Combined anchor suture with external upper eyelid blepharoplasty in Asian patients.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of an anchor fixation stitch in combination with the external incision technique in Asian upper blepharoplasty.

METHODS: Combined with an upper eyelid blepharoplasty using a conventional external incision procedure, an anchor stitch was used to fixate the dermal layer of the pretarsal skin and the upper edge of the tarsal plate. The procedure was performed in 72 patients with creaseless eyes (50 cases) or with laxity of the upper eyelids due to aging (22 cases). The patients were followed up for 6 to 12 months. The upper eyelid folds were evaluated by the surgeons and by the patients, and the outcome was graded as excellent, good, fair, or poor.

RESULTS: Of the 72 patients, 52 (72%) had excellent results and 20 (28%) had good results; no patients had fair or poor results. There were no cases of crease loss after 6 to 12 months of follow-up. All patients were satisfied with the results.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that the combined anchor suture with external surgery is a reliable approach to Asian upper eyelid blepharoplasty both in young creaseless eyelids and in eyelids with laxity due to aging. We suggest that the anchor suture could be used as a routine procedure in Asian blepharoplasty.