Tarsal platform show after upper eyelid blepharoplasty with or without brassiere sutures.

Purpose: Increased tarsal platform show (TPS) and decreased brow fat span (BFS) are associated with favorable results in women undergoing cosmetic blepharoplasty. We conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of upper blepharoplasty with or without a technique (brassiere sutures) to increase TPS and decrease BFS.

Methods: This is a prospective, randomized, comparative, case series study of 100 eyelids (50 consecutive women patients) treated with cosmetic upper blepharoplasty performed by a single surgeon. Patients were randomized to receive traditional upper blepharoplasty with a single running suture skin closure versus orbicularis oculi muscle fixation to the periosteum (brassiere sutures) prior to skin closure. Data on patient age, duration of follow-up, complications, and treatment were analyzed. The mean TPS, mean BFS, and mean TPS/BFS ratio were measured at three anatomic landmarks before and after surgery.

Results: Fifty-six eyelids (28 patients) were treated with traditional single suture blepharoplasty, and 44 eyelids (22 patients) had brassiere sutures. In both groups, paired t-tests indicate significant differences between preoperative and postoperative evaluations (p<0.05) for eyelid parameters in each location. However, when TPS, BFS, and TPS/BFS ratio were compared between groups with two-way ANOVA, there were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05).

Conclusions: Brassiere sutures during upper blepharoplasty and traditional blepharoplasty were associated with postoperative increase in TPS, decrease in BFS, and increase in TPS/BFS, without statistically significant differences between these surgeries.