Dr. Moelleken innovated this procedure. He has presented it at many national and international plastic surgery meetings. People in their 40's and 50's may start to notice a tired look below their eyes. Often, fat bulges and an unrested, sagging appearance occurs. This is often accompanied by hollowness around the bulge: a paradox, since removal of the bulge (by conventional techniques) will just make the hollowness worse. Conventional lower eyelid surgery, whether performed with a laser or scalpel, removes skin and fat from the lower eye. This can cause a hollow, pulled down look.

The superficial cheeklift is a new technique. It involves raising up the midface underneath the eye and smoothing the eye-cheek junction. No implants or plastic are used. In appropriate patients, LiveFill grafts are placed in regions of hollowness. The unique feature of this operation is that the cheekpad is tied with invisible stitches to very tough tissue beside the eye, and doesn't rely at all on the very weak lower eyelid. The recovery time is about the same as for the lower eyes. Most patients are back to deskwork after a week or less. The superficial cheeklift uses an incision hidden just below the lower eyelashes. All the remaining stitches are buried under the skin.

In his quest for a more natural rejuvenation of the lower eyelid and cheek area, Dr. Moelleken has studied the midface extensively. His chapter on the upper and midface is featured in the plastic surgery “Bible” Mathes, published every 15 years, the most authoritative textbook on plastic surgery in the world.