[Eton TV] Sleepy Eyes, Tired Expression! 3 Ways to Improve Drooping Eyelids

Have you ever been told that you “look tired” or “look sleepy”?

Not only is it a cosmetic issue,

but it can also be accompanied by functional problems such as reduced vision

when the eyelid covers your field of view,

so sleepy-looking eyes definitely need improvement.

However, before deciding on eye surgery without careful thought,

it is important to accurately understand

why your eyes look sleepy.

That is because eye surgery is not simply about opening the eyes wider;

it requires a personalized approach

that considers the overall impression and balance of the face.

The very act of blinking thousands of times every day

accelerates eyelid aging.

Just as repeatedly opening and closing a new book

loosens the paper,

the repeated movement of opening and closing the eyes,

which causes the double-eyelid fold to fold and unfold,

speeds up aging in the eyelid tissue.

The condition in which the power to open the eyes becomes weaker

is commonly called ptosis.

However, there are also

two types of ptosis.

The first is true ptosis,

in which the muscle that lifts the eyelid

(the levator muscle)

itself becomes weaker,

causing the black part of the eye to be covered.

The second is pseudo-ptosis,

in which the power to open the eyes is normal,

but the eyelid skin simply sags

and blocks the field of vision.

If it is pseudo-ptosis,

just removing the sagging skin can make the eyes look clearer,

but if it is true ptosis,

eye-opening correction surgery is necessary

to strengthen the muscle.

As we get older,

if the levator muscle weakens,

instead of opening the eyes, it pulls back the fat layer

located above the eyelid.

Because of this,

the eyes may appear sunken

and the depth may look more pronounced.

In such cases, simply adding fat grafting or filler

can instead interfere with the eye-opening muscle,

making the eyes look heavier and more tired.

Therefore, changes in the eye shape caused by aging

should fundamentally be addressed by eye-opening correction surgery,

which restores the power to open the eyes.

Many people think only of double-eyelid surgery

when trying to improve sleepy-looking eyes,

but I approach eye surgery

through three core components.

Eye-opening correction,

double-eyelid line creation,

and trimming excess skin.

All three are considered,

but depending on the patient’s most important goal,

the name of the surgery changes.

In general, “eye-opening correction”

is mainly aimed at improving the power to open the eyes,

while “upper blepharoplasty”

is mainly aimed at removing excess skin.

However, when surgery is performed using the incision method,

these three processes are actually done at the same time.

The procedure is performed in the order of strengthening the eye-opening muscle

(eye-opening correction),

creating the double-eyelid line at the desired position,

and finally removing the excess skin.

Sometimes after upper blepharoplasty,

the eye shape can look unnatural

or give a harsh impression,

becoming a so-called “sausage eye.”

This may happen because two mistakes were made

during the surgery.

First, the double-eyelid line may have been set too high.

Eyelid skin is thinner closer to the eyelashes,

and becomes thicker toward the eyebrows.

If the line is placed too high,

the thicker skin folds,

making the area above the double eyelid look puffy

and sausage-like.

Second, too much of the excess skin may have been removed.

A double eyelid should be a naturally folded, thin crease,

but if too much skin is removed from the thicker eyelid area,

the fold itself becomes thick and looks unnatural.

Therefore, for a natural result,

rather than trying to solve everything forcefully within the double-eyelid line,

it is important to consider a combined method

that matches the condition of the eyes.

The way eyelid skin sags also differs from person to person.

In particular, when the skin sags on the outer side beyond the white part of the eye,

it is difficult to correct with the double-eyelid incision line alone.

Because opening and closing the eyes is limited

to the central area where the white of the eye is located,

forcing the outer skin to be removed within the double-eyelid line

can only leave a scar.

In such cases, what is needed is

eyebrow lifting or sub-brow upper blepharoplasty.

This surgery involves making an incision under the eyebrow

and lifting and removing the sagging outer skin upward.

By removing skin from under the eyebrow,

the eyelid is lifted upward,

and outer drooping is effectively improved.

If the central part of the eyelid is also drooping

and the outer skin is also very wrinkled,

then a combined procedure is needed:

the eye-opening correction and skin trimming required through double-eyelid surgery,

and

the outer skin is removed by cutting it from under the eyebrow.

Some patients may misunderstand this and say,

“Why does another clinic say I only need one procedure,

but here you say I need two?”

However, this is a smart approach

that divides the areas that need to be addressed

to achieve a natural and satisfying result.

Through combined surgery,

you can avoid sausage-like eyes, artificial-looking eyes,

and a harsher impression.

For successful eye surgery,

in addition to the surgical method,

several personal factors should also be carefully checked.

✅ The distance between the eyes and eyebrows

If the distance between the eyes and eyebrows is too small,

eyebrow lift surgery should be considered carefully.

When you look in the mirror,

an interval about the size of one black pupil is appropriate,

but if the distance is even smaller than that,

an eyebrow lift may make the gap narrower,

which can make the expression look harsher.

If lifting the eyebrows is necessary,

it is essential to create a customized plan that considers the position of the eyebrows,

such as by considering a forehead lift.

✅ Whether eyelash tattooing has been done

Among older patients,

it is common to get eyelash tattooing

to make the eyes look sharper.

However, when surgery is performed with incision-based eye-opening correction,

the drooping structures are pulled upward,

which slightly lifts the eyelashes.

During this process,

a strongly applied eyelash tattoo may become overly exposed,

which can make the expression look harsher

and give a darker impression.

If you feel that your expression looks worse after eye surgery,

an overly high double-eyelid line

or exposed eyelash tattooing may be the cause.

Beyond surgical methods,

it is also important to slow eye aging

and maintain eye health.

The most important thing is

✅ not to rub your eyes.

Frequently touching or rubbing the eyes can loosen or damage

the structures related to the levator muscle.

In addition, long-term use of contact lenses

is also one of the factors that can bring on ptosis earlier.

In particular, hard lenses can cause more severe irritation

than soft lenses.

Using products such as double-eyelid tape or double-eyelid solution

also causes the thin and sensitive eyelid structure

to age more quickly.

If there is a functional problem with the eyes,

consulting a specialist at the right time

and establishing the best surgical plan tailored to the individual

is the wisest way to regain a bright and clear impression.

Thank you.