AboutAlan M. Engler, MD, FACS Expertise Dr. Engler has answered over 2700 plastic surgery questions for Allexperts. His expertise is in cosmetic plastic surgery including breast surgery (breast enlargement with implants, breast reduction, breast lifts), liposuction, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, facelifts etc.
Dr. Engler has been listed as one New York`s Top Doctors, and as "One of the World's Most Famous Aesthetic Surgeons" (Aesthetic Surgery, TASCHEN Books, Angelika Taschen, Editor). He is the author of 4 books, including "BodySculpture" (a best-selling plastic surgery book on breast surgery, liposuction and tummy tucks), "EyeScapes" (Plastic Surgery of the Eyelids), "Restylane," and "The Slim Book of Liposuction."
Dr. Engler has two US Patents for surgical instruments that he's designed, and has appeared on numerous television shows, including The Tyra Banks Show, The Ricki Lake Show (four times), and the Dr. Keith Ablow Show. Videos of his appearances are available on YouTube (SEARCH FOR "DR. ENGLER"). His website is www.bodysculpture.com.
Experience Dr. Alan Engler is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York and the author of BodySculpture - Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women (ISBN 0966382749) one of the top-selling plastic surgery books on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.
Education/Credentials Dr. Engler graduated from Yale University (undergraduate) and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University (medical school). He did his residency training in General Surgery and, after that, Plastic Surgery, at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. He is on the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Question I am a male only 25 years old but have been working an overnight job for the past 5 years. Over the past 2 years I have had much difficulty obtaining adequate sleep during the day. During this time I have noticed fat pockets begin to develop under my eyes resting at the top of the cheekbone. I feel these are signs of premature aging. The appearance of them is not too severe yet but my worry is as the aging process and gravity continue to work their magic, these pockets and "hollowed" look under my eyes will be much more pronounced well before my time. I have read about under eye lift procedures which will remove excess fat to reduce eye bags, but is there a procedure to reposition this fat that appears to have descended from under the eye back to restore a more youthful fullness and tone under the eye as a corrective and preventative measure to the aging process? Thanks so much for your help!
Answer from Dr. Alan Engler
www.bodysculpture.com
Hi Eric,
There actually is a procedure that purports to do exactly what you suggest: it lifts up some of the fat and swings it up/around so that it fills in areas of relative hollow. The procedure is done via an incision under the eyelashes on the front of the lower eyelid.
That being said, the long-term effectiveness and results associated with this procedure are a little less clear, and if you're considering it you may want to ask the surgeon you're talking to to show you photos of some of the longer term results. There is a least a little concern that, once lifted up and separated from the natural blood supply and positioning, the fat may start to lose some of its fullness (essentially shrivel up a bit) and therefore no longer maintain the result.
Aside from that, though, I'm not aware of any procedures that are likely to help what you're describing.
