By: Dr. Michael Tantillo

Upper eyelid surgery in Boston, Massachusetts is getting attention as a rejuvenation option for men as well as women. However, prospective patients should be aware of some important differences in the ways this surgery can affect the appearance, and keep in mind the look they are trying to achieve.

Upper blepharoplasty subtly corrects excess tissue of the upper eyelid, reviving a tired appearance and dramatically brightening the eyes. But women’s and men’s brow structures differ significantly – women naturally have a slightly higher and more arched brow, gentler lid crease, and less tissue just under the brow. Men normally have more prominent brows that increase the amount of tissue just under the brow and create a lower, more horizontal crease.

These natural differences mean that women typically want to raise brow height and maintain the curve of the lid crease, but men tend to focus on correcting excess eyelid tissue alone.

For both sexes, brow lift sometimes seems like a more effective overall option. However, surgeons performing brow lift and eyelid surgery for men in Boston, Massachusetts often make the mistake of lifting men’s brows over, rather than at or just below, the brow ridge. This height gives a “surprised,” feminine look. Often the same surgeons will focus on women’s brows and excess tissue but fail to attend to details like the lid crease that are often important to female patients.

As you evaluate prospective Boston surgeons for a cosmetic surgery procedure like blepharoplasty, it’s often helpful to look at before and after pictures of past patients of both sexes. The wider variety will give you a better idea of how attuned your surgeon is to both your existing facial structure and the nuances of aesthetic standards for different genders.