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.