If the Upper Eyelid Is Drooping

As we enter middle age, various issues around the eyes—such as wrinkles, hollowness, and protrusion—can negatively affect the impression a person gives. They can also become visually unappealing, making it feel far from a youthful image and often interfering with aesthetics. The eyelids may sag, and the fat underneath may protrude, with a darkened appearance as if dark circles have formed.

In addition, due to aging, facial features may look different from before. At this time, midlife eye surgery can be considered, but it requires a more delicate design and plan than before elasticity decreases. This is because, while smoothing the under-eye area or improving the double eyelid line, care must also be taken to correct any stretched or sagging tissue.

The eye area, which changes easily due to external factors, is constantly blinking and moving whenever the gaze shifts, so it is very thin and easily loses elasticity. However, changes in the skin around the eyes also have a major effect on the eye shape, so as the eye appearance that influences a person’s features and impression changes, upper eyelid surgery may be considered.

In general, the eyelid can be defined as the upper eyelid, and the skin below the lower eyelashes as the lower eyelid. Among these, the former refers to the upper eyelid, and this procedure involves making an incision while considering the position and direction of the wrinkles in this area, then creating a line to correct the eyes into a clearer shape. In this process, a step to appropriately remove the downward-sagging skin tissue is needed, because if the correction is too excessive, the eyes may look sharp or unnatural, as if staring wide open. It also cannot be ruled out that new side effects or complexes different from before may arise.

Therefore, for upper eyelid surgery, in order to go through recovery stably and achieve natural results, it is important not to proceed too aggressively, but rather to set the amount of tissue removal conservatively and prevent side effects rather than causing risks. When beginning the actual upper eyelid procedure, after checking the degree, range, and shape of the drooping according to each individual, detailed plans such as where to place the line, the design, and the amount of skin to be removed should come first.

Next, unnecessary tissue and fat are removed, and the procedure is completed with fine suturing to create clear eyes and a defined eye shape. At this stage, if only the stretched line is removed and the line is formed, it can easily sag again, so a process to appropriately correct the muscle is also necessary. With upper eyelid surgery, if the force for opening the eyes is insufficient, a person may unconsciously use the forehead muscles. This can even lead to deep forehead wrinkles. If the forehead wrinkles are very deep or there are many of them and they are a concern, it is good to recognize that the fundamental cause is more likely weakness in the eye muscles rather than forehead sagging.

It is also important to clearly distinguish the opposite case, where the forehead sags so the force to open the eyes is not weak, but the tissue has been pushed downward, causing the eye area to sag. Sometimes people confuse this with the principle of general incision double eyelid surgery. As noted above, upper eyelid surgery must correct sagging caused by reduced elasticity, so the amount of tissue removed becomes greater. The key point is that the sagging area must be corrected, and in general, there is a difference in that an excision of 4 to 5 mm or more is performed. In particular, this procedure may be suitable when you want to remove sagging eyelids and create double eyelids at the same time, when you want to solve the problem of the eyelids blocking your field of vision, or when you want to prevent forehead wrinkles and feel a more youthful change.

Generally, the recovery period for upper eyelid surgery is something many people are curious about, and it is no exaggeration to say that it depends on the individual’s constitution and the medical staff’s skill. Usually, on day 1 there is some swelling and mild pain, so until day 2, ice packs should be used to prevent further swelling. At the same time, special care should be taken to relieve pain, and because the swelling may be particularly severe on day 2, close attention is needed. After about a week, the stitches are removed, and from then on you may notice that the larger swelling and bruising, which tend to fade more slowly, begin to subside one by one. After about a month, most of the major swelling has gone down, and within about two months, even the remaining minor swelling is almost gone.

However, please note that it may take up to around a year for the results to fully settle. Because the outcome varies greatly from person to person, it is most important to have sufficient one-on-one consultation with the medical staff before undergoing the procedure. If the medical team has extensive knowledge in this field and long clinical experience and expertise, they will be able to carry out the process smoothly in any case. In addition, if they insist on providing only the treatment truly necessary for each individual rather than excessive treatment, the procedure can also be carried out more reasonably in terms of cost, reducing the burden.

Moreover, in the case of upper eyelid surgery, there is a high possibility of various side effects occurring, such as asymmetry between the two eyes, not achieving a satisfying change even after surgery, or needing another operation within just a few months. If revision surgery becomes necessary or side effects occur, the financial burden can grow larger, which is why the initial start is important. Therefore, careful selection of the medical staff is necessary, and it is advisable to thoroughly check surgical cases as well. If the lower eyelid is sagging, lower eyelid surgery may help.

** This post was written as promotional content by Diba Plastic Surgery, in compliance with the Medical Advertising Act. **