Under-eye Fat Repositioning
Restore Smooth, Youthful & Refreshed Under-Eyes
The area beneath the eyes is one of the first parts of the face to show signs of aging. Because the skin around the eyes is exceptionally thin and delicate, even subtle changes in volume, skin elasticity, and supporting tissues can make a person appear tired, stressed, or older than they actually are.
Many patients notice persistent under-eye bags, dark circles, hollow tear troughs, or a deep groove beneath the eyes that cannot be improved with skincare products or adequate rest. Even when they feel energetic, their eyes may continue to give the impression of fatigue.
At Sketch Plastic Surgery Korea, Under-Eye Fat Repositioning is one of our signature facial rejuvenation procedures. Rather than simply removing under-eye fat, our surgeons carefully reposition your own natural fat to restore smoother, more youthful contours while preserving the natural anatomy of the lower eyelid.
What Causes Under-Eye Aging?
Several age-related changes occur beneath the eyes, often at the same time. Understanding these changes allows us to select the most appropriate treatment for each patient.
As we age, the connective tissues supporting the lower eyelid gradually weaken. This allows the natural fat pads beneath the eyes to protrude forward, creating the appearance of puffy or bulging under-eye bags.
Although these fat pads are a normal part of the eye’s anatomy, their prominence increases with age, making the eyes appear constantly tired or swollen.
Under-eye bags are one of the most common reasons patients seek lower eyelid rejuvenation.
Dark circles can develop for several different reasons.
Some patients have naturally thin skin that allows the underlying blood vessels to become more visible. Others develop dark circles because of age-related volume loss beneath the eyes, creating shadows that make the area appear darker.
In many cases, pigmentation, skin quality, visible blood vessels, and hollowing all contribute to the appearance of dark circles. Because every patient is different, treatment must be carefully customized rather than relying on a single approach.
The tear trough and palpebromalar groove are natural depressions that separate the lower eyelid from the upper cheek.
With aging, the supporting ligaments become more noticeable as surrounding fat and soft tissue gradually lose volume. This creates a hollow appearance beneath the eyes that often exaggerates both dark circles and under-eye bags.
When the lower eyelid fat protrudes while the surrounding tissues lose volume, the contrast between fullness and hollowness becomes even more apparent, creating a tired or aged appearance.
What is Under-Eye Fat Repositioning?
Under-Eye Fat Repositioning is an advanced lower eyelid rejuvenation procedure that redistributes your own under-eye fat to restore a smoother and more youthful contour.
Instead of removing all of the bulging fat, modern surgical techniques preserve as much healthy tissue as possible. The surgeon carefully repositions the fat into hollow areas beneath the eye, reducing puffiness while simultaneously restoring lost volume.
This creates a more natural transition between the lower eyelid and the upper cheek without leaving the eyes looking hollow or overcorrected.
At Sketch Plastic Surgery Korea, this procedure is frequently combined with Nano Fat Grafting when additional volume enhancement is needed to achieve optimal facial harmony.
What Can Under-Eye Fat Repositioning Treat?
This procedure is ideal for patients who wish to improve:
- Under-eye bags
- Tear trough deformities
- Palpebromalar groove
- Hollow under-eyes
- Age-related volume loss
- Shadow-related dark circles
- Uneven lower eyelid contours
- A tired or aged facial appearance
For many patients, treating these concerns dramatically refreshes the overall appearance of the face without changing its natural character.
The Sketch Plastic Surgery Technique
At Sketch Plastic Surgery Korea, Under-Eye Fat Repositioning is performed using a transconjunctival approach, meaning the incision is made inside the lower eyelid.
Because the incision is hidden inside the eyelid:
- There is no external scar
- External stitches are not required
- Healing is generally faster
- The natural appearance of the lower eyelid is preserved
During the procedure, the surgeon carefully:
- Releases the tissues contributing to the tear trough deformity
- Repositions the patient’s own fat to smooth the transition between the eyelid and cheek
- Removes only a minimal amount of fat when necessary
- Preserves the natural Aegyo-sal (the youthful fullness just beneath the eyelashes) whenever appropriate
- Performs Nano Fat Grafting when additional volume restoration will improve the final result
The goal is not simply to eliminate eye bags, but to create a youthful, smooth, and natural-looking lower eyelid.
Why Nano Fat Grafting is Often Recommended
Many patients have both protruding fat and age-related volume loss beneath the eyes.
While repositioning the existing fat corrects much of the contour irregularity, Nano Fat Grafting can further improve:
- Hollow areas
- Fine wrinkles
- Skin quality
- Volume deficiency
- Overall smoothness of the lower eyelid
By combining these procedures, our surgeons are often able to achieve more balanced and longer-lasting facial rejuvenation.
The Sketch Plastic Surgery Difference
Under-Eye Fat Repositioning is one of the procedures our surgeons perform most frequently. Through years of surgical experience and continuous refinement of modern lower eyelid techniques, we focus on achieving elegant, natural-looking outcomes with minimal downtime.
Our approach includes:
- Personalized surgical planning
- Preservation of natural facial anatomy
- Advanced transconjunctival techniques
- Aegyo-sal preservation whenever appropriate
- No external stitches
- No visible external scars
- Faster recovery
- Combination with specialized Nano Fat Grafting when indicated
- Comprehensive post-operative care
- Dedicated support for international patients
Surgery Time & Anesthesia
Procedure Time
- Approximately 45–60 minutes
- Slightly longer when combined with Nano Fat Grafting or additional facial procedures
The surgery is typically performed under local anesthesia with intravenous sleep sedation, allowing patients to remain comfortable throughout the procedure.
Patients usually return home the same day after a short recovery period.
Recovery Timeline
First Week
Mild swelling and bruising are expected.
Swelling generally peaks around the third or fourth day.
7–14 Days
Most bruising and swelling have significantly improved.
Most patients return to work and normal daily activities.
1–2 Months
Residual swelling continues to resolve.
The under-eye contour becomes increasingly smooth and natural.
Approximately 3 Months
Final results become fully visible as healing is completed.
Because there are no external incisions, stitch removal is generally not required.
Aftercare & Medication
Following surgery, patients are prescribed medications to promote comfortable healing and reduce the risk of complications.
These may include:
- Antibiotics
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Pain medication
- Stomach-protective medication when appropriate
Our medical team provides personalized aftercare instructions and closely monitors each patient’s recovery during scheduled follow-up appointments.
Frequently Asked Questions
The repositioned fat provides long-lasting improvement. While the natural aging process continues, patients generally enjoy a smoother under-eye contour for many years.
No. The procedure is performed through an incision inside the lower eyelid, leaving no visible external scar.
If your dark circles are primarily caused by hollowing or shadowing, Under-Eye Fat Repositioning often provides significant improvement. Patients whose dark circles are mainly caused by pigmentation or skin color changes may benefit from additional treatments.
Yes. It is commonly combined with Nano Fat Grafting, Lower Blepharoplasty, Fat Grafting, Mid-Face Rejuvenation, or other facial procedures to achieve comprehensive anti-aging results.
Rejuvenate Your Eyes with Under-Eye Fat Repositioning at Sketch Plastic Surgery Korea
Beautiful eyes are not only defined by their shape but also by the smooth transition between the lower eyelids and the cheeks. Under-Eye Fat Repositioning at Sketch Plastic Surgery Korea is designed to restore this youthful contour using advanced, tissue-preserving techniques that enhance your natural beauty without creating an artificial appearance.
Whether your concerns are under-eye bags, tear troughs, dark circles, or hollow under-eyes, our experienced surgeons will develop a personalized treatment plan to help you achieve refreshed, natural-looking results that complement your entire face.
The skin under our eyes is quite thin, and as we age, there are certain issues that arise becoming big cosmetic concerns to people. Some of those concerns are as follows:
Eyebag
When we age, the thin skin under our eyes loses its tightness and strength more than any other parts of our body. When that happens, the fatty tissues beneath the upper part of the undereye skin move down because of gravity, causing them to accumulate in the lower part of the undereye area. This creates a bulging bag under the eyes which we call eyebags. Eyebag formation is one of the most common aging problems people experience. Eyebags make people look fatigued and tired as well as look older.
Dark Circle
In some people, when we age, some fat under the eye gets dissolved making the skin barrier quite thin. When that happens, the blood veins underneath become visible causing the formation of a Dark Circle.
Palpebral-Malar Groove
Sometimes, the dissolving fat under the eyes also creates a groove with a clear sunkenness along the eye socket bone rim’s line on the Maxilla bone. This groove is called Palpebral Malar Groove. It is a natural depression that separates the lower eyelid from the upper cheeks with the orbicularis retaining ligaments. This depression is less visible when we have enough fat and the tissues are evenly distributed under the eyes. But when the fats get dissolved or unevenly distributed under the eyes, this groove becomes visible and becomes a cosmetic concern.
Both Dark Circle and Palpebral Malar Groove make people look tired and older just like what an Eyebag does. But the good news is, all these problems can be easily solved by our highly experienced surgeons with a simple cosmetic procedure called “Undereye Fat Repositioning Surgery” along with some fat grafting for optimal cosmetic and aesthetic results.
Undereye Fat Repositioning Surgery
Undereye Fat Repositioning Surgery is a very popular cosmetic surgery in Korea to get rid of Eyebags, Dark Circles and Palpebral-Malar Groove and is usually done with Fat Grafting. It is also called the Transconjunctival Lower Blepharoplasty. In this procedure, an incision is made inside your lower lid from where the surgeon approaches the undereye area all the way to the groove. Some of the fat from the bulging eyebags is removed and the rest is repositioned downwards into the tear trough and the palpebral-malar groove. The unevenly distributed fat is also settled smooth so that if additional nano fat grafting is done to give enough volume, there are no bumps and the outcome is smooth and even overall. The surgeon also detaches and releases the orbicularis retaining ligaments attaching the skin to the bone causing the groove to improve as well as make more space for volumizing Fat Grafting. The fat graft survival rate grows higher if there is more space for the fat to settle.
Specialty of Sketch
Undereye Fat Repositioning surgery is one of the procedures that our surgeons do frequently. With the vast experience and continued research on improving and modernizing the technique, our surgeons have the following specialties:
- Patient oriented customized design
- Faster recovery and faster return to daily life
- Aegyosal preservation is ensured
- No external stitching
- No external scarring
- Optimal results with specialized Nano Fat Grafting together
Anesthesia
At Sketch Plastic Surgery, Undereye Fat Repositioning Surgery is done with Sleep Sedation along with some amount of local anesthesia. You will be in a deep sleep for around 45 minutes and once you wake up, you will be moved to the recovery room and kept there for as long as you take to completely recover from the anesthesia. Usually it takes around 45-60 minutes to feel completely fine and be discharged from the hospital. Our staff will put you in a taxi after explaining all post-surgery instructions and handing over the medication that we purchase for you.
Downtime
The downtime for Undereye Fat Repositioning Surgery is minimal as there is no external incision or stitching involved. No visit is needed for stitch removal. There will be swelling and bruising which will peak on the 3rd and 4th day post surgery. Between 7-14 days, most of the swelling and bruising will be over, however some residual swelling and bruising will be there for 1-2 months. The final result will be visible in around 3 months.
Medication
After the surgery, the patient has to take medications for 5 days. The medications will include antibiotics to avoid any infection, anti-inflammatory, pain-killer, and stomach control medications. These medications must be taken 20 minutes after each meal. With the antibiotic medicines, the patient’s stomach could become sensitive, so avoiding spicy food for the first 5 days would be recommended by our surgeon. If any patient has an allergy with certain medicines, our surgeon will make adjustments accordingly.
Consultation