Drooping Eyes: How to Address Both Functional Problems and Aesthetic Concerns

Sagging from top to bottom is one of the most common signs that come with aging.

The human body can never be completely free from time and gravity.

In particular, the skin around the eyes is thinner and more sensitive than other areas,

so it is one of the first places where signs of aging can be seen.

Also, gravity constantly pulls our bodies downward,

and as time passes, elasticity decreases, leading to sagging.

When collagen and elastin production decreases due to aging,

it gives the face an even more wrinkled and tired-looking appearance.

Beyond being a simple cosmetic issue,

did you know that these changes can also interfere with vision or increase eye fatigue?

Eye aging can begin as early as your 30s.

For a board-certified plastic surgeon, the eye area is one of the most commonly treated areas,

and surgery is performed frequently. This shows that many people are concerned about it

and have a strong need to find a solution.

When people think of eye aging, they often simply imagine the skin of the eyelids

sagging.

When the eyelids become loose and droop, it becomes difficult to open the eyes.

It can also make it uncomfortable to look at objects, and in severe cases, the skin around the eyes can sag and become irritated.

At this point, it is easy to think that correcting only the eyelids will improve the problem,

but depending on the condition and circumstances, there are many cases where eyelid correction alone is not enough.

If only the eyelid skin has sagged, it can be simply addressed with double eyelid surgery.

If the muscle that opens the eyes has weakened, ptosis correction may solve the problem.

However, if the eyebrows have also drooped along with the eyes, the eye shape can look heavy,

and there may not be enough space to open the eyes wide.

In such cases, eyebrow correction must be performed to achieve the desired result.

Eyebrow correction is also called brow elevation or brow lifting.

Of course, since it lifts a sagging area, that is not an incorrect expression,

but when considering the method and its results, using the more comprehensive term

“correction” is more appropriate.

(In the rest of this article, I will refer to it as eyebrow correction.)

In simple terms, eyebrow correction is a surgery that moves the position of the eyebrows

to widen the space in which the eyes can open.

When the eyebrow position is adjusted upward, the thickness of the eyelid appears reduced,

and a foundation is created that allows the eyes to open wider, improving the heavy-looking impression.

Because the starting point of the surgery is near the hairline, scars are naturally concealed,

and there is also the advantage of a smoother forehead shape.

Although this surgery improves the area around the eyes that has sagged with aging,

it is not only for anti-aging purposes.

If the natural eyebrow position is too low, making the eye shape look heavy or the expression look unpleasant,

if you want to correct pseudoptosis but do not want to create a double eyelid,

or if you have long been using your forehead to open your eyes and have many forehead wrinkles,

eyebrow correction can also improve those concerns.

In addition, in cases where the distance between the eyes and eyebrows is too short so that correcting only the eyes could

actually make the expression look worse,

eyebrow correction can improve that issue regardless of age.

Below are follow-up photos of a patient who underwent surgery with eyebrow correction at our Etone Plastic Surgery Clinic.

These are photos of a patient who consented to the use of the content.

Before surgery

This is how the patient looked before surgery. Because the eyebrows had dropped, the patient was lifting them up voluntarily when the eyelid skin sagged.

As a result, many forehead wrinkles formed.

If such wrinkles remain in place for a long time, they may not fully smooth out even after surgery.

At this point, the distance between the eyebrows and the eyes is not the actual sagging distance, but the distance created by lifting them voluntarily.

If the eyes are closed and the forehead is relaxed, the actual degree of sagging can be seen.

If the eyebrows are being lifted like that, and double eyelid surgery makes it possible to open the eyes without lifting the eyebrows,

there are cases where the eyebrows appear to drop a lot.

Then the distance between the eyebrows and the eyes may become shorter than expected,

and the patient may feel that their expression has become stronger. In such cases, combining EBL (brow lift) is helpful.

After surgery

This is how the patient looked after surgery. The distance between the eyebrows and the eyes is similar to before surgery, but in this case, it is not because the patient is lifting them voluntarily; it is the actual position after surgery.

Therefore, there is no need to use the forehead muscles to lift the eyebrows, and forehead wrinkles do not form.

In addition, brow lifting (eyebrow correction surgery), which moves the eyebrow position upward to improve forehead wrinkles and sagging eyelids, can also be considered.

These are photos of a patient who consented to the use of the content.

Before surgery

This is how the patient looked before surgery. The distance between the eyebrows and the eyes was narrow, and the patient’s right eyebrow (left side in the photo) was lower. When the eyebrows are close to the eyes, sagging of the eyelid skin may look more severe, and the expression may appear heavy or intense.

After surgery

This is how the patient looked after surgery. The positions of both eyebrows were adjusted more evenly.

Because the right eyebrow was lifted more, symmetry improved, but the height of the double eyelids became slightly uneven.

In such cases, simple correction with eye surgery can be done later.

Aging around the eyes is a natural change that happens to everyone,

but depending on how it is managed and improved, it is possible to reduce functional discomfort and gain aesthetic satisfaction at the same time.

Eyelid correction or eyebrow correction can be selected depending on the patient’s condition and goals.

Through these procedures, it is important to maximize the desired effect while minimizing side effects and unnatural results,

and the problem of sagging eyes should be addressed. A customized approach and surgical method suited to each patient’s characteristics must always be carried out.

In all surgeries, the patient’s individual happiness and satisfaction are important.

For those experiencing wrinkles or sagging around the eyes due to aging, or discomfort with eye function,

there are various options that can help them recover as freely and quickly as possible from those problems.

I hope this post was helpful.

Thank you.