Double Eyelid Surgery & Asian Eye Lift: Techniques and Results

Plastic surgery double eyelid procedures create or define an upper eyelid crease. Buried-stitch methods take about 20 minutes and heal faster, but the fold can loosen over time. An incisional approach uses a crease incision, can remove skin and fat and gives a more durable fold but takes longer to heal. Skin thickness and lid fullness guide the choice.

This guide belongs to our eye lift overview. It covers what people often call an eye lift Asian procedure, and how to keep the result in harmony with your own features.

Incisional vs non-incisional plastic surgery double eyelid

Suture methods suit thin, elastic lids and offer quick recovery; incisional surgery suits fuller lids or excess skin and lasts longer.

The evidence on suture methods comes mostly from case series:

• A 2013 series in Archives of Plastic Surgery treated 250 patients (average age 25) with a single-knot buried technique. Average operating time was 20 minutes, 1.2% needed revision for loosening and 2% had mild asymmetry. Studies cited in that paper reported fold loosening in 1.31% to 16.8% across buried-suture methods.
• A 13-year Brazilian series of 647 non-incisional cases reported reoperation in 2.93% for uneven fold height and 1.85% for a fold that was too narrow.
• A 2026 paper in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology noted buried-suture methods leave inconspicuous scars and are easier to revise, but can’t remove excess skin, so they suit only lids with good elasticity.

In my practice, I mark the planned crease with the patient sitting up and looking in a mirror, so we agree on the height before anything is done.

Korean eye lift

“Korean eye lift” usually means a natural, lower crease that tapers toward the inner corner, sometimes combined with inner-corner surgery.

The term isn’t a medical technique. It describes a style: a crease that starts close to the inner corner and widens slightly toward the outer corner, rather than a high, parallel fold. In the Brazilian series above, 97.84% of patients chose a fold starting at the inner-corner skin fold, which the authors judged more natural.

Some surgeons add a small inner-corner procedure (epicanthoplasty). In the 2013 Korean series, 51 of 250 patients had one. It changes the eye shape more than crease surgery alone and leaves a small scar, so discuss it separately.

Almond eye shape

An almond eye lift aims to lengthen or slightly tilt the outer eye, usually through outer-corner surgery or a brow-tail lift, not crease surgery.

Surgeons may adjust the outer corner of the eye or lift the tail of the brow to create a more elongated, almond look. Outer-corner surgery affects lid support, so poor technique can pull the lower lid down. Less invasive versions use threads or toxin to lift the brow tail; see the fox eye thread lift guide.

A shape that suits your face often matters more than following a trend. Our upper eye lift guide covers crease surgery for people who also have excess skin with age.

Double eyelid without surgery

Eyelid tape, glue and makeup can create a temporary crease; repeated use can irritate the skin and doesn’t create a lasting fold.

Double eyelid tapes and glues hold a crease in place for the day. They’re cheap and reversible, but adhesives can irritate thin eyelid skin. Makeup shading can suggest depth without changing the lid; see our eye lifting makeup guide. There’s no non-surgical treatment that permanently creates a crease.

If you’d like to discuss crease height and technique in person, you can book a consultation with Metropole Clinic by ABmedi. For costs and other eyelid procedures, return to the eye lift hub.

This article is for general education and does not replace a personal medical consultation.

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