Correction of the Tear Trough Deformity and Concomitant Infraorbital Hollows With Extracellular Matrix/Stromal Vascular Fraction Gel.

BACKGROUND: The tear trough deformity is a sign of eye aging. Filling is an ideal choice for the tear trough accompanied by infraorbital hollows. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of stromal vascular fraction gel (SVF-gel) as a filler for the tear trough deformity which is combined with infraorbital hollows. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2017 to June 2018, 33 patients underwent autologous fat aspiration and were followed up successfully. Stromal vascular fraction gel was used to correct patients with bilateral Barton I/II tear trough deformity and infraorbital hollows. Improvement was evaluated by measuring skin-periosteal depth, 3D volume, global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS), and patient self-assessment. RESULTS: Skin-periosteal depth improved significantly (p < .001). The volumetric increment of the tear trough and infraorbital regions increased 2.132 +/- 0.671 mL, and the retention rate was excellent (72.87 +/- 10.23%). The GAIS showed a high score (2.5 +/- 0.5 points), with patient self-assessment showing satisfactory results for all 7 questions on the questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The high retention rate of SVF-gel suggests that it can provide an effective solution to tear trough deformity accompanied by infraorbital hollows.