There are three main upper-eyelid procedures.
- Upper blepharoplasty: tidying sagging upper-eyelid skin
- Double eyelid surgery: creating a new fold in the eyelid skin
- Ptosis correction: correcting the height of a descended eyelid and the ability to open the eye
| Procedure | Problem it mainly corrects | Main purpose |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Upper blepharoplasty | Stretched, excess upper-eyelid skin | Tidying sagging skin, revealing the eye |
|---|---|---|
| Double eyelid surgery | Eyes with no crease or a faint one | Creating a new fold |
| Ptosis correction | A lowered upper-eyelid margin | Improving how much of the iris shows and how the eye opens |
What is upper blepharoplasty?
It tidies upper-eyelid skin that has stretched with age, along with some fat and muscle if needed. The essence is tidying the excess skin covering the eye.
What is double eyelid surgery?
It creates a natural fold (the upper-eyelid crease) in the eyelid skin, using techniques such as the buried-suture, incisional or partial-incision method.
What is ptosis?
It is a condition in which the upper-eyelid margin sits lower than normal and covers more of the iris. Causes vary: congenital problems, reduced muscle function, neurological issues, trauma and aging.
How does skin sagging differ from ptosis?
If the eyelid margin sits at a normal height when you gently lift the skin, it is skin sagging; if the margin still covers a lot, ptosis may be suspected. When both are present, both operations may need to be done together.
Is "nunmae correction" the same as ptosis correction?
In Korea, surgery that adjusts the structures lifting the eyelid is commonly called nunmae gyojeong ("eye-shape correction"), but the term is not always used to mean exactly the same thing as medical ptosis correction.
Upper blepharoplasty tidies excess skin, double eyelid surgery creates a new fold, and ptosis correction adjusts eyelid height and function. What matters most is not choosing a procedure name first but correctly distinguishing whether the cause is skin sagging, the absence of a crease, or a descended eyelid margin.