Double eyelid surgery, also referred to as Asian eyelid surgery and Asian blepharoplasty, was first described by a Japanese surgeon by the name of Dr. Kotaro Mikamo in an 1896 publication entitled “Plastic operation of the eyelid” in J Chugaii Jishimpo, during the Meiji era. In his publication he describes the prevalent eyelid appearance in the Japanese population to be the “double” eyelid, which occurred by his account in approximately 80% of the population, and sought to emulate and recreate this aesthetic for the minority who did not possess it at birth. He sought to define and enhance a Japanese aesthetic to create natural looking eyes, eyes that look like the patient could have been born that way. One of his before and after photos includes a patient with a natural supratarsal crease (upper eyelid crease) on her left eye, which he successfully recreated with surgery on the right eye.
More than half a century later, an American by the name of Dr. Ralph Millard began his rudimentary attempts at double eyelid surgery while stationed in Korea during the Korean War (1950-53), operating primarily on Korean war brides married to American servicemen, with middling results. While he often did create an upper eyelid crease, judged by the lens of today’s cosmetic surgery standards, the aesthetic would have likely made him the center of a bit of derision. Nevertheless, this marked the seminal moment for Korean surgeons to begin developing their techniques and refining their aesthetics. In 1961, the first university department of plastic surgery in Korea was developed at Yonsei University, and in 1974, the Supreme Court in Korea approved plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes as medical practice.
Fast forward to today, and Korea has enjoyed a reputation for decades of being a world leader in plastic surgery and especially cosmetic plastic surgery. K beauty has come to symbolize the blending of leading technology with the most advanced cosmetic treatments. Part of this rapid rise in plastic surgery mirrors the rapid rise of Korea’s economy, technology and infrastructure coming from the ruins of the Korean war. The combination of work ethic, creativity and innovation have helped to push forward development and progress, with increasingly refined results.
In this globalized climate contemporary plastic surgeons occupy, the sharing of knowledge, techniques and ideas through publications, meetings, and instantaneously through broadband connections, allows us all to push each other to even greater heights.
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