Female Infrapalpebral Sulcus, Anterior View

Description

Centered on the lower eyelid, the infrapalpebral (subpalpebral) sulcus is rendered as a transverse depression immediately inferior to the tarsal plate and lash line, extending from near the medial canthus toward the lateral canthus in an anterior facial view. Superior to the sulcus lies the thin lower palpebral skin over orbicularis oculi, while inferiorly the contour transitions onto the infraorbital region over the maxilla and toward the malar eminence. Medially, the sulcus approaches the nasojugal (tear trough) groove adjacent to the sidewall of the nose, and laterally it blends toward the palpebromalar groove over the zygomatic bone. Depth and curvature are shaped by the orbicularis retaining ligament, the orbital septum, and the relationship between preseptal and orbital fat pads along the infraorbital rim. Periorbital surface anatomy is where subtle landmarks carry real clinical weight. The infrapalpebral sulcus is often accentuated by age-related volume loss in the medial and central midface, descent of malar fat, and tethering at the orbital retaining ligament, producing the classic tear trough deformity and lower lid shadowing that patients describe as looking tired. Surgeons and injectors track this groove when planning lower blepharoplasty, skin pinch, or filler placement, because overcorrection can create a shelf at the lid-cheek junction and undercorrection leaves persistent contour irregularity. Small landmark. Big consequences. Oculoplastic and facial plastic surgery teaching materials use this anterior view to orient trainees to the lid-cheek junction before discussing orbital septum violation, fat transposition, and management of post-blepharoplasty edema or chemosis. It also fits cleanly into dermatology and aesthetic medicine publications covering tear trough filler technique, periorbital aging patterns in women, and safe planes relative to the infraorbital rim and infraorbital neurovascular bundle. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.