What it means for a patient
- Upper eyelid surgery can be combined with an internal stitch that supports the outer brow.
- In this trial, the added stitch gave more fullness to the outer brow and eyelid area than eyelid surgery alone.
- The difference was measured in milliliters from 3D images.
- The abstract does not report patient satisfaction or complications.
- Limits: 62 women treated by one surgeon.
Why this paper matters
It measured brow-eyelid volume with 3D stereophotogrammetry in a randomized trial of internal browpexy added to blepharoplasty.
Overview
A full outer brow and eyelid area may help rejuvenate and feminize the face. The authors randomized women to upper blepharoplasty alone or upper blepharoplasty with an internal browpexy, a "brassiere suture" that supports the brow from beneath the skin. An observer who did not know the group assignments measured the volume change with a 3D camera.
Findings
- 62 adult women, 124 eyelids, cosmetic upper blepharoplasty by one surgeon.
- Blepharoplasty alone (control): 60 eyelids (30 patients).
- Blepharoplasty plus internal browpexy: 64 eyelids (32 patients).
- Brow-eyelid volume was measured by a masked observer from standardized 3D images taken before and after surgery.
- Mean volume gain: 0.85 mL with browpexy; 0.19 mL with blepharoplasty alone.
- Volume increased in all patients who had browpexy, and the change was greater than after blepharoplasty alone (p < 0.05).
- Minimum follow-up: 6 months. Mean follow-up: 16.8 months (range 6 to 24).
- The authors conclude that adding internal browpexy was associated with more volume in the lateral brow-eyelid complex.
Terms
- Internal browpexy: a stitch placed beneath the skin that holds the brow tissue up.
- Brassiere suture: the name the authors use for this supporting brow stitch.
- Upper blepharoplasty: surgery to remove excess skin, and sometimes fat, from the upper eyelids.
- Lateral brow-eyelid complex: the outer part of the brow and upper eyelid, considered as one area.
- 3D stereophotogrammetry: measurement of shape and volume from paired photographs taken by a 3D camera.
- Masked observer: a person who measures results without knowing which treatment each patient had.
- Randomized controlled trial: a study in which patients are assigned by chance to a treatment or a comparison group.