Incision-based Blepharoplasty with Preservation of Superficial and Deep Blood Vessels

Background: Single eyelids of many individuals seek incision-based blepharoplasty to construct double eyelids. However, excessive tissue damage is still a common problem after this surgery. Much of the tissue injury incurred during blepharoplasty results from damage to vertical blood vessels in the superficial and deep layers, so we designed a new modified incisional-based blepharoplasty method that preserves superficial and deep blood vessels. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of this preservation of superficial and deep blood vessels approach to incisional-based blepharoplasty. Methods: We retrospectively examined the outcomes of 462 consecutive patients receiving this new method from January 2015 to December 2019. The surgical methods were designed to preserve superficial and deep blood vessels to the greatest extent possible. All patients were followed up for 6 to 40 months. Postoperative evaluations were performed and patients graded results at final follow-up as excellent, good, fair, or poor. The combined proportion of excellent, good, and fair was deemed the satisfaction rate. Results: The overall satisfaction rate was 94.16% (435/462). Postoperative swelling regressed significantly during the first week and disappeared by 4 weeks postsurgery for patients without ptosis or with mild ptosis, whereas swelling regressed in 2 to 5 weeks for patients with moderate ptosis. Fourteen patients (3.03%, 14/462) displayed obvious bruising after surgery. Conclusions: This new blepharoplasty method yielded a high satisfaction rate, rapid dissipation of swelling, low bruising, and low complication rate. This effective and safe surgical method warrants wider use for single eyelid and mild/moderate ptosis.