Unlocking the Mystery of Hooded Eyes: Causes, Concerns, and Corrections

You may have hooded eyes or be wondering if you have hooded eyes. We will look at all that in this article and help you make the right choice on whether to correct it or not.

In hooded eyes, you will notice the skin and soft tissue above your eye droop from your brow region to cover your eye. You may notice that the skin below your eyebrows extends downwards and either touches or nearly touches the lashes. It is commonly due to genetics, aging, and other factors.

What Hooded Eyes Look Like?

If you’re wondering if you have hooded eyes, here’s how you can know.

The symptoms you may notice are:

• Excess skin partially or completely covering the upper eyelid.
• Deep wrinkles in the eyelid’s creases.
• Tired-looking eyes.
• The skin below your brow touches your eyelid line.
• Little space on the eyelids for makeup.
• Deep-set eyes.

Hooded Eyes vs Droopy Eyes

Many confuse hooded eyes for droopy eyes. However, they are a tad different. 

While hooded eyes, also called dermatochalasis, are caused by skin dropping from the eyebrows and covering the lids, the lids themselves are implicated in droopy eyes. 

Droopy eyes are when the eyelids cannot be completely opened and so, hang downward and impairs vision.

While hooded eyes are not pathological, droopy eyes can be caused by diseases such as myasthenia gravis, stroke, Horner syndrome, etc.

Common Causes of Hooded Eyes

Why do you have hooded eyes, you ask? Several reasons are implicated in hooded eyes. Let’s look at them.

Family History

Genetics are a major cause of hooded eyes. If your parents have hooded eyes, odds are you will have hooded eyes as well. A trait for hooded eyes is commonly implicated in the eye shape. It is nothing to worry about, as it is normal.

Race and Ethnicity

Hooded eyes are found more commonly in people of Asian descent. However, it isn’t exclusive to the Asian race.

Muscle/Fat Relationship

The relationship between fat and muscle will play a role in whether you will have hooded eyes. If your muscle bulk drops and excess fat accumulates, there is a risk of hooded eyes. 

It is worthy of note that if you have been on the big side and lose a lot of weight, there may be excess skin that hangs down on the eyelid causing hooded eyes.

Aging

As you get older, certain changes occur in your skin. These can culminate in hooded eyes. The collagen and elastin in your skin diminish and your skin elasticity drops. This can lead to hooded eyes.

Atopy

Atopy is commonly involved with constantly scratching the eyes. In atopy, you notice a lot of allergy and hypersensitivity. This causes you to always rub your eyes to relieve the itch. The skin of the eyelids is sensitive. Over time, the constant rubbing of the eyes can cause hooded eyes.

Injuries

Injuries on the face can lead to hooded eyes. Even a previous eye surgery can be implicated. Trauma to the face can lead to hooded eyes.

Do I Need Treatment for Hooded Eyes?

Hooded eyes are not an abnormality. It is perfectly natural and doesn’t require any treatment or intervention.

However, people are different and you may feel you need treatment for your hooded eye. If that will make you feel more confident and youthful, that’s great! There are various options available and we will discuss them later in this article.

Also, it is possible to have hooded eyes affect your vision at different degrees. In this, treatment is indicated to restore clear vision.

Can Hooded Eyes be attractive?

Whether hooded eyes are attractive or not is largely due to peculiar personal opinions and sentiments. Several people also call hooded eyes “come-to-bed eyes”. 

Quite some celebrities have hooded eyes and are seen as attractive. Here are some of them:

• Jennifer Lawrence
• Brad Pitt
• Taylor Swift
• Emma Stone
• Tom Cruise
• Gabrielle Union
• Blake Lively
• Chris Hemsworth
• Justin Timberlake

Treatment for Hooded Eyes

If you opt to treat your hooded eye, there are options at your disposal to treat the hooded eye. These can be nonsurgical or surgical. This is a temporal treatment. It lasts about 4 months.

Nonsurgical Treatment

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are indicated in the treatment of hooded eyes. Injecting fillers to the temple and brows can help lift the brows, thus reducing hooded eyes. Treatment is temporary and lasts  6-12 months

Botox

Using Botox is effective in treating hooded eyes. It is also called Botox brow lift. Botox is strategically injected into the muscles around the eyebrows to lift it and make the eyes brighter and wider.

Eye Drops

There is an FDA-approved eye drop that temporarily lifts the eyes. Upneeq causes the eyelids to contract. This opens up the eyes more, fixing the hood.

Pelleve

Pelleve is a non-invasive treatment that uses radiofrequency to tighten the skin around the eyes, neck, and labia majora. This stimulates collagen formation. The skin over the eyebrows and eyelids regain elasticity and the hooded skin is elevated and cleared from over the eyelids.

Makeup Techniques

Several makeup techniques will be helpful in masking hooded eyes. Mascara, eye shadows, and eyeliners can increase the perceived size of the eye. The plan is to maximize the available eyelid to mask the hood.

Surgical Treatments

Surgical treatments are preferred in managing Hooded eyes. They give a more definitive and permanent solution to the hooded eyes.

Upper Lid Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty is a definitive cure for hooded eyes. It is a surgical procedure done to remove the excess skin and tissue that covers the eyelids. 

It requires anesthesia and has more risks and side effects than the noninvasive procedures.

For better results, blepharoplasty can go concurrently with a Brow lift—a surgical procedure where you elevate the eyebrows. This will move the extra skin upwards and expose the eyelids.

Preparing for Hooded Eye Blepharoplasty

Consultation

Ahead of your blepharoplasty, you will have a consultation session with our expert.

In this consultation, the health expert will:

• Do a general assessment of your general health.
• Ensure you are a good fit for the procedure.
• Help you set realistic goals.
• Explain the risk factors and possible complications of the procedure.
• Advise you on things to avoid before the procedure—blood thinners, alcohol, smoking.

Benefits

The benefits of blepharoplasty include:

• You look younger.
• Your eyes look brighter.
• Improves your field of vision.
• There is minimal scarring post-op.
• The results are durable, lasting even more than 7 years.

Risks

There are several risks and potential complications that follow blepharoplasty. They can be minimal or severe.

Here are some minimal complications that will resolve quickly:

• Pain
• Redness
• Swelling
• Watery Eyes
• Dry Eyes

More serious side effects and complications include:

• Hematoma
• Blurry Vision
• Scarring
• Anesthesia Problems

Aftercare

After the procedure, you can go home and continue recovery in 48 hours. You will need someone to drive you home.

Symptoms like swelling, pain, rubor, and blurry vision may persist for a while, but they will consistently reduce over time with proper care.

The care following blepharoplasty can be grouped based on several things.

Incision Care

• Clean the incision site with saline twice daily.
• No makeup on the site of the incision until sutures are removed.
• Use ice packs on the swollen area 48 hours post-op.

Activities

• Minimize physical activity until 1 week post-op;
• No heavy weight lifting;
• Sleep with your head elevated;
• Avoid rubbing your eyes;
• Sneeze with your mouth open;

Drugs

• Resume stopped drugs after discussing with your doctor;
• Take your antibiotics and analgesics as prescribed;

Hooded Eyes FAQs

1. How many times can you have blepharoplasty?
   • You can have a blepharoplasty multiple times if you need to. However, this is not recommended owing to the risk of surgery. Explore other options and only use repeated blepharoplasty if inevitable.
2. How long does Blepharoplasty last?
   • Blepharoplasty can be done in the upper eyelid or lower eyelid. The results of the surgery on the upper eyelid last more than 7 years. When the results deteriorate, try a brow lift instead.
3. Are hooded eyes covered by insurance?
   • Most cosmetic procedures are usually not covered by insurance. They are usually charged out of your pocket. However, when the hooded eye has impaired vision, it may be considered as a treatment. Discuss with your insurance provider.
4. What causes hooded eyes?
   • Hooded eyes are mostly caused by genetic traits. If a parent has hooded eyes, their children will likely have hooded eyes. Other causes include aging, excess eye rubbing, race, etc.
5. Are hooded eyes attractive?
   • What counts as attractive varies from person to person based on preferences. Hooded eyes are natural and are seen as attractive by several celebrities. But you are to decide if you like how it looks on you or not.