Lateral Canthoplasty - SM Plastic Surgery

Medial canthoplasty refines the epicanthal fold to open the eye forward; lateral canthoplasty widens the outer corner to extend the eye sideways. Which suits depends on where the eye area has room, and the two are sometimes done together for balance. The decision follows a detailed assessment.

How far it can be extended differs from person to person, with the laxity of skin and conjunctiva at the outer corner and facial proportion — the intercanthal width and the space beside the eye. Rather than forcing it, the aim is to carry the eye area naturally within a range that suits the proportions; the degree of change and the result vary from person to person.

Lateral canthoplasty is known as an operation where the widened area tends to revert somewhat as it heals. The incision and suturing are designed with this in mind, working to reduce re-adhesion; but how far it reverts varies with tissue and constitution, so detailed assessment is needed.

A mark can remain at the incision outside the outer corner, but fine suturing keeps it down and it tends to become less noticeable with time. How well it heals differs with constitution and care, and the redness fades gradually through recovery.

They need not be combined. Doing it with double-eyelid surgery or ptosis correction, however, lets the vertical and horizontal proportions be adjusted together, so they sometimes are. The necessary extent is decided at consultation, by the eye and the impression you want.

If the widened area has partly reverted as it healed, a revision can be considered. How far it can be extended again depends on the previous incision and on how much slack remains in the skin and conjunctiva at the outer corner. We explain what is possible after examining the current state.

It is considered when the outer corner is short and the eye looks closed off, or when space remains beside the eye so the eye looks short. How far it can be extended depends on the slack left in the skin and conjunctiva at the outer corner, so the space you can see is not always the space that can be opened. We judge after measuring the proportions of the eye.

Extending the outer corner further than necessary can leave the eye looking elongated and the expression harder. The extent is therefore planned within a moderate range that respects the spacing between and beside the eyes. We confirm the impression you want at consultation before deciding how far to go.

Lateral canthoplasty widens the eye horizontally and lower canthoplasty widens it vertically, so the two are sometimes combined when both dimensions need adjusting. Opening in both directions at once can place more strain on the lower lid, so we also assess its supporting tissue. Whether to combine them is decided after examination.

Once the inner corner has healed sufficiently, lateral canthoplasty can be considered as a further step. Because extending the outer corner when the inner one is already open can make the eye look overdone, we re-measure the current eye length and facial proportions before setting the extent. The timing and extent are advised after checking how recovery has gone.

For lateral canthoplasty we generally guide one to two follow-up visits, for suture removal and to check healing. Since the widened area needs to be observed as it heals, the number of visits can vary with your recovery. We advise the timing of visits after surgery.

Sutures are generally removed at around one week, as early as five days or as late as two weeks. The timing can shift with how the incision is healing and how much swelling remains, so it is set as we follow your progress. The exact date is confirmed at your visit.

The impression that the eyes sit close together can come from the balance between the space beside the eye and the eye's horizontal length. Extending the outer corner can carry the eye further sideways and change that balance, though how much it helps varies with facial proportions. We judge after measuring both the distance between the eyes and the space beside them.

Because lateral canthoplasty lengthens the eye horizontally, the angle of the outer corner can look slightly different as well. If lowering that angle noticeably is the goal, lower canthoplasty, which adjusts the lower line, may be considered alongside it. We explain which approach suits the impression you want at consultation.

Narrowing the widened corner again can be considered, but because the tissue has already been altered by the earlier incision it does not return exactly to its pre-operative state. How much can be adjusted depends on the remaining tissue and scarring, so we judge after examining it directly. The degree of improvement varies from person to person.