Variations of the Double Eyelid and the Upper Tarsus in Asians

To identify the variations of the double eyelid shapes and the tarsal shapes in Asians and find the association between them.

Healthy subjects with natural double eyelid and age between 20-40 years were enrolled. Characteristics and variations of the eyelid shapes and the tarsal shapes were evaluated.

Of 101 subjects, 50 were males and 51 were females. The most common shape of double eyelid fold was nasally-tapered with merging into medial upper lid fold (39.6%). Then lateral flare configuration (27.7%), parallel (26.7%), and nasally-tapered without merging into medial skin fold (5.9%), followed in descending order of frequency. Sickle type was the most common tarsal shapes observed (45.5%), then trapezoid (32.7%) and triangular type (21.8%). There was a significant association between the double eyelid shapes and the tarsal shapes.

Variations of double eyelids and tarsus morphology were present among Asians. Ethnic differences should be accounted for when performing aesthetic blepharoplasty as to maintain a natural ethnic appearance.