The Ultimate Guide to Fixing Droopy Eyelids

Published October 27, 2023

The gift of aging consists of us having our skin to change physically. We gradually lose its elasticity and begin drooping. This sagging effect is most evident on our faces, especially in the areas around our eyes. 

It can often look like you have a droopy eyelid. This term also holds many meanings. It can be a droopy brow. In other cases, the lid is low. 

In this article, we’ll unravel everything you need about droopy eyelids. We’ll have a rich discussion about what it is and what causes it. We’ll also tap into all the ways natural, and cosmetics means to fix it. Spoiler: you can also exercise your way to reversing it. Let’s begin. 

What Is Ptosis? (Droopy Eyelid)

Ptosis is when your upper eyelid droops, sags, or falls over your eye. It happens because your elevator muscle, which lifts your eyelid, doesn’t function as it should. It can limit your vision. In some cases, block it altogether. It will depend on how much your lid droops. It can also affect one or both upper eyelids. It can also be worse in one eye than the other. 

What Causes Droopy Eyelids?

Pinpointing the source and severity of a droopy eyelid is more complicated than one might assume. 

The first kind of drooping you can observe is the height of the eyelid. The second kind is the height and position of the eyebrow. When people see themselves in the mirror, a droopy eyebrow appears and manifests as a full, heavy, or droopy eyelid. The last thing you can check is the skin that folds between those two structures, between the brows and eyelids. 

Yet, any bags, sags, and dark circles around the eyes are associated with aging skin. The skin attached to the eyelids is some of the thinnest in our entire bodies. Also, it is constantly moving. 

Not to mention, our eyelids take a toll when they are exposed to the sun. The combination of thin skin, constant movement with blinking, and sun exposure causes that particular skin area to stretch with time, gravity, and age. 

It is also worth discussing that our body composition also shifts as we age. Fat is a sign of youth. If you think about a baby’s face, it’s full of it. As we age, we lose fat. We gain, instead, hollows and skeleton eyes. The two cast shadows and contour our eyelids. 

What Are the Symptoms of Droopy Eyelids?

The main symptom of a droopy eyelid is sagging skin on the upper eyelid that hangs over the eyelashes. It can impact the appearance of the eye. Also, it makes it challenging to apply makeup. Other symptoms may include a tired appearance, eyelid irritation, and dry eyes. In some people, they may experience headaches and reduced peripheral vision. 

How to Fix Droopy Eyelids Without Surgery: Natural and Cosmetic Ways

1. Cucumber 

While you may see them in juices and salads, one can use cucumber for droopy eyelids. These vegetables are rich in caffeic acid and ascorbic acid. They can help tighten the eyelid skin and heal eyelid inflammation. You can also make your skin smooth and glowing with it. 

2. Chamomile tea bags 

Chamomile tea bags are shown to improve the tear film. It consists of layers that keep our eyes moist. It can also cause blepharitis, which is dandruff, thick oils, and inflammation around the eyelashes. 

3. Aloe vera gel 

Aloe vera contains antioxidants that can help treat droopy and sagging eyelids. It can help tighten and rejuvenate the skin around the eyelids. It can also keep your eyelashes moisturized and hydrated. 

4. Ice water

Ice water is a quick fix to boost the energy around the eyes; it is a great way to wake you up. Wash your eyes with ice-cold water, or use ice cubes and gently rub your closed eyelid around the eyes. The ice cubes and very cold water will ease sagging eyelid skin. 

5. Skincare 

You can improve your skin’s appearance by using a lifting or firming eye cream to restore the skin’s capacity to produce collagen. 

Several skin ingredients can help with your droopy eyelids. For one, retinol. Retinol is a form of vitamin A that is famed for many anti-aging skincare products. It facilitates new collagen production in the skin’s deeper layers. It speeds up the cell renewal process. You can also leverage the power of vitamin E. Vitamin E is a robust antioxidant with anti-inflammatory, photoprotective, and wound-healing properties. It helps thicken the epidermis and better its ability to bind and sustain moisture. 

6. Botox or Dysport Injections 

Injection of products that consist of botulinum toxins (Botox or Dysport) can help tighten a sagging complexion. It reduces wrinkles around your eyes. 

Botox and Dysport injection works to correct eyelid issues connected with aging. It weakens muscle in the crow’s feet area around your eye. It gives you a more youthful look when you smile. 

It can also lift your brows. You can achieve a Botox brow lift, too, that can take some of those folds and weight of the upper lids. Win-win! 

7. Fillers 

Hyaluronic acid gel fillers can give extra volume to fill deeper crevices on your cheeks. Also, around your lower lid areas. 

Fillers in the lower eyelids can better the hollowness that can be created beneath the bag within the eyelid. It is not perfect, though. Fillers can give a bluish hue in those hollow areas. It can provide a slight appearance of dark circles. 

8. Opus Plasma Treatment 

Opus Plasma is an FDA-cleared, nonsurgical skin rejuvenation treatment. It uses radiofrequency and plasma to address skin concerns. It can treat fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, skin laxity, and acne scars. It can give you a nonsurgical eyelid lift solution to tighten and rejuvenate your skin. 

9. Venus Viva 

Venus Viva resurfaces skin with nanofractional radiofrequency RF energy to treat fine lines and deep wrinkles. It is also helpful with acne scars, large pores, uneven skin texture, and stretch marks. It stimulates collagen production in the skin. It can help tighten and lift sagging eyelids.

Exercises to Strengthen Drooping Eyelid Muscles

Performing exercises at least three times per week for a minimum of 20 weeks can enhance the appearance of certain facial parts. While no research exists on practice for droopy eyelids, it’s possible that they can provide improvement in eyelid drooping. It must be done regularly for the best results. 

1. Wide eyes 

• Open the eyes as wide as possible for 5 seconds 
• Relax the eyes for 5 seconds 
• Repeat the process for 30 seconds 

2. Brow lifter 

The brow lifter targets the frontalis muscle of the forehead. It connects to the elevator muscles of the eyelid. 

• Place the hands on the forehead and thrust against it with slight pressure. 
• Using the forehead muscles, try raising the forehead for 5 seconds. 
• Repeat 5-10 times. 

3. Rapid lids 

• Use two fingers to press delicately against each temple. 
• Open and close the eyes rapidly. 
• Continue doing so for 20 seconds. 

4. Diagonal stretch 

• Gently place one finger at the end of each eyebrow facing forward. 
• Using facial muscles, look down as far as you can. 
• Let the eyeballs gaze from one side to the other. Think of it as a pendulum. 
• Do so for 20 seconds. 

5. Lion’s breath 

This exercise is a kind of pranayama breathing that people apply in yoga. It is known to increase energy and eliminate toxins. It may also assist in stretching out the muscles around the eye. It will make them more supple. 

• Open your eyes as wide as possible as you gaze upward. 
• Simultaneously, stick the tongue out and down as far as it will go 
• Hold for 5-10 seconds. Exhale with “haaaa” breath. 

Surgical Treatments to Fix Droopy Eyelids

Surgical options offer a more lasting solution that can treat more components that make up the aging process. The surgical options are crafted to treat structural concerns around the eyelids. For one, crow’s feet and deeper crevices are due to aging. 

1. Eyelid surgery

Eyelid surgery, such as blepharoplasty and other procedures, can rid excess skin and fat. What they would do is reposition it and tighten the skin. 

2. Fat removal 

If you want a more dramatic, rejuvenating outcome from surgery, you’ll want to opt for a more profound restructuring. Fat removal treats the problem of excess fat and bags. 

Older surgeries consist of only ridding excess fat. It can better the under-eye bag, but it does nothing to enhance the hollow area beneath it. 

3. Fat repositioning 

Oculoplastic surgeons reposition the fat for the hollow underneath eye bags rather than removing it wholly. 

It is done to improve the shadows, hollows, and the contours. T repositioning fat from one area addresses the bag and the hollow area underneath it. It also treats dark circles and hollows better than hyaluronic acid fillers. Yet, it is a more significant commitment since it is a surgery.