of the periorbital region, successful treatment requires experience. When successfully performed the results are extremely pleasing (Fig. 49.7).

49.15.1 Hematomas

Collections of blood beneath the skin surface can usually be minimized before surgery by optimizing coagulation profiles and normotensive status during surgery through delicate tissue handling and meticulous hemostasis and after surgery through head elevation, cold compressing, a controlled level of activity, and appropriate analgesic support. Should a hematoma develop, its extent and time of presentation will guide management.

Small, superficial hematomas are relatively common and are typically self-limiting. If organization occurs with the development of an indurated mass and resolution is slow or nonprogressive, conservative steroid injections may be used to hasten the healing process. Moderate or large hematomas recognized after several days are best managed by allowing the clot to liquefy (7–10 days) and then evacuating the hematoma through large-bore needle aspiration or by creating a

small stab wound over it with a no. 11 blade. Hematomas that are large and present early, that are expanding, or that represent symptomatic retrobulbar extension (decrease in visual acuity, proptosis, ocular pain, ophthalmoplegia, progressive chemosis) demand immediate exploration and hemostatic control. In the case of the latter, urgent ophthalmologic consultation and orbital decompression are the mainstays of treatment.

Although many methods of management have been described to manage threatened vision resulting from elevated intraocular pressures (reopening the wound, lateral canthotomy, steroids, diuretics, anterior chamber paracentesis), the most effective definitive treatment is immediate orbital decompression, which is usually accomplished through medial wall and orbital floor resections. Certainly, ophthalmologic consultation is advisable.

49.15.2 Blindness

Blindness, though rare, is the most feared potential complication of blepharoplasty. It occurs with an incidence of approximately 0.04%, typically presents itself within the first 24 h after surgery, and is associated with orbital fat removal and the development of a retrobulbar hematoma (medial fat pocket most commonly involved). Commonly implicated causes of retrobulbar hemorrhage include the following: (1) excessive traction on orbital fat resulting in disruption of small arterioles or venules in the posterior orbit; (2) retraction of an open vessel beneath the septum after fat release; (3) failure to recognize an open vessel because of vasospasm or epinephrine effect; (4) direct vessel trauma resulting from injections done blindly beneath the orbital septum; and (5) rebleeding after closure resulting from any maneuver or event that leads to an increased ophthalmic arteriovenous pressure head.

Early recognition of a developing orbital hematoma can be facilitated by delaying intraoperative closure (first side), avoiding occlusive-pressure eye dressings, and extending the postoperative observational period.

49.15.3 Epiphora

Assuming dry-eye syndrome was ruled out before surgery or managed appropriately intraoperatively (conservative and staged resections), a dysfunctional lacrimal collecting system rather than a high glandular output state is typically responsible for postoperative epiphora (although reflex hypersecretion may be a contributing factor because of coexistent lagophthalmus or vertical retraction of the upper lid). This response is common in the early postoperative period and is usually self-limited. Long-term cases can result from excessive skin excision, resulting in lagophthalmus and retraction.

49.15.4 Suture Line Complications

Milia or inclusion cysts are common lesions seen along the incisional line resulting from trapped epithelial debris beneath a healed skin surface or possibly from