Blepharoplasty: the different types of look and their significance

Beautify your eyes with cosmetic surgery

Blepharoplasty is one of the most widely performed aesthetic procedures in France and around the world. Depending on the indication, it can refresh, rejuvenate and beautify the eyes, while respecting their shape and expression.

Removing bags, filling hollow circles, masking their colour, smoothing wrinkled eyelids, removing excess skin, compensating for loss of volume, smoothing wrinkles around the eyes or raising a drooping eyebrow: eyelid and oculoplastic surgery has many advantages.

A variety of eye surgeries are available:

• Blepharoplasty, addition blepharoplasty and pinch blepharoplasty
• Filling of hollow circles (lipofilling)
• Treatment of dark circles (nano-lipofilling)
• Transconjunctival removal of bags under the eyes.

Eyelid surgery: the different types of look

In eye surgery, the surgical procedures are adapted to each type of look.

The meaning of the expression “oeil de biche” (doe eye)

“Avoir des yeux de biche” is an old expression commonly used to compliment a woman with a pretty look and almond-shaped eyes like a doe.

Such soft, seductive eyes, almost bewitching and synonymous with beauty, are the dream of many a woman. The doe eye is also a make-up classic, made fashionable by beauty icons such as Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn. The technique consists in lengthening the eyes by working the lashes and the outer corners with a fine line of eyeliner. In eyelid and oculoplastic surgery, a doe look can be reproduced by stretching the palpebral fissure outwards to enlarge the eyes.

The scars on the upper eyelid are discreet and blend into the wrinkles at the corner of the eye, also known as crow’s feet. This straightforward procedure gives you a naturally irresistible look.

The meaning of “hollow eye”

A hollow eye is an eye that is very deeply sunken. In other words, the eyeball sits back in the orbit, leaving a marked void above the upper eyelid.

In medicine the term is enophthalmos, more commonly described as “skeletonization” of the eyes, with the edge of the orbital bone visible through the skin, due to the absence or loss of fat in this area. Skeletonization is unsightly, and sunken eyes are a highly visible defect that gives a tired, dark and unattractive look. It can be congenital, caused by ageing, or the result of extensive eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty). People with a very slim build can also be affected.

The meaning of the expression “bulging eye”

In horror stories, bulging eyes often give the face a frightening quality. A bulging eye is one that protrudes from the eye socket, with the eyeball pushed forward. This sometimes prevents the eye from closing and can cause significant pain and discomfort, such as dry eye. In medicine, protrusion of the eyeball is called exophthalmos. The eye appears larger because it is pushed out of its socket by the eye muscles and fat. This protrusion may be congenital, but it is generally due to Graves’ disease, a thyroid disorder.

Classic surgery involving an incision in the skin of the lower eyelid is therefore to be avoided, as it carries a high risk of round eye, or even ectropion.

The meaning of “cocker spaniel eye”

The cocker spaniel is an endearing dog of English origin. With its characteristic drooping eyes, it looks like the unhappiest dog in the world. “Having a cocker spaniel look” or “having cocker spaniel eyes” therefore describes a sad, dull air, like the look of a beaten dog. Cocker spaniel eyes give the face an appearance of sadness and chronic fatigue, and distort the gaze. The cocker spaniel eye is generally congenital, but it can also be due to ageing, which causes the eyebrows and the upper and lower eyelids to droop.

Care must be taken not to remove too much skin from the upper eyelid, as this could create disharmony or emphasize the drooping of the tail of the eyebrow, worsening the sad-eyed appearance.

The meaning of the expression “round eye”

“Faire des yeux ronds” is an old expression used when someone is very surprised. You can read the person’s surprise on their face, without a word being said.

In medicine, scleral show refers to excessive drooping of the lower eyelid, which makes the white of the eye more visible than normal. In other words, the lower eyelid gradually falls away from the eyeball. This gives an impression of an altered, inexpressive gaze. It is also known as ectropion. Round eye is generally congenital, but it can also be due to a loss of tone in the palpebral structures. It can also follow an extensive blepharoplasty.

To avoid making the appearance worse, an incision in the skin of the lower eyelid should be avoided.

Blepharoplasty adapts to every type of look

Eyelid surgery can be adapted to all these looks. The operating techniques vary with the type of eye (doe eye, hollow eye, bulging eye, round eye, cocker spaniel eye, and so on). It is best to consult an oculoplastic surgeon to correct any unattractive feature.

A pioneer of eyelid and oculoplastic surgery in Paris, Dr Hayot is a skilled oculoplastic surgeon and an expert in the anatomical structures of the eye socket and the eyelids. He offers a range of innovative techniques and uses state-of-the-art equipment (CO₂ laser scalpel) to minimize the risks during surgery and to limit the post-operative effects.

Do you have a question about your eyes? Do not hesitate to contact Dr Bernard Hayot, a physician and oculoplastic surgeon in Paris specializing in eyelid and oculoplastic surgery.