A fairly recent study from Korea looked at the incidence of eyelid asymmetry in a large pool of young (20-49yrs, mean 33.1yrs) Korean men (273) and women (321) and found some interesting patterns emerge. (None of the volunteers had a history of eyelid trauma or surgery.) Regarding eyelid creases (“double eyelid” vs “single eyelid”), they found that men were significantly more likely to have the single eyelid configuration than women, 66% vs 43%. One tenth of their volunteers(10.3% men and 11.5% women), possessed only one crease. Surprisingly, this unilateral crease was over twice as likely to occur in the left eyelid (7.4%) than the right (3.5%). This pattern of left sided dominance for crease formation was also reported in Japanese infants by Ishikawa. The Korean study also found that the palpebral fissure heights (vertical height between the upper and lower lids of the open eye) were significantly larger for the right eyes than the left in both men and women, and that women had significantly larger fissure heights than men. The opposite was true for horizontal fissure widths, with the left side being wider in both men and women, with men’s being significantly wider than women’s.
What was most interesting to me was that a taller vertical fissure height, narrower horizontal fissure width and a double eyelid configuration was more likely to be found naturally in Korean females than males. Although it is not discussed in this study, I believe that the data might actually explain the perceived “beautifying” result of Asian blepharoplasty surgery in Korean women. Asian blepharoplasty is not a Westernizing surgery, but more of a feminizing procedure. This also explains why some men seek the procedure to make them appear more “friendly”, and perhaps less masculine. These results also highlight the horizontal fissure width as an under appreciated feature for aesthetic eyelid reconstruction.
April 22, 2007 at 12:22 pm |
Thanks, always good posts on your blog!
August 19, 2007 at 12:42 am |
Dr. Chen:
I truly enjoy your site. It is rare to find a site that is so informative and thought provoking.
I do have to present an alternative opinion as to whether Asian Blepharoplasty is a Feminizing procedure. I don’t think that a trait that is found in 43% of men could be truly considered “feminine.”
With careful attention to detail, pre-operative planning and discussion with Asian male patients–handsome, masculine eyes with a double lid are consistently achievable.
If these principles are not followed–we will get results as inconsistent as were achieved when Asian double eyelid surgery was considered a “Westernizing” procedure.
Sincerely,
Edward Miranda, M.D.
http://www.MirandaPlasticSurgery.com
July 21, 2008 at 10:24 am |
Interesting…because I am one I can relate to in this study…I am one with the natural crease on the left eye…and I am a female Korean.
June 21, 2009 at 2:06 pm |
Why the hell does koreans want to look like white people wannabe’s?
Are you guys ashamed of your race?
November 4, 2009 at 6:45 am |
Dear Sexy Sadie, please do not associate the occurrence of double eyelids with a particular race or nationality – that is stereotyping. Asian countries are known to ‘follow suit’ to what is perceived as common in western countries, be it music, fashion, and even economic structure, thereby causing the world to believe that this is a form of ‘Westernization’. However, it does not mean that coming in ’second’ means that Asians are the copycats.
There are many reasons as to why Asian countries have developed in this manner, too many for me to list. However, in the case of cosmetic surgery, subscribing to the service does not mean that one is expressing shame by not wanting to look like his own people. To take things further, it does not mean that he is trying to look like one from a western society, just because the trait is inherent in majority of the people in that society. I believe that since the option is readily available to an individual, he is entitled to decide how he wants to look. There is no external force that pressures one into looking like a Western. It is just a one’s tendency and preference to physically enhance himself.