Creating Double Eyelids: What to Know If You’ve Been Using Tape and Eventually Decide on Surgery

Some people use double-eyelid tape or glue in their teens and eventually move on to surgery. In many of these cases, because of side effects from the tape or glue, the eyelid skin has stretched or become thicker, and there may be signs of sagging. This should be taken into account when performing double-eyelid surgery.

Double-eyelid surgery case 1 for a double-eyelid tape user

This is a case of a person who had used double-eyelid tape for three years in the past and then underwent surgery. Fortunately, it was not severe, but there was some eyelid sagging. Because the patient wanted a somewhat dramatic semi-outward line, we performed double-eyelid surgery with an incision method, removing the sagging skin to make the crease more distinct.

10 weeks after incision + ptosis correction

However, among people whose eyelid skin has been greatly stretched from side effects of double-eyelid tape, doing only double-eyelid surgery can sometimes look awkward. If a lot of the sagging skin near the eyelashes is removed to create a crease, the thicker skin above it may fold in, which can lead to a sausage-like double eyelid. For people with a high risk of this, even if they are young, combining double-eyelid surgery with a brow lift or forehead lift may be a better option. Of course, this should be decided carefully after a thorough examination and discussion with the patient about the pros and cons of the various surgical methods.

The reason removing too much skin can result in a sausage-like double eyelid is that skin thickness differs depending on the eyelid position.

Double-eyelid surgery case 2 for a double-eyelid tape user

The following case is also of a person who had been using double-eyelid tape and came in after deciding to have surgery. However, this patient not only had sagging skin but also showed ptosis, meaning weak eyelid-opening strength, when I examined them directly. In fact, people with these features often do not know on their own whether ptosis correction is needed without an examination by a specialist, and if they refuse ptosis correction and have only double-eyelid surgery, the ptosis may appear even more noticeable.

Fortunately, this patient was especially stressed by sleepy-looking eyes when the eyelid-opening strength dropped in the afternoon or when they were tired, and they were well aware that their levator function was weak, so they agreed to have ptosis correction at the same time^^

3 months after incision + ptosis correction + epicanthoplasty

In addition to correcting eyelid sagging caused by double-eyelid tape, we performed incision-based ptosis correction to address ptosis and create the in-out line the patient wanted in a natural and attractive way. In this patient, the ratio of the visible white area in front of and behind the pupil differed quite a bit, so we also performed epicanthoplasty to improve that.

Conclusion

When people who have been creating the double eyelid they want with tape or glue finally decide to have surgery, they sometimes focus only on the line they want and overlook other aspects. Wouldn’t it be better to meet a board-certified plastic surgeon with the insight to fully consider detailed features such as the degree of skin sagging, whether ptosis is present, and the ratio of the pupil to the white part of the eye?

If you want to learn more about eye surgery, click here!

If you visit Yeonnop Plastic Surgery, which is opening in January 2024 near Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, you can have a detailed consultation with the director.