Doc, Would I Look Ok for Chinese New Year if I Have My Double Eyelid Surgery Done Today?

With the Chinese New Year less than 4 days away, some patients ask to have double eyelid surgery today and hope to look good for the festive season. However, even with the shorter down time of suture technique or small incision, there are too many variables to assure the patients that their eyelids would recover in time. These variables include the differences in vasculatures (blood vessles) of the eyelids (which may mean some are more prone to bleeding and hence bruises) and the susceptibility of the eye muscles to anaesthesia and surgery (so that the eyelids may be droopy for awhile).

While waiting for the surgery, a bit of make-up should do the tricks of brightening up the eyes for the festive season. This technique has been used since time immemorial.

Applying make-up to make the eyes bigger has been in use for thousand 

of years as shown in this picture of an Egyptian Pharaoh. 

The illusion of bigger eyes through make-up is called the Delboeuf's illusion named after Leopold Delboeuf (1831 – 1896), a Belgian scientist. 

Two similar-sized black circles but the one on the left 

appears bigger when it is surrounded an adjacent annulus. 

Nature has also made use of Delboeuf's illusion to make some animals appear cutter. 

Panda with and without the dark patches likened to mascara. 

It is also noteworthy that it is not necessary to apply make-up all round the eyes to make the eyes appear bigger as shown below. 

Single eyelid without make-up.

Eyes appear bigger with make-up around the eyes.

Even a bit of make-up is enough to make the eyes appear bigger. 

Here the make-up is only applied to the central upper eyelids.

Effects of mascara on perceived eye sizes. 

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR