Though a lower-lid blepharoplasty is intended to improve the look of the area beneath the eye by eliminating sagging tissue and removing or redistributing fat that has fallen, the procedure has historically caused a new problem known as ectropion an estimated 30 percent of the time. This condition involves the lower eyelid turning outward and away from the eye. Since the upper and lower lids blinking together is what distributes fluid around the eye and keeps the surface uniformly moist, a gap in that system can lead to uneven lubrication. This may cause the eye to feel dry and irritated, and it can also lead to excess tear production.

Not satisfied with this generally accepted (but rarely mentioned) possible outcome of lower-lid blepharoplasty, our surgical team began using a refined technique to prevent ectropion from developing in patients. The technique involves tightening a small tendon, but it has big results.

Our team likes to describe the canthal tendon as a belt holding up a pair of pants that would start to slip down without support from above. A lower-lid blepharoplasty can weaken or relax the canthal tendon, which leads to the slippage. Precisely placed stitches tighten the tendon again, making the technique suitable for not just preventing ectropion in our blepharoplasty patients, but for repairing it in men and women who developed the condition from surgeries performed by other doctors.

Call our office at (707) 473-0220 or submit a request online for a free consultation to learn about ectropion, canthopexy, and what a lower-lid blepharoplasty done well could do for you today.