Droopy eyelids

Many people, men and women, say they are embarrassed or even have a complex about droopy eyelids. Indeed, droopy eyelids make the eyes look tired and sometimes sad.

The upper and lower eyelids have a protective role for our eyes, help us control the quantity of light that reaches them, and their movement keeps our eyes continuously hydrated.

Various factors can lead to droopy eyelids, a phenomenon known as ptosis. Generally speaking, a droopy eyelid is due to skin aging but some people can be born with droopy eyelids.

For droopy upper eyelids, the first thing to do is to ensure that it is not droopy eyebrows. Indeed, sometimes with time, the eyebrows tend to sag downwards, particularly towards the tail, and in this case it is necessary to correctly reposition the eyebrows and not operate on the eyelids.

Several factors contribute to the heavy, droopy appearance of the upper and lower eyelids:

• Excess skin that makes the upper and/or lower eyelids heavy
• Fat tissue deposits can cause the upper and lower eyelids to swell (eye bags)
• Ptosis, which is a weakening of the muscle that lifts the eyelid and opens the eye, thus resulting in a droopy upper eyelid. It is thus necessary to differentiate ptosis that occurs on just one side or both, constantly or more at the end of the day (myasthenia).

As we get older, our skin gradually thins and loses its elasticity and tone. We thus witness the gradual loosening of the skin, over the whole body and face, particularly in areas where the skin is very delicate, fine, and under a lot of strain due to movement. This is particularly the case around the eyes, and therefore the eyelids, whether it is the upper eyelid that seems heavier or the lower eyelid that sags and wrinkles.

These conditions affect the eye area and the expression can seem sad, tired, and darker, changing our entire face and its harmony.

In this case, a blepharoplasty can treat droopy eyelids.

With the upper eyelid, an upper blepharoplasty will remove excess skin, and potentially an internal hernia (pocket of fat), that changes and ages the eye area.

With the lower eyelid, a lower blepharoplasty for a droopy eyelid will require the skin to be tightened and often a canthopexy (fixation of the outer canthus) performed with a scar under the eyes. When the lower eyelid is not drooping and there are no bags, a blepharoplasty with no external scars is possible.