The effect of blepharoplasty on eyebrow position.

[OBJECTIVE] To determine if upper eyelid blepharoplasty causes eyebrow position to drop in a cosmetic surgery population.

[DESIGN] Retrospective, observational study. A treatment group that underwent upper eyelid blepharoplasty was compared with a matched control group that did not undergo the surgery.

[SETTING] Private facial plastic surgery practice. All surgery was performed at an ambulatory surgical facility on an outpatient basis.

[PATIENTS] A total of 82 patients (164 eyes) were included in this study: 54 (8 men and 46 women; average age, 46.8 years) in the treatment group and 28 (6 men and 22 women; average age, 43.8 years) in the control group. The treatment group was chosen in a retrospective fashion to include only those patients (1) for whom preoperative and postoperative photographs were available and (2) who had undergone upper eyelid blepharoplasty by the senior author (F.M.K). These patients underwent no other procedures, either before or during the time span between the photographs, that could affect eyebrow position. The control group consisted of patients who had an available set of matching photographs taken over time. These patients did not undergo blepharoplasty or any other procedure that could alter eyebrow position between their initial and final photographs.

[INTERVENTION] Upper eyelid blepharoplasty performed by the senior surgeon (F.M.K.). The surgical technique was identical in all cases.

[OUTCOME MEASURE] The change in eyebrow height reflected as a percentage of the pretreatment height. Results are based on measurements taken from standardized photographs.

[RESULTS] Original treatment and control groups of 108 and 56 eyes, respectively, were restricted to a smaller number to create similar populations for comparison. Therefore, 40 eyes in the treatment group were matched with 28 eyes in the control group to control for the duration between measurements. A t test found no significant difference (P = .94) in eyebrow height between patients who had a blepharoplasty and those who had not.

[CONCLUSION] In a cosmetic surgery population, upper eyelid blepharoplasty does not cause a lowering of the eyebrow.