Blepharoplasty/Fat Transfer (Wes)

Dr. Cook performs a blepharoplasty and fat transfer procedure on one of our Chicago/Winnetka patients (Wes) to accomplish several goals. The blepharoplasty surgically removes excess skin and fat deposits from the upper eyelids. Also, it treats the lower lids, which look “sunken” and hollow. Using a fat transfer technique, Dr. Cook removes fat from Wes’ abdominal region, purifies it, and places it in his “tear troughs” which have lost volume and also look sunken. The result is an overall rejuvenation of the eye area.

WES: Hi. My name is Wes and I am here at the Whole Beauty Institute. I’m getting ready to see Dr. Cook for a couple procedures. First of all he is going to do an upper eyelid, what they call a Belpharolplasty. It seems like there is too much skin in my upper eyelid and it just makes me look older and it makes me look like I’m more tired than I actually am. So he is going to remove some of the excess skin from the upper eyelid and some of the fatty, there are also some fatty deposits in the upper eyelid that he is going to remove. The lower lid because of loss of fat it just makes my eye appear to be sunken and it makes me look older and feel tired. Although I am not, I don’t feel tired at all. So he is going to take some fat from my abdominal tissue and just transfer it into the lower eyelid area that appears sunken because of the loss of fatty tissue. And also there’s what they call a tear trench and he’s going to take some of that fat that I mentioned from the abdominal area and also build up this it’s like a trough, it’s like a sunken trough on both sides that really makes me look like I’m dehydrated, more aged than I am and tired. But ugh I am hoping to get some really good results from this because too many people are telling me that I look tired, fatigued and it’s really hurting my self-esteem so I thought and I know Dr. Cook is the only one that I found on the Internet in my research that does this fat transfer technique. DR. JOHN Q. COOK: Wes has described very nicely some of the early affects of the aging process. Heaviness in the upper eyelid can make a person look tired. Like many fit individuals who work out regularly, Wes has lots volume in his upper cheek, which has created a hollow almost aged look. To prepare for the procedure I carefully made markings on Wes’s eyelids and cheeks. These provide a precise map that will guide me during this surgery. For eyelid surgery I operate under magnification so that I can carry out every step of the procedure with maximum precision. I’ve just removed the extra skin and Kim is lifting the muscle of the upper eyelid so that I can safely pass through it. Now we can see the extra fat that was causing a bulge at the inner part of Wes’s upper lid. I remove just the right amount so that we create a smooth but not hollow upper eyelid. I pay careful attention to the technique of suturing so that the incision will heal in as fine a line as possible. You can see that the heaviness is gone from the upper lid. I’ll repeat the procedure on the right eye. The next stage of the procedure is the harvesting of the fat from the abdomen, which I will use to build up Wes’s cheeks. This is essentially a very gentle liposuction done with delicate instruments and low pressure to protect the fat cells from damage. Kim is preparing the fat so that I can inject it in a concentrated form. I make little nicks and natural skin creases through which I can inject fat into the cheek. Tiny amounts are injected with each pass so that I can precisely shape a three dimensional result. Toward the end of the procedure I like to sit the patient up so that I can find tune the placement of the fat and get just the right contour for each area. Wes experienced only minor discomfort during the procedure under local anesthesia. This makes for a very easy recovery. We have achieved our goals for Wes’s surgery. We have reduced the heaviness of his upper lids in a natural way and we have restored a nice fullness to his cheeks. Our goal is to provide each of our patients with the refreshed and natural youthful appearance. WES: I am ecstatic about my results here at the Whole Beauty Institute. Dr. Cook did a great job. My confidence is so much better. I don’t look tired anymore. My self-esteem is good. I look younger. I feel younger. I am getting compliments from my friends. I so recommend the Whole Beauty Institute and Dr. Cook. Do it.