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Everyone wants to preserve and prolong their youth – special cosmetics, proper lifestyle, healthy nutrition and sports, of course, help in solving this issue. But still, age-related changes in the skin are inevitable. The skin around the eyes is very delicate, so even very young people face the problem of crow’s feet. First we are talking about small wrinkles, then the corners of the eyes begin to fall. As a result, the general facial expression changes, the look becomes dull, the person looks older. Canthopexy – lifting the corners of the eyelids – helps to quickly cope with this phenomenon and return the former enthusiasm and charm to the look.
More about the procedure
The outer corners of the eyes are called canthus. Here are located very thin and long tendons, which stretch and sag over time. In addition, there are congenital pathologies in which the canthus tendons are disproportionately long or weak from birth. In this case, the omission of the corners of the eyes is noted already in childhood.
Plastic surgery, during which the outer corners of the eyes are lifted and stretched, is called canthopexy. At the same time, the canthus itself remains unaffected – its tissues are not truncated. If it is necessary to remove part of the canthus, then we are talking about a more complex plastic surgery.
Is it possible to avoid drooping corners of the eyes? Conventional cosmetics in this case can only delay this phenomenon, but not resist it. Therefore, more and more often men and women turn to plastic surgeons who want to return real youth to their facial expression. The procedure itself is not so complicated, and the effect of it persists for a long time – an average of 5-10 years.
Preparing for an operation
Canthopexy is a cosmetic procedure that requires a preliminary examination of the patient. Preparation should begin with a visit to the ophthalmologist. This specialist will be able to confirm that the corners of the eyes have really dropped and there are indications for intervention.
Further consultation of the therapist is necessary. This doctor will issue directions for general studies – an electrocardiogram, fluorography, blood and urine tests. If necessary, narrowly focused studies will be assigned. The purpose of a complete diagnosis is to exclude the presence of contraindications.
The operation can be performed in an ophthalmology or plastic surgery clinic. Immediately before the operation, the specialist creates an image that shows the patient the final result of the operation. Taking into account the wishes of the patient, the degree of canthus tightening is determined. It is recommended to carry out the operation in the warm season, as it is important to avoid hypothermia during the rehabilitation period.
Indications and contraindications
It should be understood that there are certain indications for the procedure for lifting the outer corners of the eyes, and only if they are available, the specialist can prescribe an operation. Indications for canthopexy:
- omission of the corners of the eyes, caused by age-related changes or congenital pathologies;
- eversion and deformation of the lower eyelid;
- pathological weakening of the canthus;
- the patient’s desire to change the shape of the eyes;
- the effect of “bulging eyes”;
- loss of elasticity of the skin around the eyes.
Contraindications include infectious and inflammatory processes of the eyes and eyelids, high intraocular or arterial pressure, serious pathologies of internal organs and systems, blood clotting disorders, diabetes mellitus, a period of exacerbation of chronic ailments, and oncology.
Despite the fact that canthopexy is a minimally invasive procedure, the presence of direct or indirect contraindications cannot be ignored. In any case, this operation is associated with an increase in the load on the body, which can cause a sharp deterioration in health.
How is the operation?
Canthopexy involves minimal intervention in the body. However, the lifting technique is very complex and requires precise and correct actions from the surgeon. Hospitalization of the patient is not required, it is enough to undergo a full examination immediately before the procedure and come to the medical facility 2-3 hours before the operation.
If local anesthesia is used, it is supplemented with sedatives to reduce the patient’s psychological discomfort immediately at the time of the operation. General anesthesia is excluded.
The surgeon makes a tissue incision in the fold above the upper eyelid and through it performs a lift of the corners of the eyes. Canthopexy is often combined with blepharoplasty – the procedures complement one another and make the result more noticeable and of better quality.
In this case, the canthus tendons are attached to the periosteum of the orbit with the help of special surgical threads. The threads are made of hypoallergenic material and dissolve on their own over time.
At the end of the operation, the horizontal incision of the upper eyelid is sutured with a cosmetic suture. As a result, the postoperative trace is almost invisible, as it hides in a natural crease. The result of the intervention can be seen already 5-7 days after the procedure.
It is important to understand that lifting the corners of the eyes does not solve such a problem as mimic wrinkles or the so-called “crow’s feet”.
How is the recovery period
Immediately after the operation, the skin in this area swells, hematomas may appear, and the vessels become more visible. Irritation of the mucous membrane of the eye is not excluded. After 7-10 days, all unpleasant symptoms completely disappear. In the same period, there is a gradual alignment of the lower eyelid, provoking the raising of the canthus.
Postoperative complications are not excluded – inflammatory processes at the site of tissue damage, infections, rough visible scars, and so on. As a rule, in this case we are talking about the low professionalism of the surgeon performing the facelift. To exclude such consequences, it is necessary to carefully approach the choice of a medical institution and a specialist. The desire to save on surgery can lead to a number of negative effects.