Why Some People Have a “Surprised” Look After Facial Plastic Surgery – And How to Avoid It

The goal of facial plastic surgery is to make a patient look younger, not bewildered. Unfortunately, everyone has probably seen at least a few examples of people whose faces look perpetually surprised after having cosmetic surgery. In this blog, world renowned facial plastic surgeon Dr. Min Ahn shares some of the mistakes he has seen other doctors make. He also discusses the different approaches he takes to produce appealing, natural-looking results.

What Creates That “Surprised” Look

Aside from an open mouth, the eyes and eyebrows are the two features on a person’s face that best communicate shock. Accordingly, brow lift and blepharoplasty (aka eyelid lift) are the two main surgeries where problems can arise.

With brow lift, the common mistake is elevating the eyebrows too high. Since eyebrows naturally raise and curve when surprised, a high eyebrow can give a person a surprised look. While one of brow lift’s objectives is to raise the drooping eyebrows for a rejuvenated appearance, fewer millimeters of elevation can translate to a less surprised, more neutral expression.

Although upper blepharoplasty aims to remove some excess skin from the upper eyelid to reduce the hooding effect of sagging eyelids, removing too much skin — or placing the incision too high — may lead to a surprised look.  

How Dr. Ahn Avoids the Dreaded Surprised Look

In his many years of practicing facial plastic surgery, Dr. Ahn has mastered techniques that avoid problems that can plague less experienced plastic surgeons. When it comes to brow lift, he prefers the temporal brow lift approach. This is a less invasive approach than traditional brow lift and focuses on elevating only the outer third of the eyebrow. For most patients, this is sufficient to create a rejuvenated appearance without giving the brows a curvy arch that mimics a startled expression.

When performing upper blepharoplasty, Dr. Ahn is careful to remove the right amount of skin by using calipers to get precise measurements. By having his patients sit up during the marking before surgery, he can get a better measurement than if they lie down (which happens in other surgeon’s offices). He also measures each eye separately since they may have different amounts of skin — taking off the same amount of skin from both upper eyelids will not guarantee symmetry. Finally, by placing the incision on the natural crease of the skin, the surgical results look more natural.

Get the Best Results from the Best Surgeon

Ensuring that your facial plastic surgery results are as amazing as possible begins with choosing an elite plastic surgeon. When you seek care from Dr. Ahn, you can be confident you are in the hands of an expert who utilizes precise and effective techniques. You can save the look of surprise for when you are astonished by how great your results look. Book a consultation to learn more.