Brow Lift or Eyelid Surgery: What Is Causing Your Hooded Eyes?
Updated: 5 hours ago
Medical editor: Dr. Semih Yıldız, plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon (FEBOPRAS) · Last updated: October 2026
If your hooded eyelids are caused mainly by a dropped brow, a brow lift is the operation that treats the cause. If the brow sits in a good position and there is simply too much eyelid skin, upper eyelid surgery is the right choice. Many people have some of both, and then the two operations are combined.
Telling them apart matters, because each operation only corrects its own part of the problem. A brow lift in Istanbul raises low or heavy brows and can soften forehead lines, while eyelid surgery removes skin and fat from the eyelids themselves.
How a dropping brow creates hooding
The brows are not fixed in place. With age, the tissues of the forehead loosen and the brows slowly slide downwards, usually most at their outer end. As a brow drops, the skin between brow and lashes has nowhere to go, so it folds over the upper eyelid. In the mirror this looks like excess eyelid skin, but part of it is really brow skin that has moved down.
Some brows are naturally low from a young age, and men’s brows usually sit lower and flatter than women’s. In either case a low brow can make the eyes look tired, heavy or even angry, although the eyelids themselves are healthy.
Signs that point to the brow
No single sign decides it, but these features suggest that the brow plays a part:
the hooding is heaviest at the outer corners of the eyes
your brows sit at or below the bony rim of the eye socket
you have deep horizontal forehead lines, because you raise your brows without noticing in order to see better
your forehead feels tired by the evening, and the heaviness is worse when you are tired
photos from ten or fifteen years ago show clearly higher brows
By contrast, a crepey fold of skin that rests on the lid even when the brow is well positioned, or puffiness near the inner corner of the eye, points to the eyelid itself.
A third cause is easy to miss. Sometimes the edge of the upper eyelid itself sits too low because the muscle that lifts the lid has weakened or stretched, most often with age (eyelid ptosis). The lid edge then covers more of the coloured part of the eye than it should, even with the brow lifted and no skin resting on the lid. Neither a brow lift nor removing eyelid skin corrects this; ptosis is treated differently, usually with an operation on the lid-lifting muscle. This is why the height of the lid edge needs to be checked in an examination before an operation is chosen. An eyelid that droops suddenly needs prompt medical attention, and if it comes with double vision, a severe headache, weakness in the face, arm or leg, or difficulty speaking, call 112 in Turkey or your local emergency number straight away.
A simple mirror test you can try at home
This test does not replace an examination, but it gives you a rough idea of where the heaviness comes from:
Sit in front of a mirror in good, even light and look straight ahead.
Close your eyes, relax your forehead completely and open them again without raising your eyebrows.
Note where your brows sit and how much skin rests on your upper eyelids.
Place your fingertips just above the outer part of each brow and lift gently, only to where your brows sat when you were younger, not higher.
Look at your eyelids again.
If most of the hooding disappears, the brow is a major cause. If a fold of loose skin still lies on the lid, there is also true excess eyelid skin. If very little changes when you lift the brow, the problem lies mainly in the eyelids.
Why eyelid surgery alone can disappoint when the brow is low
Upper blepharoplasty removes skin from the eyelid, but it does not move the brow, and studies show that, on average, the brow sits slightly lower after eyelid surgery alone. When the brow is the main cause, the heaviness at the outer corners often remains after eyelid surgery. Removing extra eyelid skin to make up for a low brow does not solve this and risks taking too much skin, which can make the eyes look tight and, in more marked cases, leave them unable to close fully.
The reverse is also true. When excess eyelid skin is the main problem, lifting the brow alone leaves that skin in place. This is why brow position is part of every eyelid assessment, and why eyelid skin is part of every brow assessment.
Which brow lift technique fits which brow
The technique is chosen according to your anatomy rather than one standard approach:
Direct brow lift: skin is removed just above the eyebrow. This allows precise correction of brow height and asymmetry and suits people with thick brows, where the scar can be hidden.
Temporal (lateral) brow lift: the outer part of the brow is lifted through small incisions hidden in the temple hair. It suits hooding that sits mainly at the outer corners, and the temporal lift page describes this approach in more detail.
Endoscopic brow lift: the whole brow and forehead are lifted through a few small incisions behind the hairline, using a camera. It suits a brow that has dropped along its full length.
Dr. Semih Yıldız plans the lift around your brow shape, hairline and eyelids. Your hairline and forehead height are assessed as well, because the same brow position can call for a different approach in a person with a high forehead than in someone with a low hairline.
When both operations are done together
A brow lift is often combined with upper blepharoplasty to refresh the whole upper face, especially when there is both a dropped brow and real excess eyelid skin. In the same operation, the brow is usually addressed first, so that the amount of eyelid skin to remove can be judged with the brow already in its new position. This helps avoid taking too much skin.
A combined operation takes longer than either one alone, and recovery follows the brow lift timeline: the stitches are removed around day 7, and most people stay in Istanbul for about 7 days. The eyelid side of the plan is explained on the blepharoplasty page, and the techniques, recovery and risks of the brow side on our brow lift page.
Frequently asked questions
Can Botox lift a low brow instead of surgery?
Botox can raise the brows slightly for a few months by relaxing the muscles that pull them down. It can soften a mildly low brow, but it does not remove skin or reposition the tissues, so it cannot correct significant hooding. A brow lift gives a stronger and long-lasting change in brow position, while Botox has to be repeated to keep its effect.
Is hooding always a sign of ageing?
No. Some people have naturally low or heavy brows or full upper eyelids from a young age, and the tendency often runs in families. Others develop hooding gradually as the brow drops and the eyelid skin loosens. The cause, not your age, decides whether a brow lift, eyelid surgery or both make sense.
Can heavy brows and eyelids affect my vision?
Yes. When skin hangs over the lashes, it can narrow the upper and outer field of vision, and some people notice that they tilt their head back or raise their brows to see. Whether the cause is the brow, the eyelid skin, a low eyelid edge (ptosis) or a combination, and whether surgery is likely to help your vision, needs a proper examination.
If you are not sure whether your brows or your eyelids are behind the heaviness, you can send front and side photos of your face with your forehead relaxed for a free online assessment.
This article provides general information and does not replace a medical consultation. Results vary from person to person.
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