With the recent allowance of wearing masks outdoors, people are now able to expose their entire faces. As a result, the importance of the eyes in one's impression is expected to increase, leading to a rise in interest in eye surgery, which is a simple procedure capable of making significant changes to the face. Among these procedures, interest in double eyelid surgery is particularly growing.

Double eyelid surgery: What are the differences between the incisional method and the non-incisional (natural adhesion) method?

Double eyelid surgery can be broadly classified into the 'buried suture method' and the 'incisional method.' The 'incisional double eyelid surgery' is performed on patients with thick or excessive upper eyelid skin. The eyelid skin is incised to adjust the muscle that opens the inner eye and the fat inside the upper eyelid. In other words, it is performed by making an incision in the skin.

The 'buried suture method' for double eyelid surgery is a technique that creates a double eyelid line by making knots in the eyelid without incising the skin. Because it avoids skin incisions, it offers a short recovery period while creating a natural-looking double eyelid line, making it one of the most popular surgical methods recently. Natural adhesion double eyelid surgery, which falls under the buried suture method, is performed by inducing adhesion through the knotting of special sutures along the double eyelid line. A major advantage is that there is no worry about the sutures coming undone, and the results are permanent.

What are the types of double eyelid lines?

Double eyelid lines are broadly divided into four types as follows.

In-line: A shape where the epicanthal fold covers the inner corner of the double eyelid, a line commonly found in most Asians.
In-Out Line: A combination of "in" and "out," this eye shape features a double eyelid line starting from the inner corner of the eye, combining Western and Eastern charms.
Semi-Outline: A recently trending eye shape that is very similar to the in-outline but refers to a weak outline that is slightly lifted.
Outline: A double eyelid line that is not affected by the epicanthal fold, does not start from the inner corner, and is a perfectly separated line, resulting in the highest and most glamorous eye shape.

If you have eyes that usually look tired or sleepy, it is easy for them to appear droopy because the muscles that open your eyes are weak. Therefore, rather than just creating a double eyelid line, it is a good idea to undergo 'eyelid correction' to strengthen those muscles and create a clear and distinct eye shape.

If your eyes still look constricted even after double eyelid surgery and eye shape correction, you can create a larger, more open look through canthoplasty procedures such as epicanthoplasty and lateral canthoplasty. Epicanthoplasty is performed if the eyes are far apart or the front part appears constricted, while lateral canthoplasty is combined with epicanthoplasty if the eyes are short horizontally and have a sharp appearance.

Precautions after double eyelid surgery

After double eyelid surgery, you should apply cold compresses for three days to manage swelling and bleeding, and apply warm compresses after the stitches are removed to improve blood circulation. You should also avoid wearing contact lenses, eye makeup, spicy foods, and exercises that put pressure on the eye area as much as possible, and you must strictly follow all other precautions provided by the hospital.

Given the variety of surgical methods available for eye surgery, it is advisable to improve your eye shape by selecting a double eyelid line that complements your overall image, rather than simply making your eyes bigger or following trends. Furthermore, since everyone has different eye shapes, skin thickness, condition, and symptoms, you must select the most suitable surgical method after assessing the balance, proportion, and harmony between your eye shape and your facial features to minimize the risk of side effects or revision surgery. When considering a person's eyes, there are many factors to take into account, including face shape, the presence of double eyelids, the distance between the eyes and nose, and the width of the forehead. Therefore, you must be extremely careful, as the results can vary significantly depending on the individual, even when performing the same surgery.

Our eyes play a pivotal role in determining our overall impression, and even a difference of just 1mm can drastically alter the mood or feel of the face. If you undergo double eyelid surgery or epicanthoplasty solely for the sake of larger eyes that does not suit your natural features, the result will be disproportionate to your entire face, making it difficult to achieve satisfactory results. Furthermore, if surgery is performed by medical professionals lacking expertise, in the case of epicanthoplasty, the skin around the epicanthal fold may not be properly excised; in some cases, excessive excision may occur, leading to functional side effects or exposing too much of the red tissue at the inner corner of the eye, potentially requiring revision surgery. Therefore, it is essential to proceed with surgery only after conducting a thorough design consultation with experienced medical staff.

Written by Director Do Eon-rok (Plastic Surgeon)