#7-2. Differences in attractive eyes across races and ethnicities

There is an important point to address here. Many Koreans and Westerners tend to believe that Korean women choosing the double eyelid surgery desire to look more Caucasian. However, this is not true. The reason Korean women want double eyelids is because they want larger and vivid eye shape rather than double eyelids themselves. Also, plastic surgeons have to remember that creating the fold in the upper eyelid alone does not make the eyes more attractive.

From the surveys and studies I have performed, people tended to describe attractive eyes with emotional and intuitive phrases such as “soft,” “not downward eyebrows,” “symmetrical eyes,” “soft outline of the eyes,” “appropriate thickness of pretarsal fullness,” “thin fold of the upper eyelid,” “large and vivid eyes,” “clear eyes,” “eye shape for easy makeup,” and “large eyes,” etc. (Image 2).

Image 2. Concepts of attractive eyes desired by the general public.

When a Korean woman says she wants a double eyelid surgery, she is referring to the extensive concept of attractive eyes as described above. Therefore, aesthetic surgeons should clearly understand that what their patients want from the double eyelid surgery is not just to create another fold in the upper eyelid and appear Caucasian.

Then, how does the extra fold in the upper eyelid change the shape of the eyes? And why do we think this makes the eyes look more beautiful?

The Asian eyes are like a work of art created from the black and white contrast. The black eyebrows, black eyelash, and the contrast of the dark pupil and iris against the white of the eye (sclera). The contrast becomes more extreme when the white and black colors become clearer and deeper. Therefore, the extra fold in the upper eyelid create a visually thicker outline of the eyes and make the eyes appear larger. The fold in the upper eyelid create the visual illusion of clearer and larger outline of the eyes and stronger black and white contrast. As opposed to a single outline of the eyes created by a single layer eyelid, the double eyelid adds another line thicken the outline of the eyes. The extra fold of the upper eyelid pulls the eyelid further up when the eye is open and exposes the cornea more. This is why the eyes with double eyelids appear larger and more attractive, however, it does not mean that the extra fold in the eyelid automatically make the eyes more attractive.

Many doctors perform the upper blepharoplasty to create the double eyelid, however, but only a few are aware of what their patients truly want from the surgery. Epicanthoplasty has become a necessary part of the eyelid surgery in Asians. The recent trends favor lateral and lower canthotomy for enlarging the eye opening. In my personal opinion, the surgeon should not perform these procedures just because the patient wants them. The plastic surgeon should closely analyze how canthotomy can help the attractiveness of individual patients before performing them.

If we paid attention, we can understand what women want from aesthetic procedures. Women hold up the camera high so that they would get the right angle to make the face appear more beautiful (at this angle the eyes appear larger) and some even tape their upper eyelids to create the desired extra fold. Others camouflage their small eyes with dark horn-rimmed glasses, circle contact lenses, thicker eye makeup or false eyelashes. Korean women do not just want another fold in their eyelid but actually want a larger and more vivid outline of the eyes.

The beauty of the eyes is not simply determined by the presence of the fold in the upper eyelid. Various anatomical factors including the depth and width of the base of the skull, orbit size, degree of eyeball protrusion, amount of muscle and fat around the eyes, curve of the forehead, height of the nose bridge, location and shape of the eyebrows and forehead, organic balance between the nose and cheekbones, degree of skin sagging, etc. directly impact the attractiveness of the eyes. Also, clear differences in what is considered beautiful eyes exist across cultures and races.

In the next article, we will discuss the details of how attractive eyes are defined differently across races and ethnicities.

References

Evaluation of Influence of Individual Facial Aesthetic Subunits on the Cognition of Facial Attractiveness in Public. Lee HB, Lee SH, Kim JS, Rhee SC. J Korean Soc Plast Reconstr Surg. 37(4):361-368. 2010.