Outcomes of Surgical Treatment of Malar Mounds and Festoons.

BACKGROUND: Malar mounds (congenital) and festoons (acquired) are persistent puffiness in the prezygomatic space between the orbicularis retaining ligament (ORL) and zygomatico-cutaneous ligament (ZCL). Non-surgical treatments often yield unsatisfactory results. This paper aims to demonstrate a surgical approach for the treatment of malar bags by outlining the author's surgical technique of treating malar mounds and festoons and reviewing outcomes in 89 cases. METHODS: Correction of malar mounds and festoons was achieved with subciliary skin-muscle flap, release of the ORL and ZCL, midface lift, canthopexy, and muscle suspension. We performed a retrospective study of 89 patients, all of whom had surgical correction of malar mounds or festoons in the past 10 years and a follow-up period of at least 6 months. This study was conducted over the course of the past year and involved reviewing patient charts in the office. Specifically, patient data spanning 2012 to 2022 were analyzed. The predictor variable in this study is the specific class of malar bags the patient has, as determined by the underlying pathophysiology. Outcome variables include the presence or absence of prolonged lid or malar edema, necessary re-excision of excess orbicularis oculi of the subciliary area, lid malposition, permanent visual changes, the need for additional non-operative treatment, and recurrence requiring reoperation. RESULTS: The majority of patients presented with acquired festoons (81/89) with prior attempts of correction (49/89). The mean follow-up is 11.2 months. Persistent malar edema (> 6 weeks) was documented in 14 patients and mainly resolved with Medrol Dosepak (methylprednisolone) and hydrochlorothiazide. A two-proportion Z-test was conducted, comparing the proportion of patients with poor protoplasm who experienced postoperative malar edema to the proportion of those with excellent protoplasm who experienced postoperative malar edema. A p-value of 3.414e-7 was obtained, indicating a statistically significant difference of proportions between the two groups. Five patients received additional injections of deoxycholic acid and two needed fillers for smoother contour of the lower eyelids. Two patients with severe malar mounds required multiple reoperations including direct excision in one patient. One incidence of transient lid retraction was reported in a patient with previous facelift and facial nerve injury. CONCLUSION: Malar mounds and festoons present a unique challenge to plastic surgeons. They are persistent in nature and require close-interval, long-term follow-up as additional injections and reoperations are warranted. Our approach to malar mound and festoon correction is safe and effective and provides long-lasting results. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Addition of "Septal Window" to Lower Blepharoplasty for the Management of Fat of the Lower Eyelids.

BACKGROUND: The most common reason for dissatisfaction and reoperation in lower blepharoplasty patients is persistent bulging of the lateral fat pad. This compartment contributes the most to fat herniation and yet is the most commonly overlooked. The addition of a septal window, a small opening of the septum on the most prominent part of the lateral fat compartment, helps with precise removal of lateral fat and allows for additional fat excision after septal reset without disrupting the arcuate expansion. METHODS: Our lower blepharoplasty approach includes 1) a subcilliary incision; 2) aggressive lateral fat excision through a septal window; 3) central and medial fat excision, transposition, and septal reset; 4) canthopexy; 5) orbicularis oculi muscle suspension; and 6) no dissection of orbicularis oculi medially and no skin resected medially to avoid lid retraction. We performed a retrospective review of all lower blepharoplasty cases by a single surgeon over 10 years. Demographics and operative outcomes were queried. RESULTS: There were 224 cases, 90% were women with a mean age of 58.2 years. The most common postoperative occurrences were eyelid edema, malar edema, and chemosis, all of which were self-limiting. Two patients needed additional removal of lateral fat of their lower eyelids.Two patients had lid retraction, one of which had a previous facial nerve palsy and the other did not have a canthopexy and developed transient unilateral lid retraction that resolved with conservative treatment. Resumption of full activities and exercises at 6 weeks was typical. CONCLUSION: The septal window facilitates aggressive resection of the lateral fat pad and additional fat excision after septal reset to create a smooth lid-cheek junction. In our practice, it is a critical component of a successful lower blepharoplasty.

Safety and Efficacy of Third-Generation Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction: A Series of 261 Cases.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of third-generation ultrasound-assisted liposuction (3rd UAL) allows for a less invasive modality of both deep and superficial lipectomy while offering improved skin retraction and reduced rate of complications. This study examined the efficacy and safety profile of this technology over 15 years of clinical experience. METHODS: A consecutive series of patients treated from 2005-2020 by the senior author were reviewed for demographic and anthropometric measurements, intraoperative settings, surgical outcomes, and complications via retrospective chart review. Body-Q survey was used to assess patient satisfaction. RESULTS: A total of 261 patients underwent 3rd UAL in 783 areas. There were 238 female and 23 male patients with an average age of 43.5 years and BMI of 27.4 kg/m2. The most frequently treated areas were the trunk and lower limbs. An average of 2840 mL of wetting solution was used with an average of 2284 mL of lipocrit aspirate. About 65% of the cases were done in conjunction with another procedure. Overall complication rate was 4.6%, contour irregularity (1.9%), seroma (0.8%), cellulitis (0.8%), pigmentation changes (0.4%), and electrolyte imbalance (0.4%), with a minimum follow-up of 6 months. 78% of patient would undergo the procedure again and 86% would recommend it. CONCLUSION: Third-generation ultrasound-assisted liposuction can be used effectively and safely, either alone, or in conjunction with other plastic surgery procedures. VASER liposuction allows surgeons to address superficial fat plane and enhanced skin tightening. Rate of complications are lower than that of traditional liposuction with equivalent or higher patient satisfaction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Etiology and Treatment of Congenital Festoons.

BACKGROUND: Festoons and malar bags present a particular challenge to the plastic surgeon and commonly persist after the traditional lower blepharoplasty. They are more common than we think and a trained eye will be able to recognize them. Lower blepharoplasty in these patients requires addressing the lid-cheek junction and midcheek using additional techniques such as orbicularis retaining ligament (ORL) and zygomaticocutaneous ligament (ZCL) release, midface lift, microsuction, or even direct excision (Kpodzo e al. in Aesthet Surg J 34(2):235-248, 2014; Goldberg et al. in Plast Reconstr Surg 115(5):1395-1402, 2005; Mendelson et al. in Plast Reconstr Surg 110(3):885-896, 2002). The goal in these patients is to restore a smooth contour from the lower eyelid to the cheek. The review of literature shows the need for more than one surgery for treatment of the festoons (Furnas in Plast Reconstr Surg 61(4):540-546, 1978). One of the reasons WHY these cases are so challenging is that the festoons tend to persist even after surgical treatment. As Furnas said, "Malar mounds have acquired some notoriety for their persistence in the face of surgical efforts to remove them" (Furnas in Clin Plast Surg 20(2):367-385, 1993). This could be due to different etiology between acquired and congenital festoons. There are currently no cases of congenital festoons described in the literature. In the last 10 years, we have treated a total of 59 patients with festoons or malar mounds. We used the terminology of festoon for acquired cases and malar mound for congenital ones (Kpodzo et al. 2014). We were successful with treating 56 patients who developed acquired festoons later on in life; however, three cases required an additional treatment to improve residual puffiness that they had after the first operation. From the above findings, we hypothesized that there should be something common in patients with congenital festoons or malar mounds which are different from acquired festoons. All of these three patients had one thing in common, and that was a history of puffiness of the prezygomatic space since childhood. Each of these patients expressed that these conditions have been present since a young age but became worse with aging over time. To date, there are no descriptions of the cause or treatment for congenital festoons. Here, we present the first case series of three patients with congenital festoons. We discuss the possible etiology of congenital festoons, the physical exam, and the surgical approaches. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 59 patients who had surgical correction of festoons in the past 10 years, three of which were presented since childhood. In this paper, we will discuss the pathophysiology and the surgical treatments for congenital festoons. Only patients with festoons present since birth were included. The first two cases were treated with a subciliary blepharoplasty with release of the orbicularis retaining and zygomaticocutaneous ligaments and midface lift with canthopexy and orbicularis muscle suspension. The third case had a subciliary lower blepharoplasty approach, skin, and muscle flap and direct excision of the fat through the orbicularis from the subcutaneous space. In addition, each patient required further treatments to address supra-orbicularis fat by various methods. RESULTS: All patients with acquired festoons had successful results with one operation by subciliary skin muscle flap, release of the ORL and ZCL, midface lift, and muscle suspension. All three patients with congenital festoons had residual puffiness that required surgical and non-surgical treatments. There were no complications. Our first case required three surgical treatments for complete correction. The second and third cases required Kybella injections after their initial surgical treatments. The specimen of the first patient, Fig. 10, who had direct excision, showed localized fat collection immediately under the skin and above the orbicularis oculi muscle. CONCLUSIONS: Correction of congenital festoons or malar mounds requires a combination of subciliary lower blepharoplasty with skin muscle flap, midface lift, and orbicularis muscle suspension, as well as addressing the supra-orbicularis fat via direct excision, off-label Kybella injection or liposuction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .