Double Eyelid Scar Revision Surgery: How Do You Measure the Outcome?

Measuring the Extent of Double Eyelid Scar Revision Surgery (?)

Lately, during consultations, many patients come to me expressing significant stress over scars from previous double eyelid surgeries.

Inevitably, any procedure involving an incision with a scalpel will result in a scar. Unless the incision is made on a mucous membrane, scarring is a natural part of the healing process.

However, there are certainly ways to minimize scarring. This is most achievable during the primary (first) surgery.

By minimizing tissue damage and cutting as little tissue as possible, scars can be reduced; however, this approach may increase the risk of the double eyelid fold loosening.

The key is finding the right balance between the two.

‘Does incisional ptosis correction leave a lot of scarring?’ : Naver Blog (naver.com)

This is a blog post I wrote about five years ago.

While primary surgery can be managed to this extent, revision surgery is a completely different matter.

In revision cases, we must clean up the surrounding scar tissue, bring in as much healthy surrounding tissue as possible to smooth out the area, and perform layering or padding work.

We put in a great deal of effort to make the area look clean.

The keyword here is ‘effort.’ There is no absolute guarantee that the scar will improve.

This is because once we actually open the eyelid, if there is no healthy surrounding tissue or no tissue available for padding, improvement simply cannot be achieved.

Imagine if, in the middle of surgery, I had to tell a patient that the scar couldn’t be improved for these reasons...

Think of how disappointed the patient would be.

That is why I do not perform surgery solely for the purpose of scar improvement.

Of course, as mentioned in my previous blog post, I have extensive know-how in minimizing scars during primary surgery and various techniques to make scars less visible.

But if the necessary ‘material’ (tissue) isn’t there, there is no way around it. Occasionally, patients ask me, ‘By what percentage can you improve the scar?’

They tell me other clinics claimed they could achieve a 60% or 70% improvement.

But I wonder: can scar improvement really be expressed as a percentage? If the scar isn’t visible, it’s nearly 100%; if it remains, is it 0%?

If a surgeon claims a 60% improvement, but the patient only feels a 10% difference, how do we bridge that 50% gap in perception?

Is it just a matter of stubborn insistence?

In most revision cases, I inform patients that the scar may not improve. However, I do my absolute best to make it less noticeable. I believe many patients are quite satisfied with the post-operative scar results shown on our blog and YouTube channel.

‘Progress of Double-Line Folding (Dujul-ttagi) Scars (1-year follow-up)’ : Naver Blog (naver.com)

Specifically, in the case of ‘double-line folding’ (Dujul-ttagi), a scar where two lines meet is created, but this also tends to improve significantly over time.

‘Let’s look at a case of double-line folding surgery’ : Naver Blog (naver.com)

‘Asymmetric eye correction review - Understanding the principles - Price is important..’ : Naver Blog (naver.com)

This is why the likelihood of minimal scarring is naturally higher during the first surgery.

I will utilize every method I know to ensure that scarring is minimized as much as possible.

However, I do not offer guarantees!