Some people have the upper eyelid folded in the corners in such a way that it covers the inner eyelid at the canthus. This phenomenon is called epicanthal folds. Usually, newborn babies are born with epicanthal folds. It is normal at the age of 3 to 6 months but as they grow their eyes start to get a more defined shape. But one needs to know whether epicanthal folds are normal (when you are having it at an older age) or can epicanthal folds have any implications.

WHEN ARE EPICANTHAL FOLDS NORMAL?

Epicanthal folds are found normal in people belonging to certain descents such as

  • Southeast Asians
  • East Asians
  • Central Asians
  • North East Asians
  • Native Americans
  • Micronesians
  • Polynesians

In people belonging to South Asia Epicanthal Folds are very common. About 90% of the population has it.

But in case one doesn’t belong to these populations and the epicanthal folds do not resolve with age, one might have some serious pathological condition lying being it.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS BEHIND YOUR EPICANTHAL FOLDS?

One of the major diseases in newborns that can lead to epicanthal folds is down syndrome. Done Syndrome is a chromosomal distribution error in offspring that can lead to intellectual disability in the babies. A child having down syndrome is quite possible to have epicanthal folds. Usually defect in chromosome 21 result in this facial feature of epicanthal folds. The patient is also seen to have an alleviated nose and other flattened facial features. Epicanthal folds are a minor symptom of down syndrome, yet it is a major element based on which diagnosis is done.

Zellweger Syndrome is another such congenital disorder that leads to epicanthal folds. This rare disorder affects the cells of the human body leading to deficiency of several functions of the body.

But in other cases, mal-distribution of tissues underlying in your skin results in these folds. In such situations, there will be no grave implications to it. But as modern beauty standards are pushing more and more individuals towards perfection. In the current scenario, one might choose to go through surgery to change this facial feature.

MANAGEMENT OF EPICANTHAL FOLDS AND SURGERIES

In most cases, Epicanthal folds go away with growing age. Even with children of South Asian descent, the folds fade away with the coming of puberty. But if it stays there are certain medical management methods to correct it.

One such method is surgical therapy. This surgery is rarely recommended for special cases. The operation is done skillfully in medical supervision correcting the abnormal skin fold resulting from the irregular distribution of skin around the canthus. One should never rush towards surgery before the break of puberty. There are various procedures and systems of surgeries done to modify this feature depending upon case to case.

So, if you are worried whether your or your child’s epicanthal folds are normal look for other malignant symptoms. If there aren’t any then you don’t need to worry about it. One can of course choose the way of surgery if they are not satisfied by the way they look.