What to Check If It Seems Like You Have Drooping Eyes: Male Ptosis

Hello, I’m Ahn Byung-joon, the director of Ahn Byung-joon Plastic Surgery Clinic.

In the exam room, there are times when male patients say things like this.

“I keep hearing that I look tired,” or “My eyes feel heavy, so I keep tensing my forehead.”

If these symptoms continue, it may be worth considering not just simple aging, but ptosis.

Male ptosis tends to receive less attention than in women, but it affects both functional discomfort and changes in appearance.

What is ptosis?

Ptosis refers to a condition in which the muscle that opens the eyes becomes weak, so the eyelid does not rise sufficiently.

Unlike loose eyelid skin, the key issue is decreased function of the muscle itself.

When the pupil is covered by the eyelid, the face can look dark or sleepy.

At this time, if you repeatedly use your forehead muscles to try to open your eyes wider, deep forehead wrinkles can form, and some people even complain of chronic headaches.

In severe cases, the field of vision becomes obstructed, causing inconvenience in daily activities such as driving or reading.

It is important to distinguish it from pseudoptosis

There are also cases that look like ptosis but have a different actual cause.

A representative example is pseudoptosis, in which the eyelid skin itself sags and covers the pupil.

If these two are not distinguished, the surgical approach will differ, so a careful analysis comes first.

In East Asians, eyelid skin sagging is common, and in some cases, simply removing the excess skin makes the eyes open much more comfortably.

On the other hand, if the actual cause is weakness of the muscle, it is necessary to strengthen the muscle through ptosis correction surgery.

If the main cause is skin sagging but muscle strengthening is performed first, it can lead to overcorrection or an unnatural result, so we approach the diagnosis process carefully.

How is the male ptosis solution carried out?

The surgery is customized according to the condition of the eyes.

A common method is to create a double eyelid line while also performing levator advancement, in which the muscle that opens the eye is pulled forward and fixed.

For example, it is often approached by designing a 6 mm double eyelid line and combining it with 6 mm levator advancement for ptosis correction.

The degree of muscle reinforcement and the actual amount the eyes open are proportional, but because the two eyes influence each other, a delicate balancing process during surgery is necessary.

In male ptosis surgery, it is especially important to design the result so the eyes do not look excessively large, but instead become naturally clearer.

For middle-aged and older men, a sudden change in appearance can leave the result looking awkward.

What is the recovery process after surgery like?

After surgery, swelling and bruising occur, and cold compresses are helpful for the first 2 to 3 days.

After that, switching to warm compresses helps reduce the remaining swelling.

During the recovery period, it is best to avoid rubbing or irritating the eyes, and to refrain from alcohol and smoking.

Around 2 weeks after surgery, the appearance becomes fairly stable, but it is appropriate to allow more than 3 months before confirming the final result.

When the eyes can open comfortably without needing to strain the forehead, headaches often decrease and the overall expression becomes much more natural.

To carefully understand the eye area, which varies greatly from person to person, the expertise of a board-certified plastic surgeon is important.

If your eyes continue to feel heavy or droopy, please first check whether you have male ptosis.

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