Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Surgical Correction for Pediatric Epiblepharon and Trichiasis
Published on: July 8, 2025
Optimizing closure materials for upper lid blepharoplasty: a randomized, controlled trial
David J Kouba1, Emily Tierney, Bassel H Mahmoud
1Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, USA. dkouba1@hfhs.org
Background:
Although upper eyelid blepharoplasty is a common procedure, subtleties in surgical technique can affect cosmetic outcomes. Suture materials commonly used include polypropylene, monofilament nylon, fast-absorbing gut, and ethylcyanoacrylate (ECA) tissue adhesive.
Objective:
To assess upper lid blepharoplasty scars in participants whose incision had been closed with 6-0 polypropylene sutures, 6-0 fast-absorbing gut sutures, or ECA.
Materials And Methods:
A randomized, split-eyelid, single-blind, prospective study of the short- (1 month) and intermediate-term (3 months) efficacy of polypropylene, fast-absorbing gut, and ECA on 36 consecutive upper lid blepharoplasties. Participants and a blinded physician evaluator evaluated cosmetic outcome 1 and 3 months after the procedure.
Results:
Three subgroups tested were ECA versus fast-absorbing gut, ECA versus polypropylene, and fast-absorbing gut versus polypropylene. At 1 month, ECA was superior to fast-absorbing gut (p=.03) and had a marginally better outcome than polypropylene (p=.25), and polypropylene had an equivalent outcome to fast-absorbing gut (p=.46). At 3-month follow-up, ECA remained superior to fast-absorbing gut (p=.03).
Conclusion:
Although sutured epidermal closure and tissue adhesive are highly efficacious for upper eyelid blepharoplasty, physicians and participants felt that cosmesis with ECA was superior to that with fast-absorbing gut.
