[Lari Plastic Surgery] Minimal Epicanthoplasty Revision Without Widening

There is an epicanthal fold -> epicanthoplasty is performed -> the epicanthal fold is removed

If you know a fair amount about plastic surgery, you probably understand how epicanthoplasty works.

However, what if the epicanthal fold still remains even after epicanthoplasty?!

Then epicanthoplasty revision surgery would be needed..

But there are cases where revision epicanthoplasty is not a straightforward choice.

If the space between the eyes has already become very narrow,

or if the lacrimal caruncle (the red flesh at the inner corner of the eye) is already quite visible,

then it is worth reconsidering the revision surgery that had been under consideration.

This was exactly the case for this patient.

The patient had previously undergone epicanthoplasty, but the downward-pointing epicanthal fold was still present,

and the lacrimal caruncle was already quite exposed.

So if we tried to remove the epicanthal fold through revision epicanthoplasty,

the inner corner of the eye could become much more exposed, and the distance between the eyes could become narrower.

Therefore, we proceeded with minimal epicanthoplasty restoration surgery, adjusting the degree of exposure so that the epicanthal fold could be removed without making the lacrimal caruncle larger.

As the name suggests, minimal epicanthoplasty restoration means limiting the restored area to a small extent.

By restoring only a very small amount, about the amount of an epicanthal fold, the major advantage is that the eyes do not become uncomfortably small.

Before surgery, the epicanthal fold had extended sharply downward,

but after surgery it changed direction into a rounded shape and disappeared, while also slightly covering the lacrimal caruncle.

This reduced the amount of caruncle exposure while resolving the epicanthal fold.

People often worry that, unlike after canthoplasty, where the widened outer corners of the eyes can reattach,

after epicanthoplasty restoration the inner corners that were brought together might spread apart again.

Eight months after the epicanthoplasty restoration at our clinic,

the surgical area has been well maintained without widening or distortion.

In some cases,

if the epicanthoplasty was done too extensively and a large amount needs to be restored, performing the surgery all at once without caution can cause the surgical area to widen or lead to severe scarring.

For epicanthoplasty restoration requiring a large amount of correction, tissue grafting may be performed as needed, or restoration surgery may be carried out 2 to 3 times over a period of time.

Epicanthoplasty restoration that does not widen the area requires precise design based on the shape and condition of the eyes,

and surgery that creates a 3D structure based on anatomy.

Rather than meaning that the surgery returns the eyes to how they were before,

epicanthoplasty restoration, like other cosmetic surgeries, is a procedure that aesthetically improves the parts of the current eyes that are unsatisfactory.

Therefore, if you are considering epicanthoplasty restoration surgery,

it is important to have a thorough consultation with a specialist before surgery

and find the intersection between the improvements you want and what can actually be achieved through surgery.

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