Surgery · Method Comparison

Non-Incisional vs Incisional Double Eyelid Surgery

Buried, partial-incision and full-incision creases, set side by side

Gangnam, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
KHIDI-registered for international patients · Apgujeong Rewind

Non-Incisional vs Incisional Non-Incisional vs Incisional Non-Incisional vs Incisional Non-Incisional vs Incisional 
Versus

Incisional or not

What is the difference between incisional and non-incisional double eyelid surgery?

The short answer

The difference is whether the lid is opened. A non-incisional, or buried, crease is made without cutting the skin: at Rewind the fold is formed by inducing adhesion between skin and muscle along a drawn line and securing it at seven micro-anchor points with double fixation. An incisional crease opens the lid, either through a short opening of about five to seven millimetres (partial incision) or along the whole designed line (full incision), so that surplus fat and muscle tissue can come out before the fold is fixed. Opening the lid is what makes removal possible, and removal is what a thick or fatty eyelid needs before it will fold cleanly.

This comparison draws on Rewind's Korean surgical pages for its buried, partial-incision and full-incision methods and on the clinic's post-operative sheets. Those pages do not state the anaesthetic used, the time spent in theatre or a fixed day for suture removal, and so neither does this one.

Which technique suits thick eyelids? On Rewind's own candidacy lists, thick lid skin and a large volume of fat above the eye appear under the partial-incision and full-incision methods, and they do not appear under the buried one. That is the practical answer to the question most people bring: a buried stitch can hold a fold in a lid with little to take out, while a heavy lid usually has to be thinned before any fold can sit in it. The examination measures how heavy your lid really is.

Neither route is the upgrade of the other. The buried method spares the skin a wound and asks the patient to accept that a fold held by sutures alone can loosen after a hard rub or a knock. The incisional methods accept a healing line in exchange for removing tissue and fixing the fold more firmly. Which trade makes sense depends on the lid, and occasionally on how a patient's skin scars.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi operating under loupe magnification at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 01 — Whether the lid is opened is settled at the examination, well before this point
Cases

Before & After

One opened lid and two closed ones: Rewind double eyelid cases compared

The first case below was treated with the full-incision method and nothing else. The other two kept the skin closed and used the buried method, each alongside a second procedure performed in the same sitting. Looking at them together shows what the comparison on this page is about in practice: how much the lid itself was reshaped, and how much of the change belongs to the fold.

Rewind patients — crease method named first

Before — full-incision double eyelid surgery with no other procedure After — full-incision double eyelid surgery with no other procedure BEFOREAFTER
lid opened
Full-incision double eyelid, the only procedure in this operation
Individual results may vary.
Before — non-incisional double eyelid surgery combined with medial epicanthoplasty After — non-incisional double eyelid surgery combined with medial epicanthoplasty BEFOREAFTER
lid closed
Non-incisional double eyelid, with medial epicanthoplasty in the same session
Individual results may vary.
Before — non-incisional double eyelid surgery with thread lifting using SMAS anchoring After — non-incisional double eyelid surgery with thread lifting using SMAS anchoring BEFOREAFTER
lid closed
Non-incisional double eyelid, with thread lifting (SMAS anchoring) in the same session
Individual results may vary.

All three are Rewind patients, photographed by the clinic and cropped to the eye region for this page. Where a second procedure was performed in the same session it is named, because part of the visible change belongs to it. A photograph cannot tell you which method your own lid can hold. Swelling, bruising, asymmetry between the two sides, altered sensation and, after an incisional method, a healing line are all possible.

Compare

Point by point

Non-incisional and incisional double eyelid methods, compared on four points

The three methods share the same design stage and the same four line designs: in-line, semi-outline, in-out-line and outline. They part company at the lid itself, on the four points below.

point 01
What is opened
Buried: nothing, the skin stays closed. Partial incision: a short opening of about five to seven millimetres. Full incision: the designed line along its length. The size of the opening sets how much of the lid the surgeon can reach.
point 02
What can be taken out
Through a buried route, nothing is removed. Both incisional routes allow surplus fat and muscle tissue to be removed before the fold is fixed. On a lid that is thick or full, this is the step that decides whether a fold can form at a sensible height.
point 03
How the fold is held
Buried: adhesion between skin and muscle, tied at seven micro-anchor points with a double knot. Partial incision: fixation after tissue removal through the short opening. Full incision: muscle and skin closed in layers along the whole line.
point 04
What is left to heal
Buried: swelling and bruising, with no incision line. Partial incision: a short line. Full incision: a line the length of the crease, which Rewind records as losing much of its redness by about two months, when light makeup covers it.

The same comparison sits inside a wider one. The parent page on double eyelid surgery sets out each method in full; where the lid opens narrowly because of the muscle, the plan adds ptosis correction; and where the weight on the eye is loose skin from ageing, the question becomes one of upper blepharoplasty.

Choice

How the method is chosen

How Rewind decides between a buried and an incisional double eyelid

A patient's preference is heard first and then tested against six findings. Most of the time the lid gives a clear answer by the third.

01Thickness

How thick is the lid skin?

The skin between lashes and brow is assessed by hand. Thin skin folds easily around a buried stitch; thick skin resists folding and tends to bunch above a stitched line, and Rewind lists thick lid skin under both incisional methods.

02Fat

How much fat sits above the eye?

A full upper lid carries fat that a buried crease cannot remove. When there is a lot of it, the partial-incision method takes it out through its short opening, and the full-incision method takes it out along the whole line.

03Coverage

How much of the iris does the lid cover?

The buried method is listed for eyes showing less than about 80% of the iris and for people who lift the brow to open the eye. A lid that droops heavily across the iris, or one weighed down by a weak opening muscle, appears on the full-incision list, and the muscle question is examined separately.

04History

Has a buried crease already come undone?

A buried fold that has loosened is named specifically under the partial-incision method. A second buried attempt on a lid that has already let one go is weighed carefully, because the reason it loosened is usually still there.

05Skin

How does the patient's skin scar?

People who form raised scars ask whether an incision is safe for them. Rewind's answer is that an incisional crease can be performed, that the line tends to rise early on and that it softens as the months pass. The decision is made knowing that.

06Design

Can the requested line height be carried?

A tall fold on a thick, full lid is the classic source of the thick, sausage-like eyelid, which the clinic attributes to a line set too high or to over-correction for the skin and fat present. The design is lowered, or the method changed, until the two agree.

Diagnostic consultation at the desk at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong
Fig. 02 — Thickness, fat and iris coverage are read at the desk, one lid at a time
Rewind

Why this matters here

Why one surgeon performs all three double eyelid methods at Rewind

Rewind lists buried, partial-incision and full-incision creases side by side on one rate list, all three performed by the same operating surgeon. That arrangement lets the recommendation follow the eyelid in front of him, whatever route the patient had in mind on arrival.

01Range

Three methods on one list, one pair of hands

The surgeon who recommends a buried crease for one patient and a full incision for the next operates on both. The method recommended to you is chosen from all three, and the person recommending it performs whichever one it is.

02Candour

A preference can change at the chair

Many visitors arrive set on a non-incisional crease because it sounds smaller. If the lid is thick and full, the consultation says so, explains what a buried fold on that lid is likely to do, and puts the incisional options on the table with their healing line described plainly.

03Fallback

A route exists if a buried fold lets go

Because the partial-incision method is listed for a buried crease that has come undone, a patient who chooses the buried route knows in advance what the next step would be. Follow-up is held by the same surgeon, and international patients are supported in their own language under KHIDI registration.

Consultation room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong
Fig. 03 — The room where a preferred method meets the lid it is meant for
Theatre

Where it happens

Where Rewind performs buried and incisional double eyelid surgery

Operating room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Richro Building, Apgujeong

Fig. 04 — The same theatre serves the buried and the incisional routes

Patient draped and prepared in the procedure room at Rewind

Fig. 05 — Draping and preparation for eyelid work

Rewind occupies the fourth and fifth floors of the Richro Building in Apgujeong, Gangnam, and every eyelid method on this page is performed in the clinic's own operating room. Surgical consultations run by appointment on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday until 19:00 and on Saturday until 16:00. What differs between the methods is the work inside the lid, summarised below.

Buried: skin kept closed, seven micro-anchor points
Buried: fixation tied with a double knot
Partial incision: about 5–7 mm opened
Partial incision: surplus fat and muscle tissue removed
Full incision: designed line opened end to end
Full incision: muscle and skin closed in layers
All methods: in-line to outline designs available
All methods: operated by Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon, Rewind Plastic Surgery

Board-certified plastic surgeon

Dr. Jonghwan Choi holds Korean board certification in plastic surgery and belongs to the Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. International patients at Rewind are treated under KHIDI registration M-2025-01-08-09288, whichever crease method is chosen.

Rates

Method by method

Incisional vs non-incisional double eyelid: Rewind's listed rates

The published rates rise in the same order as the work inside the lid. The comparison that matters for a budget is between the method your lid can hold and the one you hoped for, and the revision lines show what a mismatch can cost later.

Non-incisional (buried) double eyelidSkin closed; seven micro-anchor points, double fixation
₩1,200,000
Partial-incision double eyelidShort opening; surplus fat and muscle tissue taken out
₩1,800,000
Full-incision double eyelidWhole line opened; tissue removed; layered closure
₩2,900,000
Revision of a buried creaseWhere the earlier fold can be rebuilt by the buried route
₩1,200,000
Revision by the incisional routeWhere an earlier line must be reopened and reset
₩4,900,000

Figures are Rewind's standard listed rates. VAT is charged on top of each one; the anaesthetic fee for the operation is already inside it. Which revision line applies is decided after the earlier surgery has been examined, and a plan combining the crease with any other operation is written out in full at consultation.

Fit

Which lid, which method

Which double eyelid technique suits thick eyelids, and which lids can stay buried

Findings Rewind lists for the buried method

  • Eyes that look sleepy or tired because the lid sits heavily on them
  • Lid skin that enters the line of sight when looking straight ahead
  • Less than about 80% of the iris showing with the eyes open
  • Brows and forehead used to help open the eyes
  • A lid without a large fat volume and without thick skin, so nothing needs removing
  • A patient willing to avoid rubbing the eyes, since a hard rub or a knock can loosen a stitched fold

Findings that steer the plan toward an incision, or away from surgery

  • Thick lid skin, or a lot of fat above the eye: listed under partial and full incision
  • A buried crease that has already come undone: listed under partial incision
  • Heavy drooping across the iris, or a lid weighed down by a weak opening muscle: listed under full incision
  • A request for a high, wide fold that the lid's thickness cannot carry: declined at consultation
  • Bleeding or healing conditions, or medication that affects them
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or an active infection or inflammation around the eye
  • An expectation that the two lids will heal to an identical height, which no method can promise
Healing

Recovery, compared

Buried vs incisional double eyelid recovery, stage by stage

Recovery is where the two routes feel most different. Rewind's own records give a shorter visible recovery for the buried crease and a longer one, ending in a line that fades, for the incisional versions.

About 48 hours
The buried crease settles its first swelling
For the buried method the clinic records swelling and bruising through roughly the first two days, varying from person to person. Nothing is opened, so there is no wound line to protect, only a fold to leave alone.
One to two weeks
The incisional lid takes longer
Rewind's post-operative sheet for incisional upper-lid surgery gives one to two weeks for swelling and bruising to ease. After a partial incision the clinic asks patients to avoid alcohol, smoking, forced eye exercises, rubbing, contact lenses and makeup for a period.
After suture removal
Washing and makeup return in that order
Face washing resumes the day after the sutures are taken out, and eye makeup waits a further one to two weeks. The buried-method sheet also asks for about a week without saunas, steam rooms or hard exercise, and for a gentle cleanser.
Around two months
The incisional line loses its redness
Rewind records the redness of a full-incision line recovering to a degree by about two months, when light makeup is enough to cover it. Sunscreen in the meantime helps keep a healing line from darkening.

Each route carries its own risks. With the buried method the main one is a fold that loosens, most often after the eye is rubbed hard or struck. With either incisional method they are a visible line, a raised scar in people prone to one, and a fold that heals thicker or higher than planned. Common to all three are bleeding and haematoma, infection, prolonged swelling, asymmetry between the lids and altered sensation. A fold that changes shape early is a reason to be seen promptly.

Doctor

Professional

At Rewind, one board-certified plastic surgeon carries every case — from the first consultation to the final follow-up. Because a face is a story, and a story deserves a single author.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeonRewind,
Dr. Jonghwan Choi presenting at an academic session
Fig. 06 — Academic presentation, thread-lifting session

Rewind's Doctor

Dr. Jonghwan Choi Medical Director

One surgeon, from the first
consultation to the last follow-up.

A board-certified plastic surgeon devoted to anti-aging lifting — with the precision and restraint built through years of craniofacial practice.

Board-certified plastic surgeon (Plastic Surgery)
10 peer-reviewed publications
Medical Director, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Korean Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Former chief director, Apgujeong Y&T Plastic Surgery
Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
J Craniofac Surg · JKMS · Arch Craniofac Surg
Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
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Ask

Questions

Non-incisional vs incisional double eyelid surgery: questions from consultations

What is the difference between incisional and non-incisional double eyelid surgery?
The skin is opened in one and not in the other. The buried method ties the fold at seven micro-anchor points without a cut. Partial incision opens about five to seven millimetres and full incision opens the whole line, both so that surplus fat and muscle tissue can be removed first.
Which double eyelid technique suits thick eyelids?
Usually an incisional one. Rewind lists thick lid skin and a large amount of fat above the eye under the partial-incision and full-incision methods, because both allow that tissue to be removed. A buried stitch cannot thin a heavy lid, so the fold tends to sit poorly on it.
Which lasts longer, a buried fold or an incisional one?
Rewind regards the incisional fold as the least likely of the three to loosen. Its buried method uses double fixation to lower that risk, and the clinic states that rubbing the eyes hard or a knock to them can still undo it. How long any fold holds also depends on the lid.
Does a non-incisional crease leave any mark on the lid?
No skin is cut, so there is no incision line to heal. Rewind records swelling and bruising over about the first 48 hours, varying between people. Face washing resumes the day after suture removal and eye makeup one to two weeks after that.
How long does a full-incision line stay visible?
Rewind records the redness of the line recovering to a degree by around two months, when light makeup covers it. Healing speed and skin quality differ between people, and sunscreen in the meantime helps. The line follows the fold that was designed.
Is partial incision a halfway point between the two methods?
Rewind describes it as combining the natural look of its buried technique with the firmer hold of an incisional one. It opens only five to seven millimetres yet still lets fat and muscle tissue out. It is also the method listed when a buried fold has come undone.
I form raised scars. Should I avoid the incisional method?
Not automatically. Rewind's answer for keloid-prone skin is that surgery is possible: an incisional line tends to rise soon after surgery and then softens over time. The surgeon weighs this against how thick your lid is before recommending a method.
How much time away from work does each method need?
Plan around the swelling. Rewind records roughly 48 hours of swelling and bruising after a buried fold and one to two weeks after incisional lid surgery. Saunas and hard exercise wait about a week either way. No fixed number of days is published, so confirm yours at consultation.
Booking

Reservation

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Scientific evidence

Research comparing buried and incisional double eyelid techniques

The four papers follow the comparison on this page: a Korean series on a buried, non-incisional crease; a systematic review and an earlier series on small and short incisional techniques; and a review of complications across Asian double eyelid surgery and how they are prevented and managed. They describe other surgeons' patients, not Rewind's, and none of them can say which method suits a particular eyelid.