Scarless Epicanthoplasty and Concomitant Double Eyelidplasty in Chinese Eyelids

Abstract

Background: The presence of mild or moderate medial epicanthus is typical in Asian patients. Numerous epicanthoplasty techniques have been described previously. However, these methods usually leave obvious scars in the medial canthal area. The aim of this report is to introduce a novel epicanthoplasty technique and a concomitant double eyelidplasty which avoid leaving scars in the medial canthal region.

Methods: From July 2013 to July 2015, 252 patients received epicanthoplasty and concomitant double eyelidplasty with this new technique. The medial epicanthus was corrected through the medial end of the eyelid crease incision. One hundred eighteen of these patients were followed up for 3-24 months (8 months in average). The preoperative and postoperative interepicanthal distances were measured at pre, 3 and 6 months post-operation. The aesthetic results were evaluated with patient visual analog scale (VAS) scores.

Results: The average intercanthal distance significantly decreased 3 months after the operation (32.7 ± 2.3 mm vs 36.5 ± 2.6 mm, p < 0.05, paired t test). Little retraction was noticed at 6 months after the operation (33.0 ± 2.4 vs 32.7 ± 2.3 mm, p < 0.05, paired t test). The mean patient VAS score associated with satisfaction of overall outcome was 4.2 at 6 months after operation (range 2.5-5.0).

Conclusion: This new method provides an effective way to correct the medial epicanthus without leaving any scar in the medial canthal region. Patients with mild to moderate medial epicanthus are good candidates for this procedure.

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Keywords: Chinese eyelids; Double eyelidplasty; Scarless epicanthoplasty.