10th Jul 2024

How to Get Rid of Hooded Eyes

Appearance is at the forefront of many people's minds. Hooded eyes or hooded eyelids occur when the upper eyelid is covered by a fold of skin. This can make the eyelid less visible and look like heavy lidded eyes when the eyes are open. The hooding over the eye can affect how we see and eye makeup can become more difficult to apply. There are hooded eyelids treatment or hooded eyelid surgery that can create a more youthful and refreshed eye.

At Kensington Medical in London our expert plastic surgeons can achieve a refreshed eyelid for you with hooded eyelid surgery, get in touch to find out more.

Carried out under local aneasthesia, hooded eyelid removal is a transformational eyelid procedure. Recovery is swift. Price from £2,300 which includes all pre operative and post operative care. 

 

What Are Hooded Eyes?

Hooded eyes can also be called folded eyelids, droopy eyes, heavy lidded eyes or hooded eyelids and occurs when the skin on your upper eyelid droops down and covers part or all your eyelid. Hooded eyes can make you look tired, sad, or angry - even when you're not. This problem occurs because of genetics, ageing, or the way your eyes are shaped. It can affect men and women.

For some people, hooded eyelids are just a cosmetic issue. But for others, the skin can impede vision. If your hooded eyelids are severe enough, they can block your peripheral vision or make it difficult to open your eyes fully. This creates a functional problem besides a cosmetic one.

You're not alone if you have hooded eyes and are looking for ways to improve your appearance or fix any functional problems. Here are the best eye lid removal options to get rid of hooded eyes.

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How to Get Rid of Hooded Eyes with a surgical procedure

For some people, surgery is the only way to get rid of hooded eyes or droopy hooded eyes. There are two main options for surgery for hooded eyelids to consider. 

A blepharoplasty for hooded eyelids or eyelid reduction surgery is often the best option. During an upper blepharoplasty, your surgeon will make an incision in your skin and remove the excess skin.

Upper lid blepharoplasty or upper eyelid surgery is carried out under a local anaesthesia and is a day case procedure. A local anaesthetic will numb the area, and they may give you sedation to help you relax. The surgery takes about 1-2 hours, and you'll be able to go home the same day.

Full recovery from blepharoplasty can take a few weeks. You will have some bruising and swelling, and your eyes may feel dry or irritated. Full details on what to do is provided well in advance of the operation. We are also on hand to answer any queries after the operation.

A lateral brow lift or temporal lift can also help with a droopy or hooded eye by lifting the hooded brow helping to lift the brwo so they brow bone sits just below the brow, creating a more youthful eye. A temporal lift tightens the skin above and below the brows and lifting them into a more youthful position. The results appear subtle and creates a refreshed look, often lifting the outer corener of the hooded eye.

A small incision is made in the hairline near the temple, and the underlying muscles are tightened. Recovery is quick, and you can be back to work in a day or two.

Find out if you are suitable, get in touch today

How Long Do the Results from An Eyelid Reduction Last?

The results from eyelid surgery for hooded eyes are usually long-lasting. However, ageing and gravity will eventually take their toll, and you may need a touch-up procedure but generally in many years to come. The best way to keep your results reasonable is to protect your skin from the sun and avoid smoking. Focus on overall wellness and health, and your eyes will thank you.

Best Non-Invasive treatment Options for a Hooded eye or hooded eyelids?

Many ask, can you fix hooded eyes without surgery. If you are not ready for hooded eyelid removal surgery or don't want to deal with the recovery, some non surgical hooded eyelid removal treatments can help. However they are temporary and the results will not be as dramatic as hooded eye surgery. 

Botox brow lift for hooded eyelift

Botox can help if the hooding is not too severe. Botox can help by giving a small lift above the eyebrow creating a non surgical eyelift. This will help lift the skin and make your eyes look more open. However, this will need to be done every three months to maintain results and it will not be as greater result as a hooded eye lift.

Ultherapy brow lift

Ultherapy is a non sugical alternative and can help to lift the brow which will lift the upper eyelids. Ultherapy is a non-invasive ultrasound technology that helps to tighten the area above the brow. It can achieve a lifting effect, however, results last  approx. 12 months and the cost over time can far outweight the cost of hooded eyelid reduction surgery. 

Plexr

Plexr is a non-surgical eyelift alternative to tighten the skin.  The treatment is a medical plasma pen treatment that creates many dots by the Plexr device that runs across the eyelid. Following treatment, the areas treated will be red with swelling. At the site of each dot, there will be a carbon crust that should not be touched except to camouflage for 7 days.Unusual side effects include infection, scarring or pigmentation changes.

It is not a long term solution for a hood eyelid.

Dermal fillers

Dermal fillers are not recommended to treat hooded eyes. Dermal fillers can be used to fill in a temple that has an indented appearance. Generally it does not give the lift required for a hooded eyelid.

Non surgical eyelift treatmens offer short-term solutions, you will need yearly treatments to maintain the results. The result are not as impressive as an eye lift surgery. 

Surgery for hooded eyelids is a more permanent solution and offers better results. However, it's a more invasive procedure with a longer recovery time. However our patients generally see a 10 day turnaround. Applying makeup near the eye area if there is some bruising can help and so too can wearing sunglasses. It's important to talk to our plastic surgeon at Kensington Medical about your goals and any timelines you may have to decide if eyelid reduction surgery is the right option you are seeking.

Am I a Good Candidate for an Upper Eyelid Reduction Surgery?

If you have hooded eyes and are looking for a way to improve your appearance, you may be a suitable candidate for eyelid surgery for hooded eyes. This procedure can help to correct functional problems, as well as give you a more youthful appearance.

The best way to find out if you are a suitable candidate is to talk to one of our expert plastic surgeons. They can chat you through what is involved in more detail, look at what type of blepharoplasty you need and talk about timelines.

Take a look at Mr. David Gateley’s video on upper eyelid removal surgery. 

Are there Complementary Procedures with a Blepharoplasty?

For some people, a blepharoplasty for hooded eyes is all they need to achieve their desired results. But for others, complementary procedures can help achieve the look they want. Some decide to also have a temporal lift at the same time.

The temporal lift or lateral brow lift will help to lift the brow to expose the brow bone so it sits below the eyelid: which will create a more youthful looking eye.

You can observe this in the mirror to see where your brow bone sits, above or below the brow. If it is above the brow or burried in the eyebrow you may be a candidate for a lateral brow lift as well as a hooded eyelid lift. It is best to chat through what you are after with our cosmetic surgeons. To find out more visit contact us for eye lift advice.

Take the step and get in touch

If you are considering hooded eyelid surgery, the first step is to schedule a consultation with one of our expert cosmetic surgeons at Kensington Medical.

Call us or contact us with any questions on hooded eyelid reduction.

 

Our expert eyelift plastic surgeons who treat hooded eyelids:

Mr David Gateley Consultant Plastic Surgeon GMC 2939470, MA FRCS, FRCS (Plast)

Mr Amir Sadri Consultant Plastic Surgeon GMC 6163656, FRCS (Plast)

Mr Paul Tulley Consultant Plastic Surgeon GMC: 4035952 | BSc MB BS MD FRCS(Plas)

To find out about Kensington Medical, our 5 star hospitals in Harley street, London, UK and Wimbledon near to Richmond and Kingston and our quality care,  click about us here.