[Lari Plastic Surgery] One-sided double eyelid surgery to correct uneven eyes: Is it possible to get double eyelids on only one eye?

Can one-sided double eyelid surgery be done to correct asymmetry, and is it possible to have surgery on only one eye?

The answer is

Yes, it is possible.

However, there are several conditions attached to that answer.

First, when it comes to double eyelid surgery,

it can be divided into primary surgery and revision surgery,

and in terms of surgical methods, it can be divided into incisional and non-incisional methods.

In the case of primary surgery,

even if you are satisfied with only one of your two eyes,

it is not really recommended to operate on only one eye.

Even if the height is the same, it is recommended to do both sides together!

The reason is this:

In the case of natural double eyelids, the fold depth is usually shallow. By contrast, double eyelids created through surgery have a fixed depth that is deeper than natural double eyelids.

So even if surgery is performed on the other eye to match the height of the preferred double eyelid, if only one side is operated on, the feel of the double eyelids can be quite different, and it may still look asymmetrical.

Also, even if the absolute height of the double eyelid line is the same when the eyes are open or closed, if the fixed depth of the fold becomes deeper, the visible line may appear higher.

(The length of the blue arrow indicating the double eyelid height is the same, but the length of the light-blue curve, which is the part visible to people, is longer in the surgically created double eyelid than in the natural one.)

Non-incisional surgery has a shallower fixed depth, so even if only one side is operated on, the difference between the two eyes may be smaller.

However, incisional surgery creates a more definite fixation and is fixed more deeply, so if only one side is operated on, the difference between the two eyes can be quite large.

That is why one-sided surgery is not recommended for primary procedures!!

However, revision surgery is a little different. The premise of revision surgery already means that both eyes have had double eyelid surgery.

Then what does that mean?

The fixation is already somewhat deep.

In this kind of situation, even if surgery is redone on only one side, the difference in fixed depth is not large, so asymmetry can be corrected.

Of course, there is still a problem even when revision surgery is done on only one side.

That problem is swelling.

Take a look at the graph below.

This graph quantifies and plots the relationship between time and swelling. As you can see, the swelling gradually decreases over time, converging toward 0.

This means that, in the end, it will become 0, but during the period until it does, you have to endure a lot of swelling.

As you can probably tell from the photos, even if the swelling is not severe, if there is swelling on only one side like this, the asymmetry can become more noticeable than before surgery, and it can actually be harder to manage than when both eyes are swollen a lot.

Covering the surgical area with an eye patch and going about daily life is not recommended because it is not good for the wound, and since you also cannot wear contact lenses or put on makeup the way you would if both eyes had been operated on, you must be able to tolerate these inconveniences in order to have one-eye surgery. Also, doing one side only may not make both sides completely identical.

That is why, whenever possible, it is recommended to have double eyelid surgery on both sides at the same time, and if you must have surgery on only one side due to unavoidable circumstances, you need to fully understand the recovery period and be able to endure that time.

When the strength of eye opening is different, if only one side is operated on, Hering's law may apply (Hering's law: when surgery is performed on the eye that used to open poorly, the opposite eye that used to open well may start opening less; or if the eye that used to open well is made to open less, the opposite eye may open more), so the chance of asymmetry with one-sided surgery is higher than with surgery on both sides. For that reason, as shown in the photo above, it is recommended to operate on both eyes, and if you absolutely want surgery on only one side, it is best to get thorough consultation at the clinic before deciding on surgery.