Charlotte M McKnight, Justin C Sherwin,Seyhan Yazar, Hannah Forward, Alex X Tan,Jenny Mountain, Adam D Gajdatsy,Jean-Louis de Sousa, Alex W Hewitt,David A Mackey

Purpose:

Upper eyelid blepharoplasty is the mostcommon oculoplastic procedure performed inAustralia, however there is little evidence regardingthe baseline prevalence of dermatochalasis (the majorindication for blepharoplasty) in the medical literature.Establishing prevalence of disease is important toassess existing treatment coverage and plan futurehealth services. Few population-based studies reportprevalence in older adults, and to our knowledge thereare none in young adults.

Method:

Participants in the Raine Eye Health Study(n = 1329, age 19–22 years) were assessed for presenceof dermatochalasis using standardised photographs.Right and left eyelids were graded individually.Dermatochalasis was defined as upper eyelid skinextending beyond the eyelid margin. Participants withinadequate quality photographs (n = 15) and thosewith Asian eyelid structure (n = 42) were excluded.

Results:

Dermatochalasis affecting one or both eyeswas present in 7.2% of participants. There was a signifi-cant difference between males and females (11.4% vs2.8%, p < 0.001). Bilateral dermatochalasis occurred in3.7% of participants (5.6% males vs 1.7% females). Noclinically significant BMI association was found.When a less strict definition of dermatochalasis wasapplied (upper eyelid skin reaching eyelashes), preva-lence of dermatochalasis affecting one or both eyes washigher at 32.1% in males and 16.3% in females.

Conclusion:

A significant number of healthy youngadults meet photographic criteria for dermatochalasis,defined as upper eyelid skin extending beyond the eye-lid margin. It should be emphasised that no assessmentof cosmesis or functional impairment was made. As dermatochalasis increases with age, it is expected thatvalues would be higher in the general adult population.