Chicago — Results of a recently released study suggest that African Americans show facial aging in the outer corner of the eyes earlier than Caucasians, reports MedicalNewsToday.
The study, reported in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, is co-authored by Chicago plastic surgeon Julius Few, M.D. MedicalNewsToday quotes Dr. Few as saying, “African Americans have a slight slant to their eyes, much like Asians do but not as pronounced. During aging, we found not only do the outer corners of the eyes of African Americans droop lower than Caucasians’, they also droop sooner.”
According to the study, the median eye slant for African American women 45 years or younger was three degrees and decreased to one degree for those older than 45. Among Caucasian women in the same age group, the median eye slant was 1.3 degrees and decreased to zero. The study found that with aging, the outer corner of the eye droops down, making under-eye bags more noticeable, lower lids looser and aging more evident among African Americans. Thus, during blepharoplasty procedures, the outer corner of the eye should be raised enough to recreate the unique slant in order for the results to be ethnically authentic.
MedicalNewsToday reports another factor Dr. Few says plastic surgeons should be aware of when treating African American patients. “On top of honoring their ethnic uniqueness, one of the biggest concerns African American women have is their tendency to show scars. By going through the inside of the lower eyelid and hiding a small scar in the upper eyelid crease during a lift, the scarring will not be visible.”
