When you look at people, most sets of eyes are framed by one distinct crease across the eyelid. But for some, this crease turns into two, forming the so-called triple eyelids. This change can happen gradually or suddenly. The reasons for this are varied and include aging, lack of skin elasticity, weakened connections between muscle tissue and fats, and more.
In most cases, the extra fold won’t go away on its own and will require medical or surgical treatment. A fellowship-trained, board certified oculofacial plastic surgeon is the best person to help address this issue. He or she may perform a surgical procedure called blepharoplasty to remove excess skin and lift sagging tissues. The procedure can also add more volume to the area around the eyes and improve brow symmetry.
Another option is a non-surgical treatment known as lipofilling. In this technique, the surgeon will use hyaluronic acid based fillers to supplement the area of the eyes with fats that were naturally there. The surgeon will first extract fats from other areas of the body through liposuction and then place the grafted fats into the area surrounding the eyes.
In some cases, the triple eyelids can form as a result of a previous surgery such as blepharoplasty. Occasionally, the removal of too much soft tissue in the upper eyelid flap can cause scar tissue to bind to the surrounding area or thicken. This can create additional creases in the upper eyelid above the surgically created crease. This can occur in both men and women.