What is a Double Eyelid Surgery?
Double eyelid surgery is a cosmetic procedure that involves reshaping the eye to create a crease in the upper eyelid and make the eyes appear more round. Also referred to as Asian blepharoplasty, double eyelid surgery is popular among individuals of East Asian descent, whose eye anatomy is often characterized by an eyelid without a crease. A double eyelid surgery can modify the appearance of the eye by adding a crease in the upper eyelid, an anatomical feature that is absent in about 50% of the Asian population and occasionally only absent in 1 of the two eyes.
The anatomic basis for a lack of an eyelid crease has been well established. The crease is formed by fibrous connections between the eyelid skin and the levator palpebrae superiorus muscle. When this connection is absent, the eyelid still functions normally but does not have a supratarsal crease. Surgical techniques designed in order to create a crease establish attachments between the levator muscle aponeurosis and the overlying skin with sutures. All other aspects of the procedure are identical to typical blepharoplasty techniques.