Under-Eye Fat Repositioning Recovery Period: Just Two Days! A Plastic Surgeon Reveals the Conditions for a Quick Return to Daily Life

Hello, I’m Ban Hogyoung, the head doctor at Banni Plastic Surgery.

Hello.

I’m board-certified plastic surgeon Ban Hogyoung, whose specialty is eye surgery and whose strong suit is revision eye surgery.

If you have had under-eye fat repositioning at our clinic, or have watched a friend go through recovery, you probably know that there is no separate recovery period to speak of.

Bruising and swelling are not severe, so you only need to rest from activity on the day of the under-eye fat repositioning surgery and perhaps the following day.

Usually, after about two days of rest, there is nothing else to manage. Although it falls under the category of surgery, in terms of recovery time, it is closer to a procedure.

(Because it goes through the inner conjunctiva of the eye rather than the outer skin, it is technically surgery, but since there is no external wound, it can be considered non-incisional. There is no visible sign of surgery, there is little to manage, washing your face is possible, and there are no stitches to remove, so it is much simpler and more convenient than what people usually think of as surgery.)

Before under-eye fat repositioning

1 month after under-eye fat repositioning

Of course, a great deal of effort on my part went into achieving these results.

(You may not be able to tell at first glance, but I have published more than five papers so far. I have also received an Excellence Presentation Award from the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.)

However, when it comes to the recovery period for under-eye fat repositioning, many patients are confused by false claims that the most important factor determining a quick return to daily life after surgery is the surgical equipment used.

So in today’s column, I’d like to explain the conditions that determine the recovery period for under-eye fat repositioning.

Ah! First, let’s address why “equipment” is not the only factor that determines the recovery period.

Under-eye fat surgery using Bovie has a long recovery period? NOPE!

During under-eye fat consultation, patients sometimes suddenly ask whether I use “this device.”

“Doctor, do you use Encore Laser here too?”

When I asked why they were asking, they said they had seen posts at other medical institutions comparing Encore Laser and Bovie Laser, claiming that “under-eye fat surgery using Bovie involves skin incision and a lot of bleeding, which leads to more bruising and swelling and makes it difficult to return to daily life.”

By contrast, the post said that under-eye fat surgery using Encore Laser makes an incision in the conjunctiva, with almost no bleeding, minimizing bruising and swelling and allowing a faster recovery.

(Under-eye fat repositioning is mostly performed through the inner conjunctiva of the eye rather than the outer skin.)

But is that really true?

First, it should be noted that the CO2 laser was originally designed for skin treatment, not for surgical operations. The UltraPulse Encore CO2 laser was originally developed for scar treatment, skin resurfacing, mole removal, and similar purposes in dermatology. In other words, it is a laser that excels at treating the skin surface.

Of course, it is true that when a CO2 laser is used in under-eye fat repositioning, it can reduce bleeding because the laser coagulates blood vessels while making the incision.

Then what about Bovie?

For reference, I use a device called Valleylab, developed by Bovie. Valleylab was designed from the outset for surgical use. It is a high-frequency electrosurgical device designed for precise incision and immediate hemostasis.

Because it allows precise incisions, it does not unnecessarily burn the skin or tissue. In addition, since it achieves immediate hemostasis, bleeding can be minimized. And yes, bruising and swelling are reduced.

Before under-eye fat repositioning

1 month after under-eye fat repositioning

To summarize, it is certainly true that the Encore CO2 laser produces good results in skin treatment, and it can also be helpful when appropriately used in surgery. However, the claim that a CO2 laser must be used in under-eye surgery for recovery to be fast is not true. The claim that under-eye surgery using Bovie equipment involves skin incision and heavy bleeding is a critical error.

There are also claims that the Encore laser is not introduced because its unit cost is high, but in plastic surgery, its necessity is lower, so there is no need to bring it in. ^^: Plastic surgery requires devices designed for surgical operations, not equipment developed for skin treatment.

Item	UltraPulse Encore CO2 Laser	Bovie Valleylab
Development purpose	Skin resurfacing, scar treatment, mole removal	Surgical incision & bleeding control
Hemostasis function	Yes (coagulation possible)	Excellent (immediate hemostasis possible)
Thermal damage	May occur	Minimized
Main field of use	Dermatology (fractional laser)	Plastic surgery (precise incision, microsurgery)

And the most important factor determining the recovery period after under-eye fat surgery is the surgeon’s skill.

What is the most important factor in determining recovery speed?

In fact, the key factors that determine how quickly patients recover from under-eye fat repositioning are accurate anesthesia and the surgeon’s skill.

Anesthesia must be accurate for recovery to be fast.

Anesthesia is not simply a process to prevent pain during surgery.

How accurately and completely anesthesia is administered affects the difficulty of the surgery and also influences recovery speed.

The problem is that the area under the eyes is difficult to anesthetize.

Because it is a wider and deeper structure than the upper eye area, if the anesthesia does not spread evenly, some areas may be less numbed. What happens if surgery proceeds without complete anesthesia?

First, because it hurts, the patient feels discomfort, and as the muscles tense up, small movements during surgery become unavoidable. In that case, the surgeon must pay attention to the patient’s reactions, which not only distracts concentration but also increases the difficulty of the surgery and can extend the operating time. (If the operation takes longer, the doctor becomes more fatigued, so the cost inevitably rises.)

On the other hand, what happens if the anesthesia is sufficiently effective?

The patient can remain comfortable throughout the surgery, and the surgeon can focus entirely on the operation. That lowers the difficulty of the surgery, reduces bleeding, shortens the operating time, and speeds up recovery.

Therefore, when you receive a surgical consultation, ask just one question.

“During surgery, is there ever a case where the anesthesia wears off or does not work properly?”

If they say, “It’s rare, but the anesthesia can wear off or wake up during surgery...,” then avoid them for now.

Before under-eye fat repositioning

1 month after under-eye fat repositioning

The shorter the surgery time, the better.

The longer it takes to create a work of art, the more value it tends to be given. Surgery time, too, is often seen as reflecting how carefully the operation was performed the longer it is.

But in fact, the shorter the surgery time, the better.

Earlier, I said that if anesthesia is not effective, surgery takes longer. In addition, the surgeon’s skill is also a major factor that determines surgery time.

A short operation time can be an indicator of the surgeon’s expertise.

If there is a doctor who can achieve the same result more quickly and efficiently, that doctor is likely to have more experience and more skill, right?

Above all, the most important factor determining recovery speed is how much tissue damage is minimized.

The more tissue damage that occurs during surgery, the greater the bleeding and inflammatory response, and as a result, swelling and bruising are more likely to last longer and recovery is likely to be slower.

Therefore, during surgery, unnecessary incisions or excessive dissection should not be performed, and only the necessary areas should be handled precisely to minimize tissue damage.

The less tissue damage there is, the less bleeding there is, and because the surgical process becomes simpler, the surgery is actually more likely to take less time.

You may think, “Isn’t a longer surgery more precise?” but in fact, it is the opposite.

To summarize, a shorter surgery time means the surgeon is likely performing the operation efficiently while minimizing tissue damage. On the other hand, if the surgery takes longer, there may be more unnecessary manipulation, bleeding may not be well controlled, and tissue damage may be increasing.

An experienced surgeon can fully and perfectly complete the following process in under 30 minutes.

| 1. Make a conjunctival incision to expose the fat and safely open the orbital septum.2. Protect the nerves and blood vessels while creating space below the tear trough.3. Reposition the fat in balance with the anatomy to reduce bulging areas and fill hollow areas.4. Fix the fat to the periosteum or fascia so that it does not recur over time. |

Under-eye fat repositioning procedure

Today’s conclusion

What matters is not ‘which device is used’

but ‘how the surgery is performed.’

Surgery is not a ‘battle of tools.’

Give the same brush to two people, and one will paint a masterpiece while the other makes scribbles.

The same goes for under-eye fat repositioning.

What matters is not which device is used, but who performs the surgery and how precisely it is done.

Accurate anesthesia makes the surgery smoother, minimizing bleeding reduces bruising and swelling, and reducing unnecessary incisions speeds up recovery.

The more experienced the surgeon, the more likely they are to operate efficiently while minimizing tissue damage and without unnecessary steps. That is why a shorter operation time is more likely to indicate a more precise surgery.

If you are considering under-eye fat surgery, look at not the equipment, but ‘who is performing the surgery and how.’

In the end, what creates a fast recovery and natural results is the doctor’s skill.

[How to choose a plastic surgery clinic that performs under-eye fat surgery well at a low cost]

https://blog.naver.com/rush_724/223737127404