Upper eyelid skin grafting: an effective treatment for lagophthalmos following blepharoplasty

Patients who have undergone upper blepharoplasty occasionally develop anterior lamellar insufficiency, which can result in lagophthalmos, corneal decompensation, and even blindness. Historically, skin grafts in the upper eyelid have been considered a last-resort procedure because of poor cosmetic outcomes. Poor cosmetic outcomes result from the traditional practice of placing the skin graft above the eyelid crease. This article describes a surgical technique for upper eyelid skin grafting in which the graft is placed in a supraciliary position. Presented are results of a retrospective study of 20 patients (31 eyelids) who underwent supraciliary upper eyelid skin grafting. The postoperative results were evaluated by examining the improvement in lagophthalmos, the improvement of keratopathy and comfort of the patient, and the cosmetic appearance of the graft. Upper eyelid skin grafting using this surgical technique is an effective and cosmetically acceptable method to improve corneal integrity and comfort in patients who have corneal exposure from insufficient anterior lamella after upper eyelid or eyebrow surgery.