Asian blepharoplasty

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Asian blepharoplasty, less frequently known as an Oriental blepharoplasty, is a type of plastic surgery where the skin around the eyes is reshaped. The purpose of the procedure is to create an upper eyelid with a crease (i.e. "double eyelid") from an eyelid without a crease (i.e. "single eyelid").<ref>Chen WP. "Concept of triangular, trapezoidal, and rectangular debulking of eyelid tissues: application in Asian blepharoplasty." Plast Reconstr Surg. 1996 Jan;97(1):212-8. PMID 8532781.</ref> Anatomically, there are a number of differences in the upper eyelids of Asians compared with Caucasians.<ref>Jeong S, Lemke BN, Dortzbach RK, Park YG, Kang HK. "The Asian upper eyelid: an anatomical study with comparison to the Caucasian eyelid." Arch Ophthalmol. 1999 Jul;117(7):907-12. PMID 10408455.</ref> About 50% of eastern Asians are born with a single eyelid<ref>http://www.sleepsurgery.com/eyelid.html</ref><ref>http://www.asianeyelid.com/faq.html</ref>, and Asian blepharoplasties have been reported to be the most common aesthetic procedure in Taiwan<ref>Liao WC, Tung TC, Tsai TR, Wang CY, Lin CH. "Celebrity arcade suture blepharoplasty for double eyelid." Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2005 Nov-Dec;29(6):540-5. PMID 16237581.</ref> and Asia.<ref>Kim JW, Lee JO. "Asian blepharoplasty with a short-pulsed contact Nd-Yag laser: limited-incision resectable laser double fold with internal medial and lateral functional epicanthoplasty." Aesthetic Plast Surg. 1998 Nov-Dec;22(6):433-8. PMID 9852177.</ref> Still, this procedure has been reported to have a relatively high rate of complications.<ref>Chen SH, Mardini S, Chen HC, Chen LM, Cheng MH, Chen YR, Wei FC, Weng CJ. "Strategies for a successful corrective Asian blepharoplasty after previously failed revisions." Plast Reconstr Surg. 2004 Oct;114(5):1270-7; discussion 1278-9. PMID 15457048.</ref> Oculoplastic surgeons, as specialists in the eye and surrounding structures, are the practioners most trained for this procedure. <ref>http://www.eyemdlink.com/EyeProcedure.asp?EyeProcedureID=4</ref> A procedure to remove the epicanthal fold (i.e. an epicanthoplasty) is often performed in conjunction with an Asian blepharoplasty.<ref>Yen MT, Jordan DR, Anderson RL. "No-scar Asian epicanthoplasty: a subcutaneous approach." Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2002 Jan;18(1):40-4. PMID 11910323.</ref>