Laser blepharoplasty for making double eyelids in Asians

The double-eyelid operation is a cosmetic procedure performed primarily on Asians who have no supratarsal folds. The goal in Oriental blepharoplasty i s to ensure a stable double-eyelid fold with predictable and long-lasting r esults. Candidates for this procedure desire attractive eyelids with a natu ral-looking fold. Today, the CO2 laser is used as a surgical tool by plasti c surgeons, and its use in cosmetic surgery has recently been expanded to b lepharoplasties. We used the high-power CO2 laser (UltraPulse; Coherent, Santa Clara, Calif. ) in the double-eyelid operation. Between September of 1995 and September o f 1999, a total of 241 patients underwent laser double-eyelid operations at Korea University Medical Center and Dr. Choi's Aesthetic Clinic, with an a verage follow-up of 18 months. By using the CO2 laser, we could create a stable double-eyelid fold with lo ng-lasting results. The rate of fold release was 2 percent, which was less than the rate using the conventional scalpel incision method. The CO2 laser contributed to a reduction in pain or discomfort after the operation; ther efore, patient comfort and early recovery could be enhanced after double-ey elid surgery. In the healing of the incision line, it showed mild redness f or 3 weeks, hut long-term follow-up showed the scar produced by the laser a ppeared to be equal in quality compared with the conventional method. Laser blepharoplasty is a useful and effective method to create a stable and att ractive double eyelid for Asian patients.