Dr. Peterson, Chief Plastic Surgeon at Athena Clinic, made the comments after discovering that many Asian patients were having eyelid surgery and ending up with the eyelid crease too high. The problem comes because the average Asian eyelid is smaller than the average Caucasian eyelid – Asian eyelids are, on average, 7.49mm whereas Caucasian eyelids are 10mm.

Much of the plastic surgeon training is done in the US and on Caucasians therefore most calculations that cosmetic surgeons do are based on ‘Western’ creases. Even if an Asian patient wishes to have more Westernised eyes, it is still not a good idea to base measurements on Caucasian eyelid measurements because the end result will normally have the patient having a permanent surprised look on their face.

So, it is recommended that before eyelid surgery, patients ensure that their cosmetic surgeon has a good idea of exactly what the patient is after to ensure the best possible results after cosmetic surgery. Although Dr. Peterson’s comments are made in relation to Asian eyelid surgery, the same rings true for all patients and all surgeries – the better your cosmetic surgery understands your aims for the surgery, the more likely you are to get the results you are after.

You may also be interested in reading our free guide on how to select a good Cosmetic Surgeon

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There are hundreds of products on the market – mascara, false eyelashes, eyelash extensions to name but a couple of products, but none of these are permanent and can be a nuisance to apply, time consuming and messy. However, there is a new beauty secret – eyelash transplant surgery.

Originally, the eyelash transplant surgery was used in plastic surgery on patients who had suffered facial trauma, perhaps through severe burns or because of congenital malformations of the eye. However, cosmetic surgeons realised that they could capitalise on this expertise and so, they have started to offer eyelash transplants as part of their cosmetic surgery list.

The procedure isn’t cheap, with prices starting around US $5,000. The cosmetic surgery itself is a delicate operation needing microsurgical procedures, with the patient under light sedation and local anesthesia. First of all, about 75-100 hairs are removed from the patient’s head. Each hair is cleaned thoroughly before being threaded onto a needle.

Each eyelid is numbed and swelled. The hair is kept moist and it sown into the top of the eyelid with a crescent-shaped needle, rather like normal sewing. The midpart of the lid is pierced with the needle and the hair is pulled to the outer edge. All in all, the patient can expect to be in surgery for about 4 hours.

For the first few days, there is a lot of swelling and bruising around the eyes, but this goes down in the first week and full recovery is expected in 7-14 days.

Not everyone is suitable for the surgery – African-Americans and people with very frizzy hair are generally not considered suitable because the donor hair does not lend itself well to the surgery. It should also be noted that transplanted hairs will not curl the way normal eyelashes do, so they must be permed if the patient wants the full curl in their eyelashes. However, the transplant eyelashes are living, and therefore continue to grow, so they can be trimmed to the length that the patient wants, meaning they can be grown longer than ‘normal’ eyelashes to achieve that doe-eyed look.

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Length: 1 to 3 hours.

Anesthesia: Normally local with sedation or general.

In/Outpatient: Normally outpatient.

Side Effects: Temporary discomfort, tightness of lids, swelling, bruising. Temporary dryness, burning, itching of eyes. Excessive tearing, sensitivity to light for first few weeks.

Risks: Temporary blurred or double vision, infection, bleeding. Swelling at the corners of the eyelids. Dry eyes. Formation of whiteheads. Slight asymmetry in healing or scarring. Difficulty in closing eyes completely (rarely permanent). Pulling down of the lower lids (may require further surgery), blindness (very rare).

Recovery:

• 2 to 3 days: Reading
• 7 to 10 days: Back to work
• 2 weeks +: Contact lenses
• 3 weeks: Alcohol
• 3 weeks +: Bruising and swelling gone

Duration of Results: Several years although sometimes permanent.

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