Canthoplasty in Turkey
Surgery on the outer corner of the eye, often searched as "cat eye surgery". A young search term with no established difficulty score yet.
Two operations sharing one name
Canthoplasty alters the outer corner of the eye, where the upper and lower lids meet. It exists in two very different contexts. Functionally, it tightens a lower lid that has become lax, often after previous eyelid surgery or with age. Aesthetically, it is used to lift and elongate the outer corner, the effect commonly searched for as "cat eye surgery" or a "fox eye".
These share a name and little else. The functional version restores a lid to its correct position; the aesthetic version deliberately moves it away from its natural one.
Why this one warrants more caution than most
The lower lid holds the eye's surface protection. Altering its tension changes how the lid sits against the globe, how tears drain, and how well the eye closes. When it goes wrong, the consequences are functional rather than only cosmetic: dryness, watering, irritation and a visibly altered eye shape.
Correcting an over-tightened or malpositioned lid is considerably harder than the original operation. This is one of the few procedures where we would rather talk a patient out of it than perform a version they may regret.
What is realistic
The degree of lift achievable is limited by your own anatomy: the position of the bone at the outer orbit, the tension of the lid, and the shape you started with. Photographs of dramatic changes frequently combine surgery with make-up, camera angle, or other procedures entirely.
A modest, stable change that keeps the eye functioning normally is the goal. Anything more should prompt a second opinion rather than a booking.
When this operation is not the answer
- You are bringing a photograph of a face whose orbital anatomy is different from yours.
- You have dry eye, or difficulty closing the eye fully.
- You have had previous lower eyelid surgery that has not been assessed.
- You want a dramatic change. This operation does not deliver one safely.
Common questions
Is this the same as fox eye or cat eye surgery?
Those are informal names for the aesthetic version of this operation, sometimes also used for thread lifts and brow procedures that are different things entirely. Establish exactly which procedure is being proposed before you agree to it.
Is it permanent?
A surgical canthoplasty makes a lasting change to lid position, though tissue continues to age and some settling occurs. Thread-based alternatives are temporary and are not the same operation.
What if I do not like the result?
Revision is possible but harder than the first operation, particularly if the lid has been over-tightened. This asymmetry between how easy it is to do and how hard it is to undo is the main reason for caution.
Request a plan
Ask about canthoplasty
Describe what bothers you and what you have already tried. You will get an honest answer about whether this is the right operation, including if it is not.
Who would operate
Op. Dr. Arda Akgün
Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery Specialist. Speaks English and Turkish.
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