Often the result of excess skin or a drooping brow, hooded eyes can make you look older or give the appearance that you’re always tired. If the sagging becomes severe enough, it may also partially obstruct your vision. A brow lift can correct this problem, but it’s not the best fit for everyone. Some patients may benefit more from a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) or a combination of the two. Here you’ll learn how a brow lift corrects hooded eyes and who’s a good candidate.
A heavy, dropping brow can hang low enough to obstruct the eyelid crease. It may also place pressure on the upper eyelid, forcing it downward and creating a hooded appearance even if the eyelid itself is perfect. Both cause and symptom, a heavy brow often becomes worse if you habitually feel the need to raise your eyebrows in an effort to keep your eyes open wider.
There are several reasons why your brow may droop. One is genetics. Some people simply have a genetic predisposition to a naturally lower brow position. Another common reason is that the natural loss of skin elasticity in the brow as you age allows the skin to become loose and hang lower over your eyes. Muscle laxity can also be an issue, allowing the muscles in the upper third of your face to sag rather than just the skin.
A brow lift relieves the pressure on your upper eyelid, lifting the brow back to its youthful height and position. This means something different for men than it does for women. In women, the natural brow shape is an arch while in men it is more of a straight line. Lifting the brow corrects hooded eyes while restoring overall facial harmony, but it’s important to find a plastic surgeon who understands the differences between men and women in this regard to ensure a natural look. A brow lift also results in:
Your plastic surgeon may take one of several different surgical approaches to your brow lift, and the best one for you will depend on your anatomy, eyelid structure, and aesthetic goals. Exactly where your brow droops and how much also help determine the best technique. We’ll assess which approach is best and discuss it with you during your free virtual consultation.
A temporal brow lift gets its name from the fact that it lifts only the corners of the brow at the temples. This is ideal if you have hooding only at the outer corners of your eyes. A temporal brow lift offers a subtle but noticeable improvement when drooping is localized at the temples and isn’t too far advanced.
The least invasive brow lift with the smallest incisions is an endoscopic lift. An endoscopic procedure utilizes very short incisions hidden within the hairline to lift the entire brow. This procedure works well when both the center and the ends of the brow need lifted due to moderate or severe hooding.
If you have a naturally high forehead with severe brow drooping, a pretrichial brow lift may be best for you. This lift involves an incision across your entire scalp that is hidden within your hairline. The pretrichial approach can correct severe sagging and elevate the forehead without further extending it, significantly improving the look of patients with a drooping brow coupled with naturally deep-set eyes.
Sometimes a brow lift is just what the doctor ordered and is enough to get the job done. There are times, however, when a brow lift alone isn’t enough. If your hooded eyes are caused by a low-set brow or sagging brow, a brow lift is often the perfect fit. It will also ease tension in your forehead from overcompensating for your drooping brow by constantly lifting your eyes to get them open wider.
A brow lift won’t do the trick if your hooded eyes are caused by excess skin or fat in your upper eyelids themselves. In this case, an upper blepharoplasty may be in order. Remember from above that blepharoplasty is a fancy word for eyelid surgery. Patients often benefit from combining a brow lift with a blepharoplasty procedure for a more complete upper-face rejuvenation. These two procedures can be safely performed together to help you save on costs and deal with a single surgical recovery.
If your hooded eyes are caused by a drooping brow, a brow lift can be the key to long-lasting, natural-looking improvement. When performed by an experienced plastic surgeon, it opens the eyes, reduces forehead strain, and enhances facial symmetry without changing your natural expression. If you’re unsure whether a brow lift or eyelid surgery is right for you, a free virtual consultation can help determine the best approach for you.
A brow lift can help with hooded eyes, but it depends on the cause. Brow lifts help correct hooding caused by sagging brow muscles or brow skin. Extra eyelid skin or fat, however, can also create a hooded look and require eyelid surgery rather than a brow lift.
Some patients need eyelid surgery in addition to a brow lift while others need eyelid surgery instead of a brow lift. Eyelid surgery corrects heaviness caused by sagging and drooping in the eyelid itself. A brow lift addresses heaviness in the brow alone and does not correct eyelid problems.
Endoscopic brow lifts are often the most preferred due to their very small incisions and less invasive nature. The type of lift your plastic surgeon chooses will depend, however, on the nature and severity of your hooding as well as your unique anatomy and aesthetic goals.
You’ll begin to see an improvement in your brows in two to three weeks as the post-op swelling fades and your body heals. Your final results will be visible about six to eight weeks after your surgery.
No, a brow lift will not change the shape of your eyes or alter your facial expressions. It literally lifts the brow to make the eyes look more open and unobstructed, and that’s all it does besides smoothing out some forehead wrinkles, and no one is ever upset about that!
Botox offers a lifted look, but the effect is temporary and works only if your brow drooping is mild. A brow lift provides a more long-term solution and is necessary when eye hooding is significant.
If your brow sags low enough to restrict your vision, a brow lift can often correct the problem. Again, it’s important to understand that a brow lift won’t correct vision problems caused by a sagging eyelid—only a sagging brow.