Tarsal platform show after upper eyelid blepharoplasty with or without brassiere sutures

Increased tarsal platform show (TPS) and decreased brow fat span (BFS) are associated with favorable results in women undergoing cosmetic blepharoplasty. We conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of upper blepharoplasty with or without a technique (brassiere sutures) to increase TPS and decrease BFS.

This is a prospective, randomized, comparative, case series study of 100 eyelids (50 consecutive women patients) treated with cosmetic upper blepharoplasty performed by a single surgeon. Patients were randomized to receive traditional upper blepharoplasty with a single running suture skin closure versus orbicularis oculi muscle fixation to the periosteum (brassiere sutures) prior to skin closure. Data on patient age, duration of follow-up, complications, and treatment were analyzed. The mean TPS, mean BFS, and mean TPS/BFS ratio were measured at three anatomic landmarks before and after surgery.

Fifty-six eyelids (28 patients) were treated with traditional single suture blepharoplasty, and 44 eyelids (22 patients) had brassiere sutures. In both groups, paired t-tests indicate significant differences between preoperative and postoperative evaluations (p<0.05) for eyelid parameters in each location. However, when TPS, BFS, and TPS/BFS ratio were compared between groups with two-way ANOVA, there were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05).

Brassiere sutures during upper blepharoplasty and traditional blepharoplasty were associated with postoperative increase in TPS, decrease in BFS, and increase in TPS/BFS, without statistically significant differences between these surgeries.