Eyelid sulcus
Cosmetic Surgery - Plastic Surgery - Aesthetic Medicine - Reconstructive Surgery
The sulcus is a groove which is particularly marked in the upper eyelid and much less so in the lower eyelid.
The upper eyelid sulcus is the place where the levator muscle enters
the skin of the fascia (the membrane surrounding the muscle). The upper
eyelid sulcus divides skin into:
- The preseptal area, above the sulcus, a loose area with a tendency to become slack with aging. This area is used as a skin graft donor area in reconstructive surgery or it may be partly removed in aesthetic surgery.
- The pre-tarsal area, smooth area below the sulcus, which is stretched over the eyeball. This area allows surgery to take place on the eyelid while concealing the scar from the incision. This area is located halfway up the eyelid between the mobile and the fixed part of the eyelid.
The lower eyelid sulcus is the place where the retractor muscles of the lower eyelid enter the lower edge of the tarsus. The sulcus divides the area into two parts:
- The pretarsal area above the sulcus;;
- The preseptal area below the sulcus. This is an area with a low capacity to distend and is not considered a skin donor area, like the pretarsal area in the upper eyelid.