Will eyelid retraction repair and ptosis alone improve my eye area?

Question

Hello, I have a severe negative canthal tilt due to my bone anatomy. Along with lower eyelid retraction and minor ptosis. I would like to improve my eye area aesthetically without drastic change (so I think canthoplasty will make me look like a different person). Would lower eyelid retraction repair and ptosis repair alone improve my eye area?

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

Based on this photo, dominant deformity is low lateral canthus insertion. Placing lateral canthal tendon into new, higher position on the lateral orbital wall would require procedure called canthopexy. In person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon familiar with this procedure or oculoplastic surgeon, is recommended. Eyelid ptosis may be evaluated and discussed in the same time. Good luck.

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

There is no substitute for a detailed, in-person assessment. You do not have lower eyelid retraction so eyelid retraction repair does not describe what you need. You have a low placed lateral canthal angle. That is not the same as lower eyelid retraction and the repair is not the same. Also your upper eyelid ptosis is anything but minor. Minor ptosis surgery will not repair your situation. You have a very thin upper eyelids. That is consistent with central levator disinsertion. That is consistent with your high, hollow sulcus and significant, compensatory eyebrow elevation. That means that the ptosis surgery that is generally offered as a scarless ptosis surgery, often performed a chair is some surgeon's offices under oral sedation, will not fix this type of ptosis. That is because the tendon that raises the eyelid is not properly positioned to benefit from the conjunctival resection ptosis surgery. You might get a 1/2 mm or so of repair and your surgeon will claim that as evidence of surgical success will not get the job done. You more likely need an anterior levator resection ptosis surgery. Lateral canthal reconstruction can and should be done at the same time as the upper eyelid repair. This work is best done under light intravenous sedation in an accredited operating room environment. There is not substitute for a detailed, in person consultation.

Will eyelid retraction repair and ptosis alone improve my eye area?

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Will eyelid retraction repair and ptosis alone improve my eye area?

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Everything you need to know about Eyelid Surgery

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.