Advances in the study of epicanthus correction

Abstract

Epicanthus is a half-moon-shaped skin fold diagonally or vertically distributed in front of the medial canthus. In mild cases, it affects aesthetics, whereas in severe cases, it may obscure the patient’s field of vision and even affect the functional development of the eyes in children. Until now, surgery has been the only corrective measure for epicanthus and a bewildering number of epicanthus-related surgical procedures have been reported; however, there is no standardized classification to guide inexperienced plastic surgeons in their study or case selection. Therefore, this review aimed to classify epicanthus accordingly and introduce its corresponding and appropriate surgical treatment modalities.