Surgery · Lower Lid

Under-Eye Fat Grafting

Adding fat to a hollow lower lid, or moving what is already there

Gangnam, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Graft or repositioning, decided at one examination · KHIDI-registered for international patients

Under-Eye Hollows Under-Eye Hollows Under-Eye Hollows Under-Eye Hollows
Hollow

Under-eye fat grafting

Does fat grafting fix hollow under eyes?

The short answer

It can add volume to a lower lid that has hollowed, using fat taken from elsewhere on your body and placed in small amounts beneath thin skin. Whether it is the right operation depends on what sits above the hollow. If a bulge of lower-lid fat is casting the shadow, moving that fat down into the groove is usually the operation considered first, and a graft may add little. At Rewind one examination decides between the two, and the same plastic surgeon performs either.

Sources: Rewind's fat grafting fee schedule, its post-operative sheets for fat grafting and for under-eye fat repositioning, and its page on septum-reinforced fat repositioning. The grafting schedule has no line named for the lower lid.

The lower lid is the least forgiving place on the face for added volume. Its skin is among the thinnest on the body, so a lump, an uneven edge or a parcel that did not take can show through where the same irregularity on a cheek would pass unnoticed. That is the main reason under-eye grafting is planned with more caution than grafting elsewhere.

This page covers one surgical decision: a graft set against under-eye fat repositioning. If you are weighing a graft against hyaluronic acid, the under-eye filler vs fat grafting page covers that choice, and the operation across all regions is described on the facial fat grafting page.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi examining a patient's midface at the consultation desk
Fig. 01 · The lower lid is examined together with the cheek below it
Cases

Patient photographs

Under-eye fat grafting pairs: what Rewind can and cannot show yet

People searching for under-eye fat grafting usually want photographs first. Rewind has not released under-eye grafting pairs for publication, so none are shown, and no picture from filler or from repositioning surgery stands in for them. A lower-lid photograph from a different operation would show a different mechanism at work.

A reliable under-eye pair shows the eyes open and looking straight ahead, under the same overhead light in both frames, because overhead light is what makes a hollow visible. It states how many months separate the frames, since early swelling fills the lid for a while. And it names anything else done in the same session. Ask for those three details with any pair you are shown.

Individual results may vary. Lumps, visible irregularity under thin skin, asymmetry, prolonged swelling and uneven take are possible after under-eye grafting. A consultation with the doctor is required before any decision.

Findings

Reading the lower lid

Which lower-lid problems under-eye fat grafting can address

What looks like one dark shadow under the eye can come from different structures. The examination separates them, because each points to a different operation, or to none.

finding 01
A hollow with no bulge above it
Volume has gone from the lid and the upper cheek, and nothing protrudes. There is no excess lower-lid fat to move, so a graft is the surgical way to add volume here.
finding 02
A bulge sitting over a groove
Lower-lid fat pushes forward and the groove beneath it deepens. Rewind's repositioning operation moves that fat into the groove and fixes the septum to the bone; grafting on top of a bulge can make it look larger.
finding 03
Hollowing that runs into the cheek
When the upper cheek has also lost volume, the lower lid is one part of a wider pattern. A graft plan may take in the cheek as well, and the midface is checked for descent at the same time.
finding 04
Colour without a hollow
Brown pigment, or veins showing through thin skin, is not a volume problem. Neither grafting nor repositioning is planned for colour alone, and the surgeon will tell you so.
Method

Two routes to one groove

Under-eye fat grafting and fat repositioning surgery: how each is done

The two operations reach the same groove from opposite directions. One brings fat in from elsewhere; the other moves fat that already sits in the lower lid. The graft steps below follow the surgical literature, and the repositioning steps follow Rewind's own published description.

01Harvest

A graft starts at a donor site

Fat is drawn from another part of the body through a cannula. Rewind does not publish which donor site it uses; it is chosen at the examination. For the lower lid, the fat is prepared for placement in very small amounts.

02Place

Tiny parcels beneath thin lid skin

The literature describes microfat for adding volume and nanofat, which adds no bulk, for skin quality. Under the eye, small parcels spread through more than one layer lower the chance of a lump showing through the skin.

03Release

Repositioning frees the groove first

In Rewind's published steps, the lid is analysed, the ligament attachment that tethers the tear trough is released, and the bulging lower-lid fat is moved down into the hollow it has been shadowing.

04Secure

The septum is fixed to the bone

The weakened orbital septum is tightened and fixed to the bone of the eye socket, giving the moved fat firmer support. Rewind calls this septum-reinforced fat repositioning.

05Choose

Some lids need one route, a few need neither

Where there is no bulge to move, repositioning has nothing to work with. Where a bulge sits over the hollow, repositioning is the first operation considered. Whether a small graft is ever added to it is a judgement made at the examination, and Rewind publishes no fixed pairing.

Surgeon operating under loupes and a headlight at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 02 · Lower-lid work is carried out under magnification
Rewind

Why here

Why the under-eye graft decision sits with a surgeon who also repositions

A surgeon who only offers grafting will tend to graft. Rewind performs both lower-lid operations, so the recommendation can follow the anatomy of the lid.

01Both routes

Grafting and repositioning under one roof

Both operations are carried out by Dr. Jonghwan Choi, a board-certified plastic surgeon. A lid with a bulge is steered toward repositioning; a hollow lid with nothing to move is the one considered for a graft.

02Caution

Small volumes for thin skin

Irregularity shows most on the lower lid. A graft here is planned in small amounts, and the chance of a second, smaller session is raised before the first one takes place.

03Follow-up

The same eyes at every review

The surgeon who operated checks the lid at each review. Early swelling under the eye can hide or exaggerate unevenness, so judging the result needs someone who knows exactly what was placed.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi explaining the treatment area to a patient at consultation
Fig. 03 · The lower lid is judged upright, under overhead light
Theatre

From examination to theatre

An under-eye fat grafting consultation and operation at Rewind

Procedure room prepared for a surgical case at Rewind Plastic Surgery

Fig. 04 · A room prepared before surgery

Recovery room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong

Fig. 05 · Rest before going home

The lower lid is examined with you sitting up and looking straight ahead, under overhead light, together with the cheek below it and the upper lid above. Any earlier filler under the eye is noted, since it changes the plan. If a graft is chosen, the operation takes place in the clinic's theatre in the Richro Building, Apgujeong, and the same surgeon sees you at each review.

Lower-lid grafting line on the schedule: none by name
Upper-eyelid grafting: a listed line of its own
Donor site: chosen at the examination
Graft preparation: not published, explained at consultation
Anaesthesia and theatre time: not published
Repositioning dressing: left in place for three days
Graft restrictions: at least one month
Examined and operated by Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon

Board-certified plastic surgeon

The only surgeon operating at Rewind: a board-certified plastic surgeon and author of ten peer-reviewed papers. The clinic is registered with KHIDI for international patients under M-2025-01-08-09288.

Cost

Pricing

What under-eye fat grafting and repositioning cost at Rewind

Rewind's schedule has no grafting line named for the lower lid. Which listing an under-eye graft falls under is confirmed at the examination; the single-area line, which leaves out only the forehead and temple, is shown here for reference beside the repositioning operations.

Fat grafting, one areaFor reference; the listing that applies to a lower-lid graft is confirmed at the examination
₩650,000
Upper-eyelid fat graftingThe only eyelid region named on the grafting schedule
₩650,000
Under-eye fat repositioningLower-lid fat moved down into the groove
₩1,600,000
Septum-reinforced fat repositioningRepositioning with the septum fixed to the bone
₩2,000,000

List prices, VAT excluded, with the anaesthetic fee included. A lower-lid operation carried out together with another procedure is quoted as a combination of listings.

Fit

Suitability

Who is considered for under-eye fat grafting, and who for repositioning

Grafting is discussed when

  • The lower lid is hollow, with no bulge of fat above the groove
  • Hollowing continues down into the upper cheek
  • Enough donor fat is available, confirmed at the examination
  • A second, smaller session is acceptable if some fat does not take

Another route is discussed when

  • Lower-lid fat bulges above the groove, which points to repositioning
  • Loose lower-lid skin is the main finding, a lower blepharoplasty question
  • The concern is pigment or visible veins without a hollow
  • Earlier under-eye filler is still present and needs assessing first
  • There is pregnancy, breastfeeding, an eye infection, a clotting disorder or blood-thinning medication
After

Recovery

Under-eye fat grafting downtime compared with fat repositioning

Rewind publishes separate post-operative sheets for fat grafting and for under-eye fat repositioning. Both expect bruising and swelling to ease within one to two weeks; the restrictions that follow differ in length.

Both, weeks one to two
Bruising and swelling ease
Both sheets give one to two weeks. Under the eye, where the skin is thin, bruising is easy to see, so plan photographs or meetings after that window.
Repositioning, first three days
The dressing stays on
After repositioning, the dressing under the eye is left in place for three days, and the eye area is not rubbed.
Repositioning, first week
Sauna and hard exercise wait a week
The repositioning sheet asks for at least one week without saunas, steam rooms or strenuous exercise, with sunscreen throughout.
Graft, first month
A month of restrictions
After grafting, alcohol, saunas, steam rooms and strenuous exercise are avoided for at least one month, and the treated skin is moisturised, protected from the sun and kept free of friction.

Under-eye grafting carries the risks of any facial graft, including lumps, oil cysts, asymmetry, over-correction or under-correction, prolonged swelling, donor-site changes and rare vascular events, and irregularities show more easily through thin lid skin. Report any change in vision at once. No particular outcome can be promised.

Doctor

Professional

At Rewind, one board-certified plastic surgeon carries every case — from the first consultation to the final follow-up. Because a face is a story, and a story deserves a single author.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeonRewind,
Dr. Jonghwan Choi presenting at an academic session
Fig. 06 — Academic presentation

Rewind's Doctor

Dr. Jonghwan Choi Medical Director

One surgeon, from the first
consultation to the last follow-up.

A board-certified plastic surgeon devoted to anti-aging surgery, with the precision and restraint built through years of craniofacial practice.

Board-certified plastic surgeon (Plastic Surgery)
10 peer-reviewed publications
Medical Director, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Korean Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Former chief director, Apgujeong Y&T Plastic Surgery
Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
J Craniofac Surg · JKMS · Arch Craniofac Surg
Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
Voices

Google Reviews

What our patients say.

G 5.0 ★★★★★ 12 Google reviews · Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong — live-synced from Google Business Profile

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Ask

Questions

Under-eye fat grafting: eight questions before booking

Does fat grafting fix hollow under eyes?
It can add volume to a lower lid that has hollowed, using your own fat placed in small amounts. Whether it suits you depends on what sits above the hollow: if bulging lower-lid fat casts the shadow, repositioning that fat is usually considered first. The examination decides.
How is under-eye fat grafting different from fat repositioning surgery?
A graft brings fat in from another part of the body. Repositioning moves the fat already bulging in the lower lid into the groove below, releases the ligament tethering the groove and, at Rewind, fixes the septum to the bone. One adds volume; the other redistributes it.
How long is the downtime for under-eye fat grafting?
Rewind's fat grafting sheet expects bruising and swelling to ease within one to two weeks, with alcohol, saunas, steam rooms and strenuous exercise avoided for at least one month. Bruising under the eye is easy to see, so allow the full two weeks before anything that involves being photographed.
Can under-eye fat grafting leave lumps?
It can. Lower-lid skin is thin, so a parcel that clumps, forms an oil cyst or takes unevenly may be visible or felt. Small amounts spread through more than one layer lower that risk, and any lump is assessed at review by the operating surgeon.
Is under-eye fat grafting on the Rewind price list?
The schedule names the upper eyelid but has no grafting line for the lower lid. Which listing a lower-lid graft falls under is confirmed at the examination. The single-area line and both repositioning operations are shown in the pricing section for reference.
Will I need more than one session under the eyes?
Possibly. Part of any graft is reabsorbed, and small amounts are placed under the eye, so a second, smaller session is sometimes planned. Rewind publishes no retention figure, and the need for another session is judged at review.
What should under-eye fat grafting before and after photos show?
Eyes open and looking ahead, the same overhead light in both frames, the months since surgery stated, and every procedure from the same session named. Photographs from the first weeks include swelling. Rewind has not yet released under-eye grafting pairs, so ask what can be shown at consultation.
Who performs under-eye fat grafting at Rewind?
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, the medical director and a board-certified plastic surgeon, examines the lower lid, decides between grafting and repositioning, performs the operation and holds every review. He sees patients by appointment on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Booking

Reservation

REWIND,booking

Tell us whether the hollow sits under one eye or both, and whether you have had filler there. We reply within one business day, in your language.

By sending this inquiry you agree that Rewind Plastic Surgery may use the details above to contact you about your consultation. We keep them only for that purpose.

Scientific evidence

Research on grafting and on fat repositioning below the eye

Four references are listed: a review separating microfat from nanofat, a review of complications after facial fat grafting, a report on outcomes and complications after transconjunctival lower-lid surgery with fat repositioning, and a technique paper on releasing the tear trough ligament and redistributing fat. None was carried out at Rewind, and none predicts an individual result.