Asian Eyelid Surgery Resource

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Asian double eyelid surgery is by no means an operation intended strictly for women. While in years past over 95% of such surgery was performed in females, in the last decade the number of men requesting crease surgery has increased dramatically.

While less than 20% of Occidental blepharoplasty is performed on male patients, our Asian male clientele now accounts for over 30% of our double eyelid operations. This increased interest is probably related to the fundamentally different goals of eyelid surgery in the Asian and non-Asian population. In the Asian lid, the nature of the operation is a structural realignment of tissues designed to create a natural-occurring crease when the upper eyelid opens; in the non-Asian lid, the goal is to subtract away changes associated with aging. This also accounts for the much younger age at which Asian men seek care.

In both Asian and Occidental men, we recommend a conservative approach. Generally, a low tapered crease looks the most natural and is the best option. While some women prefer a more dramatic crease (medium height, parallel contour), this is usually chosen in order to create a defined platform on which to apply cosmetics. A high crease is almost never a good idea, especially on the male face. Some men worry that in selecting a low crease they may later experience the need for additional surgery for age-related bagginess ten or twenty years hence. While this is sometimes the case, such later surgery is subtractive in nature (since the incisional operation creates a long-lasting crease) and depends entirely on how any given patient finally ages (one way to predict?--look at your father). Still, we strongly recommend against trying to "pre-empt" changes that may or may not occur in middle age at the price of looking overdone or stark during one's younger and more social years.