What lateral canthopexy is
A lateral canthopexy tightens the outer corner of the eyelid. It is often done together with a skin pinch lower blepharoplasty, and when it is, you follow both sets of instructions.
It supports a lower eyelid that has loosened, so the lid sits snugly against the eye; the outer corner is anchored with a suture to the bone at the side of the eye socket.
Every procedure is performed at True Surgical Center, our AAAHC-accredited surgical center in Beverly Hills. About True Surgical Center
Who it is for
Your surgeon tells you at your consultation whether lateral canthopexy fits your goals, and says so when another approach would serve you better.
Lateral Canthopexy in Beverly Hills: the essentials
- Where
- True Surgical Center, the AAAHC-accredited surgical center at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 220, Beverly Hills.
- Anesthesia
- Local anesthesia with MAC (monitored anesthesia care) and IV sedation, given and watched throughout by a board-certified anesthesiologist. Someone takes you home or to your hotel and stays nearby the first day.
- Sutures
- At the outer corner of the eye, with tape on their tails; removed at your Day 5 visit.
- If you travel
- You can typically fly home the day your sutures come out or the day after.
- Swelling
- Expect to be very swollen for about six days; your eyelid may look tight for a while. Acute swelling typically resolves within 2 weeks.
- Makeup and contacts
- Eye makeup and contact lenses at Day 10.
- Exercise
- Light cardio may resume at 2 weeks. Strenuous exercise: typically 3 weeks, once your surgeon clears you.
- Final result
- Full healing may take up to 6 months, with a check-up 3 months after surgery.
Every plan is personal, so your surgeon confirms each of these for you at your consultation. Recovery, week by week
What happens on the day
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01Before you go in
Your surgeon checks how loose the lower eyelid is at your consultation, and you follow the Pre-Op General Instructions.
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02Tightening the corner
The outer corner of the lower eyelid is tightened through a small incision at the corner of the eye and held with sutures.
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03Going home
Tape goes on the tail of your sutures. Sleep on your back with your head raised on 2 to 3 pillows, ice 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, for 5 days to a week, and don’t rub, pull or press on the outer corner of your eye.
Preparing for surgery · Out-of-town patients · Post-operative care guide
Recovery, week by week
This comes from the written instructions our patients receive before surgery, so it changes only when those instructions change.
Your eyes may feel tired and be bruised, and you can expect to be very swollen for about six days. Your eyelid may look tight for a while. One eye much more painful or swollen than the other means call us right away. Sutures out at your Day 5 visit.
Itching at the incisions is normal, and acute swelling typically resolves within 2 weeks. Contact lenses and eye makeup from Day 10; avoid activities that dry out the eyes. Light cardio may resume at 2 weeks. Strenuous exercise: typically 3 weeks, once your surgeon clears you.
Wear SPF 50, add a hat whenever possible, and limit direct sun. Avoid rubbing or itching your eyelids until fully healed. A scar that becomes thick, raised or painful, or stays itchy after the first few weeks, can be an early keloid. Call us: a steroid injection given early prevents it.
Full healing may take up to 6 months, and a final check-up is advisable 3 months after surgery.
Difficulty breathing, chest pain, or bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure means call 911. For anything else that worries you, call us at (424) 363-4112, day or night. When to call us right away
Lateral Canthopexy risks, and how we keep you safe
Every procedure carries risk. Your surgeon goes through the risks that apply to your plan at your consultation, and each one is written in the consent you read and sign. For lateral canthopexy, the consent lists:
- Corner Shape. A change in the shape of the outer corner of the eye, or a difference between the two sides, is possible.
- Rounding or Webbing. Rounding or webbing at the outer corner is possible and may need a small revision.
- Tightness. The outer corner may look or feel tight for several weeks.
- Suture Irritation. A small lump or suture irritation at the corner is possible.
- Dry Eye. Dry eye or irritation is possible.
- Recurrence. The lid may loosen again over time.
- Chemosis. Chemosis is possible: swelling of the clear lining over the white of the eye, so the white looks puffy or jelly-like and the eye may not close fully. If it happens, keep the eye moist with over-the-counter lubricating eye drops (artificial tears). It usually resolves over the first couple of weeks.
- Visual Change and Eye Injury. Blurred vision for a few days is expected. A scratch on the surface of the eye (corneal abrasion), injury to the eye, or loss of vision from bleeding behind the eye is possible; a sudden change in vision means call us right away.
Risks of any operation
- Bleeding. Bleeding during or after surgery is possible. A collection of blood under the skin (hematoma) may need drainage or a return to the operating room, and severe bleeding may need emergency treatment or a blood transfusion.
- Infection. Infection is possible and may need antibiotics, drainage or further surgery.
- Bruising and Swelling. Bruising and swelling are expected. They may last several weeks, and swelling or discoloration may persist longer.
- Scarring. Every incision or entry point leaves a permanent scar. A scar may be raised, widened, darker, lighter or more visible than expected, and takes at least 3 months to mature.
- Keloid or Raised Scar. Itching, thickening, pain or a growth along any incision can be the first sign of a keloid (a thick, raised scar). Let us know right away so it can be injected with a steroid to stop the keloid from forming. A keloid is more likely if you have had one before and may need further injections or treatment.
- Change in Skin Sensation. Numbness, tingling or a change in skin sensation around the treated areas is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Delayed Healing. Delayed healing or separation of an incision is possible and much more likely with nicotine in any form.
- Allergic Reactions. Allergic reactions to tape, sutures, skin cleansers, latex or medications are possible.
- Blood Clots. Blood clots in the legs or lungs (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) are possible and more likely with longer surgery; your surgical team uses the clot-prevention plan chosen for you.
- Anesthesia. Risks of anesthesia and sedation are possible; the anesthesia provider reviews them with you separately.
- Pain. Pain after surgery is expected and should settle over several days; pain that lasts longer is possible.
- Result and Revision. A result that does not meet your expectations is possible: healing differs between people, no result is guaranteed, and a revision may be advised, with the fees described in your patient policy.
- Serious Complications. Serious complications, including death, are possible with any surgery or anesthesia.
- Heart and Lung Problems. Heart or lung problems, such as pneumonia or an irregular heartbeat, are possible after surgery and anesthesia.
- Medication Side Effects. Side effects of the medications used during and after surgery, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness or trouble urinating, are possible.
- Injury to Deeper Structures. Injury to deeper structures, such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles or glands, is possible.
- Persistent Sutures. A deeper stitch may work its way to the surface and need to be removed.
When to call us right away · Before & after gallery · Request a consultation
Lateral Canthopexy FAQ
Surgery that tightens the outer corner of the eyelid. It is often done together with a skin pinch lower blepharoplasty.
When the lower eyelid has loosened, tightening its outer corner helps the lid keep its position against the eye while it heals after lower eyelid surgery. Your surgeon tells you at your consultation whether your plan includes it.
The outer corner may look or feel tight for several weeks. The consent notes that a change in the shape of the outer corner of the eye, or a difference between the two sides, is possible.
Your sutures come out at your Day 5 visit, and you can typically fly home that day or the day after.
The consent you read and sign lists these possible complications: a change in the shape of the outer corner of the eye, or a difference between the two sides; rounding or webbing at the corner, which may need a small revision; a corner that looks or feels tight for several weeks; a small lump or suture irritation; dry eye or irritation; the lid loosening again over time; chemosis (swelling of the clear lining over the white of the eye, treated with over-the-counter lubricating drops; it usually resolves over the first couple of weeks); and blurred vision for a few days, with a scratch on the eye, injury to the eye or loss of vision from bleeding behind the eye possible, so a sudden change in vision means call us right away. It also lists the risks of any operation, including bleeding, infection, blood clots and the risks of anesthesia. Your surgeon reviews each one with you.
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