What Can I Do to Improve my Hooded Eyelids? (photo)

Thank you for sharing your question, because many patients have your concerns. Eyelids can be hooded at any age. They tend to worsen as we age. From your photographs, it appears that a slight amount of skin could be removed from your upper lids. Make sure to see an oculoplastic surgeon who believes in under correcting the problem, so that you don't look "fake" after the surgery.

Thank you for your question.  Botox would be a non surgical option to try and raise your eyebrow to make the appearance of less heaviness.  If you have loose skin and puffiness then surgery would the only option to remove.  Extra skin and fat on the upper eyelid can cause the eyes to feel and look tired. Taken to the extreme, the extra skin can hang so much that it can hamper your vision and cause discomfort.  If you look tired when you're not, and can’t put eye shadow or mascara due to excess skin covering your eyelids, then you can benefit from upper eyelid lift or Upper Blepharoplasty.  
Please make sure you find a reputable and qualified plastic surgeon who can assess you properly to give you a realistic idea of what outcome you can achieve.  All The Best 

Facial aging affects the entire face, but nowhere is it more noticeable than the area around the eyes. Aging of the soft tissue in this area not only makes us look older, but can change how we're perceived. Excess eyelid skin can make us look tired and less energetic, while brow descent can make us look serious and even angry. For these reasons, brow lift and blepharoplasty are commonly requested cosmetic procedures.Your pictures suggest mild brow descent and minimal excess eyelid skin. In someone who's only 21, the risk benefit ratio of surgical correction should be carefully considered. It's essential that the pros and cons of surgical intervention be thoroughly understood. Although surgery could be undertaken to correct your anatomic deformity, it might be better to delay surgery until you're older. For these reasons, it's important to consult a board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this area. This surgeon should be able to formulate a treatment plan that addresses your age, anatomic findings and aesthetic goals.

#Hooding of eyelids at a young ageIts possible to have familial low brow or heavy hooded eyelidsYou will do well with a simple #blepharoplasty

Firstly, you should understand that you have very attractive and youthful eyes/eyebrows. And it is unusual to have a blepharoplasty at such a young age. But as part of your normal anatomy, you DO have  hereditary eyelid fullness that is bothersome to some people.

Personally, my preference is avoid surgery in young, attractive patients, as the risk to benefit ratio is too high. However, I've had a few young patient's that were very unhappy with this anatomy, and after having a good discussion with them regarding risks of surgery and possible changes  to the overall look, have offered blepharoplasty with excellent patient satisfaction. I have provided the link to the before and after photos of a similar patient. She was a 22 year old woman who wanted to be able to wear eye makeup for her wedding, and was thrilled with the final post op result.

If you like the outcome of that patient  [link below], you could consider a conservative SKIN ONLY blepharoplasty. You should NOT have any fat or muscle removed! You would risk a very hollow upper eyelid as you get older.

Be absolutely sure with your decision before taking the plunge, and don't ever let a surgeon talk you into a procedure that you are not comfortable with.

Early brow ptosis from congenital forehead shape can leade to early eyelid hooding.  In young patients like yourself, dysport or botox for brow shaping can elevate brow postion and give your eyes a fressher look.  It will not completely correct your hooding but it will improve it slightly in a safe, non-surgical way.  If you like the results, you may want to consider and upper blepharoplasty with a brow pexy.  If you treat the hooding with only a blepharoplasty, you are not treating the cause...brow hooding.  You are likely to have clean eyelids but a tired look to your eyes.  All the best.

You have a nice youthful natural upper eyelid and brow area and surgery is not recommended at this time.

I agree that you would benefit from eyelid surgery.  No you do not look forty.  The issue is that you need a very conservative upper blepharoplasty.  Unfortunately that is not the surgery you are likely to get.  Most eyelid surgeons think it is their job to remove every bit of upper eyelid fold and fat.  This hollows out the upper eyelid-think Kenny Rogers.  The answer for you is what I call a microblepharoplasty.  A minimal skin removal is performed to expose more of the eyelid platform but preserve the natural fold.  Currently your upper eyelid fold actually rests on your eyelashes.  This means that any eye liner gets rubbed off by the eyelid fold.  The key with the surgery is to understand that the fold is important but to remove enough to expose a uniform stip of eyelid platform.  My website has examples of this type of work. The other issue that the photo demonstrates is a very small degree of upper eyelid ptosis.  This can be compensated for at the time of eyelid surgery by tightening the levator aponeurosis when the anchor blepharoplasty is performed with the microblepharoplasty.  Bottom line is that please do not expect your neighborhood eyelid surgeon to do this type of refined eyelid procedure.

Hi Urielle,

While I agree with the other doctors that your eye has a nice shape and the eyelids are appropriate for your age, you may be able to improve the issue with a simple skin-only upper eyelid blepharoplasty. As long as it is done conservatively, you will probably get the change you are seeking. Just make sure it's not overdone.

All the best

Thank you for your questions.  I must agree that 21 year old is quite young for #lidsurgery.  Your eyes look quite appropriate for 21 years old and so is the position of your eyebrow.  Sometimes, the eyebrows start sagging, making the upper lid looks heavier.  But it is not your case.  That being said, when I meet my patients, I do assess for the upper lid fat pads, which could be contributing to the heaviness of your upper lids.  As you may know, upper lid surgery often involves excision of some skin but also removal of the inner and central upper lid fat pads.  That would be better address in person with your plastic surgeon.  So best to meet a specialist in person as pictures are only 2-dimentional.  Best of luck!  Dr. Marc DuPere, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Toronto.