Can any eyelid surgeon perform Asian eyelid surgery?
Nonchalantly performing a traditional western blepharoplasty upon Asian eyelids can create devastating results for the unwary surgeon and their unfortunate patient. There are several important differences between traditional and Asian blepharoplasty to keep in mind. Foremost, one must determine the patient’s goals regarding the height and contour of the final upper eyelid fold and it’s relation to the eyelid margin. Some patients may desire a high “westernized” lid fold, whereas others seek to maintain their native lid fold and only wish to have it repositioned to a slightly higher and more youthful position (“rejuvenated”). The surgical procedure varies dramatically between these two patient groups and each will be discussed separately. Failure to individualize the operation to the patient’s desires is a common and preventable error, represents a cultural ignorance on the part of the surgeon, and produces dissatisfied patients shopping for a surgeon who will give them back “their own
