Patients often arrive at a consultation asking which eyelid method is the better one. It is an understandable question, but it is usually the wrong starting point. The methods used in eyelid surgery are not competing versions of the same operation — they address different structures and aim at different things, and the more useful question is which of them, if any, matches what a particular patient wants to change.
DIO Plastic Surgery is located in Apgujeong, one of the areas in Gangnam, Seoul where many international patients begin researching eye surgery. The clinic performs several eyelid procedures, including non-incisional double eyelid methods, epicanthoplasty-type procedures, and upper and lower blepharoplasty. This article explains what each group of procedures is generally intended to do, so that a consultation can begin from an informed position.
"Double Eyelid Surgery" Is Not a Single Procedure
The phrase covers a family of procedures. Some are intended to create or define a crease in the upper eyelid. Others adjust the corners of the eye, changing where the eye begins and ends rather than the crease itself. Others again remove or reposition tissue around the eye, which is typically a different question altogether.
Because these aims differ, comparing them as though one were simply an upgrade of another rarely helps. A patient whose concern is the height and clarity of the crease and a patient whose concern is the horizontal length of the eye are not asking for the same operation, even if both use the phrase "double eyelid surgery" when they book a consultation.
Non-Incisional Methods: What the Buried Suture Approach Aims For
Non-incisional double eyelid surgery, often called the buried suture method, creates a crease using sutures placed within the eyelid rather than through an open incision along its length. Approaches of this type are generally chosen when the aim is to define a crease with less disturbance to the surrounding tissue.
DIO Plastic Surgery performs two non-incisional methods, and they are more usefully understood by their emphasis than by ranking. The Chojayeon Ttanttan method, whose Korean name refers to an ultra-natural and firm result, is a buried suture procedure carried out with an emphasis on reduced swelling. The six-point double buried method fixes the eyelid at both the inner and outer aspects of the lid, so the fixation is doubled rather than single.
Which of these is discussed for a given patient depends on the condition of the eyelid, the thickness of the skin and soft tissue, the height of crease being considered, and what the patient wants the eye to look like when open and when closed. That assessment cannot be made from a photograph alone.
Epicanthoplasty and Corner Procedures: A Different Purpose
Corner procedures do not create a crease. They generally adjust the boundaries of the eye opening, and they may be considered when the concern relates to the length, angle, or overall dimension of the eye rather than the fold above it.
The inner corner procedure performed at the clinic, known in Korean as wi-trim and belonging to the epicanthoplasty group, adjusts the inner corner area with the aim of a gentler, more open-looking eye. The rear and lower corner procedure, known as dwi-mit-trim and belonging to the lateral and lower canthoplasty group, moves the end point of the eye in order to adjust the angle and the apparent size of the eye shape.
These procedures are sometimes discussed alongside a crease procedure and sometimes on their own. They are not automatically appropriate for everyone, and the existing shape of the corners, the surrounding skin, and the position of the eyes relative to each other may all affect whether they are advisable.
Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty: When the Issue Is Skin or Fat
Two further procedures at the clinic address the tissue around the eye rather than the crease or the corners.
Upper blepharoplasty is intended to address upper eyelid skin that has become loose, along with unnecessary fat in that area. Lower blepharoplasty involves removing protruding fat beneath the eye and repositioning it.
Patients sometimes assume that a crease procedure will resolve a heavy or tired appearance around the eyes. In some cases the underlying issue is the amount or position of skin and fat, in which case a crease alone may not produce the change they are imagining. Distinguishing between these situations is one of the main purposes of an in-person examination.
Eyelid Structure Varies Between Individuals
It is common to read general statements about how eyelids differ between populations. Such generalisations may be a rough starting point for discussion, but they are a poor basis for a surgical plan, because the variation between individuals within any group is considerable.
What matters clinically is the specific eyelid in front of the surgeon: the thickness of the skin, the volume of tissue in the lid, the existing crease if there is one, the position of the brow, the degree of asymmetry between the two sides, and how the eye behaves when the patient looks up, down, or straight ahead. Two patients of similar background may need entirely different plans, and a plan that suits one of them may be unsuitable for the other.
Some degree of asymmetry between the two eyes is often present before any procedure. A realistic plan generally aims at balance rather than at making two sides identical.
What to Check When Choosing an Eye Surgery Clinic in Apgujeong or Gangnam
Gangnam has a high concentration of clinics offering eye procedures, and choosing between them from abroad can be difficult. Rather than comparing images alone, patients may find the following more useful:
- Whether the consultation identifies what your concern actually is — crease, corner, skin, or fat
- Whether the surgeon explains why one method is being suggested over another for your anatomy
- Whether the discussion covers what the chosen method is not expected to change
- Whether possible complications, asymmetry, and revision scenarios are explained openly
- Whether the difference between the early appearance and the settled result is described honestly
- Whether follow-up care is explained clearly, including what happens after you return home
A clinic that can explain why a method suits your eyes generally allows a more informed decision than one that presents a single option as suitable for everyone.
Planning Eye Surgery Around a Trip to Korea
Eye procedures are visible ones, and international patients should typically plan the trip with that in mind. A consultation, the procedure, an initial healing period, and at least one follow-up review may need to fit within the same stay.
Before travelling, it helps to prepare accurate information about medical history, current medications, allergies, dry eye or other ocular conditions, contact lens use, and any previous procedures around the eyes. A plan discussed online may need to be revised once the medical team examines the eyelids in person, and patients should be prepared for that possibility rather than treating an online estimate as final.
Swelling around the eyes in the early period is common, and the appearance during recovery does not represent the settled result. Anyone travelling with a specific event in mind should raise the timing early in the discussion rather than close to the date.
Questions Worth Asking Before You Decide
- What exactly am I trying to change — the crease, the corners, or the surrounding tissue?
- Why is this method being suggested for my eyelids rather than another?
- What will this procedure not change?
- How much asymmetry do I already have, and how will it be handled?
- What are the possible complications, and how are they managed?
- How does the healing period fit within my stay in Korea?
- Am I deciding on my own terms rather than following a current trend?
A Decision That Should Match Your Own Eyes
Eyelid surgery changes a part of the face that people look at first and that moves constantly in conversation. A result that appears balanced in a still photograph may read differently in expression, which is why a plan built around one fixed ideal shape tends to be less useful than one built around the patient's own anatomy.
For patients researching double eyelid surgery in Apgujeong, Gangnam, DIO Plastic Surgery discusses which method — if any — corresponds to what the patient actually wants to change. To see the range of procedures available, visit our treatments overview or contact the clinic to arrange a consultation.
All medical and surgical procedures may involve side effects or complications, including swelling, bruising, bleeding, infection, scarring, asymmetry, sensory changes, or dissatisfaction with the outcome. Recovery and results may vary depending on the individual. A consultation with a qualified medical professional is required to determine whether a procedure is appropriate.