risks associated with steroid injection of chalazion

I had a chalazion located in the outer corner of my lower right eyelid injected with a steroid, and it did work to diminish the chalazion, but one morning soon after the procedure I noticed a change I never expected. The skin over the bottom part of my right eye socket now dips in--liked it thinned out there. My doctor warned me about the possibility of pigmentation change, but he also said that rarely happens with a lower lid injection. He did not warn me of any tissue loss. I'm a little upset about this--I would have tried hot compresses, etc. for an entire year rather than take a chance on looking older on one side of my face. What's your opinion on this?

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

I'm a little surprised here as well since usually the amount injected is quite small.  Sometimes as the chalazion starts to improve it may be a little uneven and give the skin a dimpled type of look but I've honestly never seen a situation like you are describing.  Perhaps it was never a chalazion in the first place or the injection was quite a large one. Something just doesn't sound right.  Is it possible the thinning you describe has nothing at all to do with the injection?  I often only inject only 0.1 or 0.2 ml which is a tiny amount.  Consider seeing another ophthalmologist or a dermatologist for a second opinion.

MJK MD