Double Eyelid Surgery: Semi-Incisional vs Fully-Incisional Techniques

Over the years, double eyelid surgery in Singapore has travelled the route from a highly frowned-upon operation to nothing but common practice. It has also become more advanced over time, offering minor downtime and lower risk of scarring. This post will look into the options in more detail and juxtapose them for a better overview of the techniques. Stick around.

Why the need for double eyelid surgery?

Unless the muscles above the eyes are so weak and droopy that they obstruct one’s vision, there is no medical necessity for such a procedure. It all comes down to personal preferences. Truth is, a great deal of people with a monolid covet to have that additional crease to make their peepers appear bigger and brighter.

According to statistics, double eyelid surgery ranks high on the list of most popular surgical procedures, especially in countries like Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. It comes in third after liposuction and breast augmentation which are by far the most sought-after cosmetic interventions. In 2015 solely, surgeons reported over 1.3 million operations worldwide. There are many reasons for the surge in double eyelid cases.

For one, it’s the downtime. A procedure that is as easy as getting your nails done is nothing but tempting, to say the least. It is performed in less than 60 minutes and requires no hospital stay. At Allure Plastic Surgery, one of Singapore‘s leading aesthetic clinics, patients generally spend around two hours at the clinic and are free to walk out of it immediately after the session is over. They can go back to their duties and hobbies right away as long as the swelling doesn’t bother them.

Perhaps the most essential argument that people resort to is the belief that their lifestyles will change dramatically once they make that alteration. In their minds, it will help them find better jobs and have happier experiences overall. In other words, they don’t always do it in the name of beauty but are rather influenced by more practical purposes.

Whereas in the past youngsters would undergo double eyelid surgery secretly from their parents, today it is adults themselves who take their kids to the clinic for said operation. It has gained social acceptance across many Asian countries like China, Japan, and South Korea. Singapore is no exception.

Can eyelid tape offer a solution?

Eyelid tape is a temporary fix that is easy on the budget. Literally anyone can get their hands on some and give it a try. It doesn’t require any special skills and it doesn’t carry risks. You don’t need to go to a specialist to have it placed and it’s easy to use. Generally speaking, it’s a matter of five minutes or so, depending on how dextrous you are.

It’s a good way to see how your eyes will look with a permanent crease and whether it meets your expectations. But you should know that most of these products don’t hold up for a long time and may fall off your face while you are out and about. It means you need to stock up with packages and always carry one in your purse wherever you go.

Besides, some brands work better than others and you can find out which is suitable for you only through experimenting. Oftentimes this means you are going to waste your money on techniques that are not tried-and-true and fail to achieve the look you aspire to have.

Even though it doesn’t take much time to use and it’s not expensive, eyelid tape tends to be unpractical in the long run. Spending all this time to apply it on the regular and check in on it to see if it’s in place, plus all this effort you could have spent doing much more entertaining things, that’s not the way to go.

But most of all, it’s the ineffective results it achieves that eventually drives people away from this method for creating double eyelids.

That’s why in the end, they walk into the doctor’s office asking for a permanent procedure that will solve the problem once and for all so they won’t have to constantly worry about it.

What surgical techniques are there?

There are two options. One is minimally invasive and therefore more popular around patients; the other one is considered fully surgical.

Partial incision

The surgeon makes measurements on the lids before the operation while the patient is sitting upright. The orbital septum is exposed by cutting the skin but only in the areas where it needs to. Half of the fat and some muscle may need to be removed. Sutures are then placed in the wound to keep it together.

The procedure has a duration of 30-40 minutes and requires the use of twilight anaesthesia or local anaesthesia. The doctor will take out the stitches on the fourth or fifth day post-op.

This method suitable for people who:

• Would like to get rid of extra fat in their lids
• Have reached a point where they need revision surgery
• Want to avoid swelling and scarring
• Have eyes that swell in the morning

The partial-incision method comes with fast recovery time and gives patients the opportunity to return to their routines right after the procedure.

Full incision

The very intervention consists of making an incision in the upper eyelid in full. It starts from the medial canthus and ends in the lateral canthus. All excess skin is removed at the doctor’s discretion. To close the incisions, they resort to stitches.

The effects of this method can last up to ten years, which makes it sort of permanent. It creates profound and visible folds in the eyelids.

The negatives are that healing takes longer and the outcome is fully visible after three to six months. Another problem is that the scars are obvious when the eyes are closed and makeup-free. As far as swelling is concerned, it’s quite distinct in the first few days but it resolves after a while.

What is the outlook of double eyelid surgery?

As long as refined skills and techniques are implemented into the procedure, as well as proper aftercare, double eyelid surgery offers a long-lasting alternative to quick fixes. Both the minimally invasive and fully incisional methods can help give the eyes a more distinct shape and get rid of unwanted fat that can make the eyes look tired, bored or sleepy. Patients can choose one over the other depending on what they expect from the procedure.