Will Perioral Mound Liposuction Damage Any Facial Muscles?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was interested in having liposuction in order to remove the perioral mounds in my face. I am 20 years old. I have some questions related to this operation. First of all what are the dangers of it and how much time does it require for the face to be full recovered? Will it damage my face muscles? Does this liposuction last? Will the fat mounds come back again? I was also curious to know if this operation is going to remove the marionette lines from my face.

A: In answer to your questions about perioral mound liposuction:

1) There are no dangers to the procedure, nothing adverse can happen to your face. It is just a question of how much reduction can be achieved.
2) It will take a full 3 month to see the final results of the soft tissue reduction although about 85% to 90% is evident by 6 weeks after surgery.
3) It will not damage the facial muscles.
4) Unless one gains a lot of weight, the results should be permanent. The perioral mounds are not a fat depot area. They are usually there due to congenital development not as excess fat deposits due to too many injected calories.
5) Perioral mound liposuction will NOT remove your marionette lines. They are not there because of the fat in this area.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana