We have talked a lot about eye issues in the past, including eyelid eczema. One issue that we haven’t discussed much is monolids.
While some individuals are typically born with monolid eyes, others are born with double eyelids. The difference between these two can be traced to the genetic factor and some dysfunction in general.
For some reason, most monolid-eyed individuals in countries like South Korea and Singapore love to have the double-lid eye. And it is very possible for the monolids to be double eyelids through the use of surgical and non-surgical methods.
This is the main reason why double eyelid surgery in Singapore is one of the most performed cosmetic treatments over the last few years.
In this post, you will learn how monolids could be changed to double eyelids.
What are Monolids?
Monolids are called epicanthic folds, which occur when the eye has only one fold rather than two. It is not a common condition as most people have the two folds. Many people feel that they are beautiful.
If your eye is monolid, then the skin of your upper lid runs smoothly from the inner part of your eyes to the side of your eyebrow that is close to the nose region.
When this occurs, your eyes become relatively more minor as no crease is formed or found. Crease, as used here, represents that part that is supposed to divide your eyelids into two and since it is absent, the result is having one eyelid or a monolid.
Most people who are not familiar with monolids do confuse it with ptosis. However, it should not be confused.
Ptosis is a condition in which the upper lids begin to fade as a result of the muscles losing their strength. While monolids usually result from genetic disorders, ptosis is related to a medical condition resulting from injuries and disease of the eyes and nerve problems.
Apart from ptosis, conditions like having hooded eyes are also usually confused with monolids. Still, the difference between a monolid eye and a hooded eye is that hooded eyes have creases that have been covered and overshadowed by too much skin, while monolids don’t have any.
Generally, having a monolid eye is not harmful, nor does it affect the eye. But the double lids could make your eyes more attractive.
What are Double Eyelids?
The double eyelid, on the other hand, has a crease making it appear as having two eyelids. It is generally the most common one seen among different people worldwide.
As opposed to monolids, double eyelids do not make your eyes any smaller. And while some individuals naturally have a well-defined crease or double lids, others have a partially defined own.
Genetics is the leading cause of double eyelids, just as it is the cause of the monolids too.
Causes of Monolids
Monolids are common in Asia, and it is generally a genetic condition. Apart from this, you could see a small percentage of other people with monolid eyes which could have resulted from a distinct genetic, or medical situation. Below are some of the causes of monolids
- Down syndrome
This genetic syndrome occurs when an individual is diagnosed with an extra or a partial chromosome. It is particularly common among children born to parents in their 40s. The result of this is that some physical parts of the body and also some psychological and intellectual parts of body development will be inhibited.
One such physical development that could have resulted from Down syndrome is the monolid eyes.
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fetal Alcohol syndrome occurs when a developing baby is exposed to alcoholic drinks while still in the womb.
Alcohol causes a lot of issues for the fetus. It affects the physical appearance and the mental, psychological, and intellectual ability of the baby.
The development of fetal alcohol syndrome also leads to the formation of epicanthic folds instead of the double eyelid in the baby.
- Turner Syndrome
Turner syndrome affects only females and it is a condition in which there is the absence of some chromosomes in the cells.
This condition leads to the inhibition of the growth of the female physical characteristics and then results in relatively short stature and monolid eyes.
- PKU Syndrome
PKU syndrome is a genetic disorder that occurs when an individual body system cannot effectively digest or break down amino acids resulting in the inhibition of the growth of some physical characteristics.
One of the numerous physical characteristics affected is the formation of double eyelids and the monolid is formed instead.
PKU is usually passed from parent to offspring and those with this syndrome are advised to follow doctors’ advice on the choice of their meal.
- William Syndrome
This is a genetic disorder that affects several aspects of individual growth. Those with this syndrome are likely to suffer from attention disorder, muscle problems, heart problems, and some distinct physical malfunctions including wide lips and epicanthic folds.
How do monolids become Double eyelids?
It’s been established earlier that monolids can become double eyelids. You can have a double eyelid through the following means
- Tape or glue
Using tape or glue is a good way for you to transform your monolid eye into double eyelids. The interesting part of this method is that you can choose to be on the monolids and the double lids anytime you want, that is you can easily switch between both.
When either the glue or tape is applied to your eyes, they create that artificial crease for you.
To apply the tape or glue, simply get either of the two and position it well on the upper eyelid.
Get a stick-like material and use it to push the upper eyelid in an upward direction until the crease is formed. Using the stick-like material would help create the crease better and easily.
If you are using the glue, allow it to stay on the eyelid for a few seconds before pushing with the stick-like material.
- Makeup
Another way to include creases into your monolids is via makeup. You could achieve this by carving out a crease when applying your makeup.
Simply apply a little eyeshadow primer and blend a bit. Then choose a base eyeshadow color and apply it.
Now you would want to carve out a crease using a thin pencil brush. Do this by creating a thin line with the pencil in the middle of your eyelid and then connecting it to the outer edge of your eyelashes.
When using the pencil brush to carve out the crease, do it with more pressure so that the crease appears clearer. You could then blend and continue with the other part of the makeup.
- Surgery
Apart from using the non-surgical methods (tape, glue, or makeup), a permanent method that could be used to achieve a double lids eye is surgery and the surgery is particularly called blepharoplasty.
Blepharoplasty can only be carried out by a specialist and to do that, an incision would usually be made on the upper eyelid so that the excess skin could be removed if necessary.
When the removal is done, the crease is lined out on the upper eyelid with the use of surgical materials until the double eyelid is formed.
Conclusion
With the use of surgical and non-surgical methods, you can seamlessly change your monolid eye to a double eyelid. You would only need to decide on the type or method that will suit your needs.