What is almond surgery?: A Comprehensive Guide to the Procedure and Results

September 21, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, eyelid surgery is one of the most common cosmetic procedures performed. This expert guide provides an in-depth answer to what is almond surgery, a cosmetic procedure for reshaping and enhancing the eye contour to achieve a more lifted and elongated appearance.

Quick Summary

Almond surgery is a cosmetic procedure, often involving lateral canthoplasty, performed by an oculofacial plastic surgeon to reshape the outer corner and lower eyelid. The procedure's objective is to correct a downward tilt or drooping to create a more desirable, youthful, and almond-shaped eye contour.

Key Points

Cosmetic Reshaping: Almond eye surgery reshapes the outer eye corners to create a lifted, elongated, and youthful appearance.
Canthoplasty Technique: The procedure relies on lateral canthoplasty to reposition and tighten the outer eye corner (lateral canthus).
Corrects Lower Eyelid Issues: It effectively addresses lower eyelid retraction, sagging, and excessive scleral show.
Natural-Looking Results: An experienced oculofacial plastic surgeon aims for balanced, natural-looking results that harmonize with a patient's overall facial features.
Permanent Outcome: The structural changes achieved through surgery are generally permanent, though natural aging effects on the eyes will continue over time.
Minimally Visible Scarring: Surgeons often use internal incisions or place them discreetly to minimize visible scarring.

Understanding Almond Eye Surgery

Almond eye surgery, also known as canthoplasty, is a cosmetic procedure designed to reshape the eye's outer corner to achieve an almond-like appearance, where the outer corner (lateral canthus) is slightly higher than the inner corner (medial canthus). This shape is often associated with youthfulness. The surgery can address concerns like rounded or sagging outer eye corners, lower eyelid issues, and excessive scleral show.

The Surgical Procedures Involved

Almond eye surgery typically involves a combination of techniques, most often including lateral canthoplasty. An oculofacial plastic surgeon will determine the best approach for each patient.

Lateral Canthoplasty

Lateral canthoplasty is a primary technique that repositions and reinforces the lateral canthus. The procedure tightens and slightly elevates the canthal tendon, which supports the outer eyelid corner, to create a more upturned shape. This corrects a rounded or downward-sloping eye shape and enhances definition while aiming for natural results. Incisions are placed to minimize scarring.

Addressing Lower Eyelid Retraction

If the lower eyelids are too low, causing excessive scleral show, the surgeon may perform a procedure to elevate and support the eyelid, potentially using internal spacer grafts.

Midface Lift Considerations

Sometimes, a midface lift may be recommended to lift cheek tissue, which provides support to the lower eyelids, especially when volume loss contributes to downward tension. Cheek implants may also be suggested to enhance midface volume and support.

Who is a Candidate for Almond Eye Surgery?

Good candidates for almond eye surgery are generally healthy and have realistic expectations. The procedure can be suitable if you have downward-sloping or rounded outer eye corners, lower eyelid issues like malposition or retraction, excessive scleral show, or desire a more lifted and elongated eye shape.

Benefits of the Procedure

Almond eye surgery offers several benefits, such as lifting and repositioning outer eye corners, reducing scleral show, enhancing facial symmetry, and potentially boosting confidence. It may also improve functional issues caused by eyelid malposition.

Almond Surgery vs. Other Eyelid Procedures

Almond surgery is a specific type of eyelid surgery. Below is a comparison with other procedures:


Feature	Almond Eye Surgery (Canthoplasty)	Standard Blepharoplasty	Ptosis Repair
Primary Goal	Reshape the outer eye corner for a lifted, almond shape.	Remove excess skin, muscle, and fat from eyelids.	Correct a drooping upper eyelid due to muscle weakness.
Focus Area	Outer corners (lateral canthus) and lower eyelid tension.	Upper and/or lower eyelids overall.	Upper eyelid muscle (levator palpebrae).
Key Technique	Lateral canthoplasty (tightening the canthal tendon).	Excision of tissue; often no structural changes to eye corner.	Tightening the levator muscle or muscle advancement.
Best For	Correcting downward-sloping eyes, rounding, scleral show.	Removing puffiness, bags, and loose skin.	Improving vision and asymmetry from a low-hanging eyelid.

Recovery and Results

Recovery typically involves swelling, bruising, and tightness for 1 to 2 weeks. Keeping the head elevated and using cold compresses is often advised. Pain is usually mild. Scarring is often minimal due to discreet incision placement. Most people can resume light activities within days, but full healing takes several months. While structural changes are permanent, aging will still affect the eye area. For more information, consult resources from organizations like the American Academy of Ophthalmology at aao.org.

Potential Risks and Complications

Risks of almond eye surgery include bleeding, infection, dry eyes, asymmetry, scarring, undercorrection or overcorrection, and eyelid malposition. Choosing an experienced, board-certified oculofacial plastic surgeon is crucial for minimizing risks.

Conclusion

Almond eye surgery is a specialized procedure that uses techniques like lateral canthoplasty to create a more lifted and youthful eye shape. It offers aesthetic benefits but involves surgical considerations, recovery, and potential risks. Consulting a skilled oculofacial plastic surgeon is essential to understand if this surgery can meet your desired outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

The duration of almond eye surgery can vary depending on the specific techniques used and the complexity of the case. However, it typically takes a few hours to complete.

Most patients experience swelling, bruising, and tightness for the first 1 to 2 weeks. Pain is generally mild and controllable with medication. Light activities can often be resumed within a week, but complete healing takes several months.

Yes, the structural changes from canthoplasty are considered permanent. However, the natural aging process will continue to affect the eyes over the years, which may subtly alter their appearance.

The main benefits include a more lifted and elongated eye shape, reduced scleral show, improved facial symmetry, and a more youthful, alert appearance. It can also boost a patient's self-confidence.

Yes, it can often be combined with other eyelid or facial procedures, such as blepharoplasty or a brow lift, to achieve more comprehensive and harmonious results.

The procedure is typically performed under local anesthesia with sedation, so patients do not feel pain during surgery. Post-operatively, pain is generally mild and can be managed with prescribed oral pain medication.

Scleral show is the term for when the white part of the eye (sclera) is visible below the iris. Almond eye surgery can correct this by elevating the lower eyelid and adjusting its position, often with lower eyelid retraction surgery and support grafts.

Canthoplasty is a surgical procedure that involves cutting and reshaping the lateral canthal tendon. Canthopexy is a less invasive technique that tightens the tendon without a complete detachment, often used for minor adjustments to the outer eye corner.