Does the upper eyelid skin become thinner with age?

The aim of this study was to elucidate whether the thickness of the upper eyelid skin is affected by aging. The upper eyelid skins of 61 Korean women were subject to the study. Fusiform pieces of the skin, 3-mm wide, were obtained at the midpupillary line, 7 mm above the eyelashes, during blepharoplasty. The specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Thickness of the skin was measured by a micrometer under a microscope. It was substantially the same in all of the age groups. The thickness varied from 818 +/- 85 microm in subjects 60 years or older to 884 +/- 112 microm in subjects between 21-and 30-years old; the mean was 860 +/- 305 microm. Thickness of the epidermis varied from 46 +/- 6 microm in subjects between 41- and 50-years old to 52 +/- 10 microm in subjects between 31- and 40-years old; the mean was 49 +/- 9 microm. There were no significant differences among the age groups (P = 0.440). Thickness of the dermis varied from 771 +/- 78 microm in subjects older than 61 years to 834 +/- 112 microm in subjects between 21-and 30-years old; the mean was 811 +/- 117 microm. There were no significant differences between the age groups (P = 0.553). It is noticeable that upper eyelid skin thickness is not affected remarkably by aging.