As we age, the muscles that open the eyes (levator palpebrae superioris) weaken, causing the upper eyelids to droop. Below the eyes, fat protrudes, leading to puffiness. These changes around the eyes can make them appear smaller and create a tired impression. Deepening wrinkles around the eyes also contribute to an aged look and can cause functional problems like obstructed vision.
To improve aging eyes, middle-aged eye surgeries such as lower blepharoplasty, upper blepharoplasty, and sub-brow lift can be performed after diagnosing individual aging symptoms and skin conditions. Lower blepharoplasty is suitable for cases where the tear trough is deeply sunken or, conversely, where fat pockets sag, making the under-eye area uneven. It involves excising skin just below the eyelashes to remove or reposition under-eye fat. After assessing the condition of the under-eye muscles, they are fixed to preserve the aegyo-sal (under-eye fat roll) while removing only wrinkles.
Dr. Eon-rok Do of 1mm Plastic Surgery explained, ‘Middle-aged eye surgery can simultaneously correct deeply sunken tear troughs, sagging skin, and wrinkles around and under the eyes, and also improve dark circles caused by bulging under-eye fat. Micro-incisions are made as close as possible to the eyelash line, making scars almost invisible, and can transform a dark and grumpy impression into a brighter, more youthful look.’
Among middle-aged eye surgeries, upper blepharoplasty is a method to improve upper eyelids that have sagged due to aging. During the eye surgery, excess skin and fat are precisely excised to create clear, younger-looking eyes. In addition to skin excision, the length and position of the muscles are adjusted and tightened, strengthening the eye-opening power and fundamentally resolving the cause of eyelid sagging.
This can simultaneously correct sagging skin and wrinkles around the eyes, and also prevent forehead wrinkles that occur when weak eye-opening power causes people to use their eyebrows and forehead to lift their eyes. Upper blepharoplasty can be considered when the double eyelid line is not visible due to sagging eyelids, vision is obstructed, eyelashes poke the eyes, or upper eyelid ptosis makes one look older.
A sub-brow lift is a lifting method that involves incising along the eyebrow line of the sagging eyelid, removing some skin below the eyebrow, and pulling up and fixing the sagging eyelid skin. The lifting effect can be enhanced by extending the lifting range to the front of the double eyelid by making a thorough incision up to the outer corner of the eye, and eyebrow sagging can be prevented by manipulating the depressor supercilii muscle. By removing sagging muscles and tightening the skin, hidden double eyelids are revealed.
This method is suitable for those who want to correct sagging eyelid skin without double eyelid surgery, as it can improve the eyes to be clearer and younger-looking without touching the existing double eyelid line. It is also suitable for correcting eyelid sagging and double eyelid line height, considering blepharoptosis, and when severe sagging at the outer corner of the eye causes skin irritation.
Dr. Eon-rok Do stated, ‘Middle-aged eye surgery is a method to improve age-related changes around the eyes, resulting in a younger and more elastic eye shape. It is crucial to comprehensively analyze the individual's presence or absence of double eyelids, the distance between the eyes and eyebrows, and the degree of sagging, then decide on the appropriate surgical method.’
He continued, ‘Unlike general eye surgery which emphasizes aesthetic factors, middle-aged eye surgery is important to improve both functional and aesthetic aspects. Therefore, to increase surgical satisfaction, it is helpful to have sufficient consultation with a plastic surgeon and consider various factors such as the sagging of the eyelid skin and the strength of the eye-opening muscles to perform the method suitable for oneself.’
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