Been staring at a tired-looking you in Zoom calls? Local plastic surgeon says you may have ptosis

The popularity of Zoom in recent months has got people checking themselves out more, noticing even the most minute changes in their faces.

Dr Adrian Ooi, Consultant Plastic Surgeon of Polaris Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, calls it the "Zoom phenomenon".

"As society progresses and surgical treatments move into the realm of restoring functional and aesthetic normality, issues [like ptosis] have come to the forefront," Dr Ooi shares

He adds: "At the same time, because of the Zoom phenomenon over the past year, people are looking at themselves more in the camera and on a computer screen, so it's more common for them to notice when they have something like droopy eyelids."

While some may brush off a droopy eyelid from insufficient sleep, it could mean more than that.

Droopy eyelids could also mean you have ptosis.

Eye see a problem

Medically known as blepharoptosis, ptosis is a drooping of the upper eyelid. While it is a condition that often comes with age, it could also be caused by issues such as trauma, nerve problems, infections, or a tumour.

Another possible reason: drawing the short straw from the gene pool.

"Due to inherent differences in eyelid anatomy, it's been shown that between a young Asian and a Caucasian, the Asian counterpart is more likely to develop ptosis," Dr Ooi reveals.

"Especially for East Asians, our upper eyelid muscles are not as developed as the other races. We also tend to have more puffy eyelids due to excess fat and thicker skin - features that can lead to ptosis," added the plastic surgeon with 11 years of plastic surgery experience.

What should eye do

If you're noticing some abnormalities with your eyelids, or if your friends are commenting that you look tired all the time, perhaps it's time to arrange a consultation with a specialist.

In Singapore, there are two types of doctors who do ptosis surgeries - plastic surgeons as well as oculoplastics surgeons, who are ophthalmologists by training.

"Oculoplastics surgeons specialise in the eye and the structures surrounding it, including the skin, and muscles. They focus mainly on the functional aspect of the eye," Dr Ooi tells us.

"For plastic surgeons, we train in operating on all areas of body surface anatomy, with some of us focusing a bit more on the eye region. We've been rigorously trained in both the aesthetic and functional skillsets to holistically correct ptosis," he continues.

Through the consultation, doctors are then able to tell if you would need cosmetic surgery, a reconstructive one, or perhaps, no surgery at all.

While only reconstructive surgery is subsidised in Singapore, it doesn't mean that you should wait till your condition deteriorates before seeing a doctor.

The less severe it is, the easier it is to treat.

Not preventable, but highly curable

Ptosis can be an eyesore and an annoyance, especially in more serious cases that affect your field of vision, but "it wouldn't kill you".

"Unless your ptosis is so bad that your upper eyelids cover more than half of your eyes, and you still insist on driving," says Dr Ooi with a laugh.

"It really depends on how much it's affecting you," reveals Dr Ooi when asked when one should seek a doctor's opinion if he or she suspects having the condition.

While the experienced plastic surgeon shares that there are no eye exercises that can help with preventing ptosis per se, he recommends avoiding risk factors that lead to the condition, including excessive sun exposure and smoking.

"The tissues in smokers tend to be a bit more lax. Smokers also tend to age a lot faster, and have more loose skin that may weigh down on eyelids, causing obstruction of vision. [Also] if you are exposed to the sun a lot more than usual, you tend to age faster, get skin damage, and have problems with skin elasticity, sagginess and can also have problems with ptosis earlier on," Dr Ooi shares.

And while all ptosis patients have to deal with sagging eyelids, treatments aren't a one-size-fits-all.

In some cases it doesn't even require surgery.

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Take the case of influencer Whitney Buha for example - her botched Botox job had caused her to develop ptosis.

Since it's a reversible cause though, Dr Ooi shares that people like Whitney wouldn't even need surgery and it usually goes away in six to eight weeks once the effects of Botox wear off.

"There are many different ways to treat ptosis, but we must always treat the underlying cause - be it a tumour under the skin, an issue of excessive skin, an excess of fats, or weak muscles.

"The most common procedure that I perform is a levator advancement, where I advance and shorten the voluntary levator muscle and tendon which lifts the upper eyelid. This is usually done under local anaesthesia.

"Very rarely, and in very severe cases where there is no function or very poor function of the levator muscle, we may have to do another procedure known as the frontalis sling. This involves taking tendon from another part of the body and suturing it between the forehead muscle and upper eyelid so that as you raise your forehead, you can actually raise your upper eyelids," shares Dr Ooi.

The best part? Patients can see results almost straight away.

"The functional outcome is noticeable almost immediately after surgery. The upper eyelid swelling starts receding in about two days, and over the next 3 to 4 weeks most of it subsides. The final appearance is evident at two to three months," Dr Ooi adds.

Eye I like the sound of that, don't you?

Dr Adrian Ooi is an MOH-accredited, board-certified plastic surgeon who possesses the skills, training and experience in modern reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

This article is brought to you in partnership with Polaris Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

lynette@asiaone.com