Ethnic Lower Blepharoplasty

Q: Dr. Eppley, Where are the incisions for lower eyelid surgery to remove excess skin? I’m 1/2 East Indian so culturally, I do not scar well. I had to get a complete hysterectomy a couple months ago and the scars on my stomach, albeit small, are darkened. I utilized silicon tape to flatten them but the 3 marks are still visible.I can’t have visible scars on my eyes. Just want to make sure this procedure can be done without leaving visible darkened marks.

 A: Lower blepharoplasty incisions are placed right under the lashline of the lower eyelids. Regardless of ethnicity blepharoplasty incisions heal well because of the thinness of the skin and certainly can’t be compared to what happens in body areas below the neck like on the abdomen, back or extremities. Having made lower blepharoplasty incisions for a wide variety of reasons in darker skinned patinents, besides aging, I have not seen increased pigmentation of them. Nor have I see any adverse healing or hypertrophic scars from them. But your concerns are understandable as it would be with any incision on your face. But that being said, when in doubt, the safest course of action is to not make the incisions.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana