Canthopexy: Fox Eye (Almond eye ) Surgery

Most people take 7–14 days. Stitches come out around days 5–7, and by the end of week 2 residual swelling is usually subtle enough for video calls and in-person meetings.

A careful plan aims for a longer, slightly lifted almond shape that still looks like you. A stronger upward tilt is more noticeable, so the degree of change is agreed with your surgeon before surgery.

A well-executed canthoplasty is long-lasting, often a decade or more. Tissues keep ageing, though, so some loosening over time is normal, and occasionally a small touch-up is worthwhile.

Canthopexy gently tightens and supports the outer corner, creating a subtler lift. Canthoplasty allows the surgeon to move the outer corner more fully, so it can create a clearer change in shape and tilt.

Yes. It is often paired with lower blepharoplasty to support the lid after fat or skin removal, and sometimes with epicanthoplasty or upper-lid surgery as part of a broader eye-shape plan.

The incision sits in or just beyond the outer corner, where it usually fades to a fine line over 6–12 months. In most people it is hard to see at conversational distance once it has matured.

Plan to stay in Istanbul for 7 days in total. This allows time for surgery, early recovery and in-person follow-up before you travel home. Your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly.

You feel nothing during surgery — it is done under general anaesthesia. Afterwards, discomfort is mild to moderate for a few days and settles with simple pain relief; tightness at the outer corners is normal while swelling goes down.

Keep make-up away from the eye area until your surgeon clears it, avoid touching or rubbing your eyes, and stay out of pools and the sea until the incisions have fully closed. Shield the healing corners from direct sun, which is what darkens a young scar, and start scar products only once your surgeon says the wound is ready. Light walking is fine early on; strenuous exercise restarts gradually from around week 3, and full training is usually back by week 6.

Yes. A temporal brow lift can create a mild lift around the outer eye, while thread lifts and Botox can give temporary changes. Neither gives the same stable reshaping as surgery. Canthopexy is the gentler surgical option when only a small lift and added support are needed.

Fox eye surgery describes a look rather than one fixed operation. Depending on your anatomy, the surgical plan may be canthopexy for gentle support and lift, canthoplasty for a fuller outer-corner change, or upper eyelid surgery if heaviness comes mainly from the lid above. Your surgeon decides this with you at consultation.

Both describe an elongated, lifted eye shape. A fox eye look is usually softer and more subtle, while a cat eye look has a sharper upward angle. The right degree of lift depends on your natural eye shape and what will still look balanced on your face.

Good candidates are in good general health with no conditions that impair healing, are non-smokers or willing to stop, and have realistic expectations — the surgery changes eye shape, not your overall facial structure. Downturned outer corners, lower-lid laxity or asymmetry are the classic indications.

If the heaviness is in the upper lid rather than the corner, upper blepharoplasty or a brow lift treats the cause better. Active dry eye or an irritated ocular surface has to be settled and reassessed first, since tightening the corner can make symptoms worse. Lids that already sit loose against the eye raise the risk of lower-lid malposition, so a support-first canthopexy is often the safer plan there.

The main drivers are the surgeon's experience, the complexity of your anatomy, and whether canthoplasty is combined with blepharoplasty or other eyelid work. What a quote bundles matters as much as the headline figure — confirm anaesthesia, medication and follow-up visits are included before comparing prices.