The lower eyelid crease

When we are born, many of us have a crease on our lower eyelids.  This crease is a horizontal line below the eyelashes that is more noticeable when looking downward.  I like to call this the lower eyelid crease of youth.

Not every crease is a wrinkle

I recently answered a question on Realself about lower eyelid creases of youth.  These creases can persist into adulthood but they shouldn’t be considered as wrinkles that need erasing.  Taking away a youthful-looking feature will not necessarily make you look better or younger.

What the eyelid crease of youth looks like

Below is an image of my 2-year-old son’s eyelid.  Notice the line on his lower eyelid that is rather deep when looking down.

 

This crease is made by the extension of the lower eyelid retractors, the muscles that pull the eyelid down when you gaze downward.  See the large blue arrow in the diagram below (image borrowed from a book chapter I co-wrote in Clinics in Plastic Surgery).

 

If you have these creases…

Consider yourself youthful-looking and lucky.  Removing or softening them can be done with surgery or Botox, but is not recommended in most situations.