Can you get double eyelids without surgery? In the past, invasive options were the only ones available. Namely, double eyelid surgery, which is a cosmetic treatment for patients who want a pronounced crease in the folds of their upper lids. Some people are born without a natural crease in the upper eyelid and have what is often called a monolid. Monolids are most common in people of East Asian descent, though they are not exclusive to people of that region.
Double eyelid surgery, a procedure to create a crease in the eyelids, has many names. Also known as Asian blepharoplasty or a double lid lift, this procedure can make your aesthetic dreams a reality. Through several different techniques and methods, we can boost your sense of self by giving you a volumized eyelid look. In fact, we even have procedures available for those who wish to achieve the double eyelid look without going under the knife.
Is it true? Can you get double eyelids without surgery? How can you achieve a deeper and more creased eyelid without generalized anesthesia?
If you want to know the answer to these questions, then you have come to the right place. Dr. Kenneth Kim is a leading plastic surgeon in Korean eyelid procedures who is leading the way with revolutionary non-surgical double eyelid procedures.
Keep reading to learn more!
Double Eyelid Surgery: The Basics
Doctors typically use one of two primary methods for double eyelid surgery. The first and foremost method requires anesthesia and several incisions in the skin. While surgical eyelid surgery can have beautiful and long-lasting results, the process can be too intensive for people wanting a more subtle cosmetic change. Not to mention, generalized anesthesia impacts the whole body.
When completing double eyelid surgery, Dr. Kim makes a couple of very tiny incisions on the upper eyelid, pulling the skin to create a crease. The cosmetic alteration can dramatically change the length, size, and appearance of your eyes. Double eyelid surgery is recommended for patients with a lot of excess skin in the upper eyelids.
Healing is relatively quick. Patients are typically able to return to work and spend time in the sun after a couple of weeks resting indoors. After the healing process is complete, there will be little to no visible scarring. Complications are rare, yet traditional double eyelid surgery has more risks than with our tried-and-true suture method.
Our Non-Surgical Suture Technique
At Dr. Kenneth Kim’s office, we consistently seek ways to improve our practices and procedures. We care about delivering the most fantastic results, helping you alleviate any adverse effects of your monolid, and boosting your confidence.
Our non-surgical suture method repositions and reshapes eyelids without invasive surgery, so you can enjoy natural-looking double eyelids without a long recovery period.
Our Threading Method
If you have ever sewn fabric, you will have a basic understanding of our medical threading option for double eyelids. Using a specially designed surgical stitch, Dr. Kim will create tiny sutures on each side of the eyelid. The stitch is a durable fiber that does not absorb or dissolve into the skin’s underlying structure. We pass the thread through the inner dermis so no incisions or entry points are visible after the procedure is complete. Once the thread has been properly fed through the eyelid, it will pass through the first layer of muscle known as the orbicularis oculi. These muscles are responsible for upholding the shape and structure of your eyelids. Without these muscles, your eyelids would not function properly.
The orbicularis oculi is not the only important muscle in the eyelid, however. After going through the first layer, the medical thread will then pass through the levator muscles. The levator muscle is specifically responsible for raising and lowering your upper eyelids. The thread will be pulled back and forth through this muscle.
By tightening and creasing these muscles on each side of the eyelid, Dr. Kim is able to make a visible crease across the upper eyelid that will remain in place using the initial sutures. Depending on your specific needs, Dr. Kim may use a few different threading techniques.
Is Anesthesia Required?
The threading technique is a non-surgical alternative to traditional double eyelid surgery. As such, no generalized anesthesia is required. You will not need to be fully asleep for the duration of the procedure, but you will still require some topical numbing. You will receive localized anesthesia around the eye and face area. That way, you will not feel a thing while Dr. Kim applies his training to craft your results.
This in-office procedure should only take about 30 minutes. As an outpatient procedure, you will be able to get up and leave as soon as you are cleared to go. You do not have to worry about canceling appointments or staying overnight in the hospital when getting a non-surgical double eyelid procedure.
What About Tapes and Glues?
There are a few well-known methods of non-surgical double-lid surgery that patients can sign up for. One of the most popular is taping and gluing measures, which allows patients to take matters into their own hands for short-term gain.
To apply eyelid tape, patients apply a small curved piece of tape to the space they would like to create an eyelid crease—or to the eyelid crease itself if the patient is hoping to enhance the eyelid fold. Once the tape is applied, the patient uses a small prong to push their eyelid back against the tape so their eye appears wider. If the tape does not hold the eyelid up on its own, patients can apply glue to secure the crease.
Though this is a popular method for creating eyelid creases, its long-term disadvantages outweigh the short-term benefits. After a time, the tape adhesive can become an allergen, causing redness and itching of the eyelid skin. There is also the risk that eyelid glue will get into the patient’s eye and cause injury. Over time, the additional weight and stress of eyelid tape can make your hooded lids sag and further impair vision.
Experts recommend that you do not use tape or glue because these quick, non-incisional treatments do not provide lasting results. If the tape or glue damages your eyelids, it will also ruin the potential to reshape them later.
The Recovery Process
An increasing number of our patients are looking for ways to improve their upper eyelids without needing to block weeks of time off of their schedule to recover from invasive surgery. As an outpatient procedure that does not require general anesthesia, non-surgical double eyelid treatment has the additional benefits of a relatively fast recovery process. As long as you are in good general health and do not have any complications during the procedure, you can expect a straightforward recovery process.
During the first couple of days, you might experience some swelling and bruising around the treatment site. These symptoms are totally normal and typically resolve themselves quickly. As the sutures are built to stay inside your eyelid, you do not even have to come back to us for a follow-up stitch removal. You can get back to your own life and enjoy your new and improved look in an instant.
Will Double Eyelids Change My Natural Eye Shape?
A lot of our patients worry that this surgery will completely change the way they look. As many people born with monolids come from an East Asian background, there is a natural and valid fear that this technique will reshape their eyes in too dramatic a fashion. Some even wonder if the procedure will make them look “less Asian.”
As a certified expert in Asian eyelid surgery, Dr. Kim shares a deep appreciation and respect for each patient’s individual history. Our double eyelid options would never take away your identity or your heritage. In fact, many patients who have had the procedure have said that their features look exactly the same after treatment, only enhanced. We can redefine your unique eye shape and transform it into something that truly reflects who you are.
Get Double Eyelids Without Surgery at the Office of Dr. Kenneth Kim
If you are wondering whether our instant double-eyelid treatment is the right procedure for you, we encourage you to learn more. At Dr. Kim’s office, we take pride in getting to know each of our patients so we can help them further their goals. There are a few reasons why this might be the perfect treatment for you.
If you want to know what you would look like with double eyelids without committing to a permanent change, we recommend trying this procedure. Non-surgical threading is reversible, allowing you the space to have a change of heart in the future. But if you have too much excess eyelid skin and want to improve your eyes without going under the knife, this is also a good option for you.
Start your journey towards inner and outer harmony with the right cosmetic procedure. Contact us online or give us a call to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kenneth Kim as soon as possible.
References
- Khoo LS, Hsiao YC, Huang JJ, et al. Simultaneous Orthognathic Surgery With Asian Double Eyelid Suture Blepharoplasty. J Craniofac Surg. 2021;32(8):2592—2596.
- Kim KK, Kim WS, Oh SK, Kim HS. High Double Eyelid Fold Correction Using Wide Dual-Plane Dissection. Ann Plast Surg. 2017;78(4):365-370.
- Saonanon P. Update on Asian eyelid anatomy and clinical relevance. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2014;25(5):436-442. doi:10.1097/ICU.0000000000000075
- Yu P, Chen S, Gu T, Zhao M, Teng L, Lu J. Small-Incisional Techniques for Double-Eyelid Blepharoplasty: A Systematic Review. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2023;47(3):1067-1075.
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