Asian blepharoplasty

The term Asian blepharoplasty generally refers to an upper eyelid procedure to remove excess tissue that pays special attention to the upper lid skin fold and crease of the Asian eyelid.  Of course, there are countless crease and fold configurations — there is not one single “Asian eyelid”.

Many patients think that, by going to an Asian surgeon (even one overseas), they are automatically going to having surgery by someone who understands eyelid anatomy in Asians.  This is not a universal truth, to say the least.

A successful Asian blepharoplasty takes into account:

• The fullness of the upper lid
• The shape of the lid crease
• The height of the lid crease
• The presence or absence of epicanthal folds

One of the worst things that can happen to an Asian during upper blepharoplasty is removal of too much tissue. The fullness of the eye socket fat is one of the features that creates the upper lid skin fold; remove the upper lid skin fold in Asians and they still look kind of Asian, in an operated kind of way.

Below is a woman preoperatively who desired Asian blepharoplasty.  A careful evaluation of her intended goals, her lid crease configuration, and her epicanthal folds allowed me to develop a surgical plan.

Below is her one-month outcome after Asian blepharoplasty, performed in the office with mild oral sedation.

It is clear that she retains her ethnic lid configuration and does not have an operated look.