Pretarsal fat compartment in the lower eyelid.

Abstract

It is generally accepted that there are three infraorbital fat regions in the lower eyelid; medial, central, and lateral compartments. However, removing only the fat in the lateral compartment does not remove the bulge just below the eyelashes, which is caused by another fat pad. The aim of this study was to describe the anatomy of the pretarsal fat compartment and to demonstrate its clinical implications in lower lid blepharoplasty. Ten cadavers (total 20 lower eyelids) were studied. A skin-muscle flap was reflected to expose the soft pretarsal structures. A small stab incision was made on the lateral portion of the sac containing fat on the tarsus. Methylene blue dye was injected into the sac. Specimens were fixed and sagittal sections in four different planes were prepared for histological analysis. The injected dye remained within the sac and demarcated it as a pear or cone shaped structure. This encapsulated fat compartment sits on the lateral half of the tarsal plate above the lateral compartment fat. Auxillary or submuscular fat is well known. This study, however, designates the pretarsal fat as "encapsulated" in a compartment instead of being unbound. We have named it the "pretarsal fat compartment." Histologically, orbital septal fibers separate "pretarsal fat" from lateral infraorbital fat. It is recommended that fat in the pretarsal fat compartment be removed during lower lid blepharoplasty in order to alleviate the bulge or knoll of the skin just below the lower eyelashes.