Septo-orbitoperiostoplasty for the treatment of palpebral bags: a 10-year experience.

The orbital region is sensitive to the undesirable effects of any surgical intervention, because of its anatomical location and the importance of the eyelids in facial sign language. The procedures performed for correction of baggy eyelids may have remarkable undesired results. In recent years, we have made a special effort to analyze the causes, to minimize these undesirable effects, and to be able to offer patients more natural and safer results. We have designed a new technique called septo-orbitoperiostoplasty for the treatment of baggy eyelids, based on preservation of orbital fat and correction of the supportive layer. This technique consists of placing the orbital fat back into the orbital cavity and its retention by suturing the lax septum to the periosteum of the orbital rim. Neither an incision on the orbital septum nor an excision of the orbital fat is performed. It can be performed for both upper and lower eyelids. This paper describes the surgical procedure and shows the results obtained from 74 patients who had been treated with this technique over a 10-year period. All patients were followed up for an average of 5 years.