Why a Temporary Eyelid Fold Appears With a Rigid Lash Band
Sometimes a crease-like fold appears only while a rigid lash band is present, then relaxes after removal. Below is a simple mechanics model that explains why it happens.
A temporary fold forms during opening while the rigid edge is present.
Key idea
A rigid edge at the lash line can block the normal drape path. Skin motion redirects upward and bunches into a temporary fold above.
Real-life reference paired with a simplified scientific model of the same effect.
Definition
Treat the lash band like a rigid boundary at the lash line. The upper eyelid skin is thin and mobile, so where it folds depends on how it can glide and drape during blinking and opening. If the boundary is rigid, the skin cannot complete its usual drape path at the lash line, so motion is redirected upward and the fold forms above.
Without a rigid edge vs. with a rigid edge at the lash line.
Comparison
Without a rigid edge, the eyelid skin’s drape stays smooth and continuous. With a rigid edge present, the normal drape is interrupted at that line. Because the skin can’t roll across the rigid boundary the same way, the motion redistributes upward and a temporary fold appears above the band where the skin can gather and stabilize.
The fold is most visible during opening because the drape path is being re-established.
Sequence
During a blink, the eyelid skin shifts and then repositions as the eye opens. If a rigid edge is present at the lash line, the skin can’t complete the same drape path at that boundary. The motion redirects upward, and the fold becomes visible above the band as the eyelid settles back into its open position.
Remove the rigid edge and the fold typically relaxes back to baseline.
Reversibility
Once the rigid edge is removed, the eyelid skin can return to its normal drape path. That’s why this is usually a wear-dependent, reversible effect.