Middle-Aged Eye Surgery: How Should Eyelid Sagging Be Treated?

Hello, this is Director Jo Hyun-woo of 3D Plastic Surgery.

Today, I’d like to talk about eye surgery rather than contour surgery.

As many people enter their mid-to-late 30s, one concern that comes up is sagging eyelids.

Many people say that the double eyelids that were visible when they were younger become covered and less noticeable, making their eyes look smaller.

Of course, the mid-to-late 30s is still young, but it can be seen as the beginning of aging.

Sagging eyelids in the mid-to-late 30s

How should sagging eyelids be treated?

Sagging eyelids can be treated with eye surgery.

People in this age group often do not want their eye shape to change much.

That is why I recommend lifting the current double-eyelid line by only about 1–2 mm with a buried suture method using natural adhesion.

In that case, the sagging eyelids are lifted, and the droopy feeling is greatly reduced.

A patient whose sagging eyelids were improved with the natural adhesion buried suture method

This patient shown here is a 39-year-old woman.

As you can see in the before-and-after photos, her sagging eyes were naturally improved with the natural adhesion buried suture method.

In addition to double-eyelid surgery, there are two major surgeries that can improve sagging eyelids.

These are sub-brow excision and endoscopic brow and forehead lift.

The choice between the two depends on the patient’s eyebrows and eye condition. In my case, if the space between the eyes and eyebrows is wide, I first recommend considering sub-brow excision.

Sub-brow excision is a procedure that cuts away the skin below the eyebrow and lifts it upward, as shown in the illustration below.

How the 'sub-brow excision' procedure is performed

Because it does not involve the eye itself, sagging skin can be lifted very naturally.

The part patients worry about most is scarring, but over time the scar gradually fades and remains almost invisible.

These days, many people also get eyebrow tattoos, so if you have a tattoo as well, the scar may not be visible at all.

I will show you before-and-after photos of patients who underwent sub-brow excision.

A patient whose sagging eyelids were improved with sub-brow excision

A patient whose sagging eyelids were improved with sub-brow excision

As you can see, the sagging eyelids have naturally been lifted upward.

Next is the endoscopic brow and forehead lift.

If the space between the eyes and eyebrows is narrow, doing sub-brow excision would make that space even narrower, creating a very tight-looking impression.

In that case, the procedure to consider is a forehead lift.

I have previously introduced the endoscopic forehead lift in a column.

For the detailed surgical method, it would be good to refer to that column.

A patient whose sagging eyelids were improved with an endoscopic forehead lift

As you can see in the before-and-after photos, the sagging eyelids are naturally lifted, and as the distance between the eyes and eyebrows increases, the stern and cramped-looking impression can be made fresher and more open.

Today, I introduced three ways to address sagging eyelids in middle age.

The surgeries explained above are methods that can help solve sagging eyelids.

However, the most suitable surgery differs for each patient, so if you decide based on your own situation, you may be able to have a younger and more attractive eye shape without much difficulty.

Thank you.