Some people don’t mind their hooded eyes, but it’s understandable if you do. They may feel like just another part of getting older, or your genetics, that you can’t control.
But you can get rid of hooded eyelids. You don’t have to look tired or deal with droopy hooded eyelids anymore. Now there are multiple different treatments that can all drastically change the look of your hooded eyelids.
Which treatments the best, and which ones right for you? This post will give you all the details. But before we do that it’s helpful to know exactly what hooded eyelids are, and how to know if you have them.
What Is The Cause of Hooded Eyelids?
Hooded eyelids are a noticeable amount of skin over the crease of an eyelid. The crease can be partially or fully covered by the skin. This makes the eyelid look smaller, and gives it a “hooded” appearance.
Hooded eyelids are genetic, so they’re natural in some people. They can also develop or become more noticeable as you age.
Hooded eyes aren’t always a bad thing. Even some celebrities have them. But they can cause problems for some people. In some cases hooded eyes can cause discomfort and even make it harder to see.
Other people feel like their hooded eyes negatively affect their appearance, and this is usually the case with hooded eyelids caused by aging.
Not sure if you have hooded eyes or not? It’s pretty easy to tell once you know what to look for.
How to Tell If You Have Hooded Eyes
Eyes generally come in a few different shapes. There are about 5-8 main shapes, depending on who you ask. One of those shapes is hooded eyes.
Sounds complicated right? Luckily it’s pretty easy to tell what shape your eyes are with a few simple questions.
To determine if you have hooded eyes or not, look at yourself in a mirror and ask:
Can I see a full crease above my eyes when my eyes are open?
A full crease will be unobstructed by any skin and continue from one end of your eyelid to the other. If you can’t see a full crease then you either have hooded eyelids or monolid eyes.
Is your eyelid crease covered by skin or do you not have eyelid creases at all?
If your eyelid crease is covered then you have hooded eyelids. Monolids aren’t just covered, they appear to have no crease at all. (monolids are most common in people of East Asian descent)
There are different kinds of hooded eyes. They may be deep-set hooded eyes, or possibly a little downturned. If you’re curious about your exact eye shape wikihow has a great tutorial on how to find it.
But you don’t have to know the exact type of hooded eyes you have, if you want to fix them.
How to Get Rid of Hooded Eyelids: The Benefits of Eyelid Tape
The quickest effective treatment for hooded eyelids is eyelid tape. Eyelid tape is a transparent adhesive strip that lifts the skin around your eyelid. This gives your eyes a more open and youthful appearance.
Eyelid tape not only improves the appearance of hooded lids, it can also improve your vision. By lifting excess skin it can clear your field of view.
You might be wondering if eyelid tape is noticeable after you put them on, and how comfortable they are to wear.
The truth is a lot of eyelid tapes brands are poorly made and fall out after just a few hours. That’s why Contours RX worked to fix these problems with their brand of eyelid tape. So you get all the benefits without the pitfalls of most other brands.
The Benefits of Eyelid Tape
There are a ton of benefits to eyelid tape in general, and even more so for Contours RX eyelid tape: LIDS BY DESIGN - Eyelid Correcting Strips.
These include:
- Instantly improving the appearance of hooded eyelids or tired looking eyes
- Improved vision
- They’re long lasting so you can wear them all day long
- No one can see you wearing them, they blend into your skin making them virtually invisible
- They’re comfortable to wear
Before and after of Contours RX’s Eyelid Correcting Strips
The high quality materials are what makes Contours RX Eyelid Correcting Strips last. The materials were chosen specifically for their hypoallergenic qualities. They’re even dermatologist approved so they’re comfortable to wear.
Best of all they make instant dramatic improvements to the appearance of hooded eyelids. It’s also a great solution to fix hooded eyelids without surgery.
That’s why eyelid strips are the best treatment for most people with hooded eyes. The effectiveness combined with the convenience make them extremely popular.
But there are other solutions to fix hooded eyelids also available.
Other Solutions to Fixing Hooded Eyelids
Makeup and surgery are two other popular treatments for hooded eyelids. These treatments both come with their own benefits, and downsides.
Makeup
Applying makeup in the right places has always been a way to improve your appearance in general, and the same is true for hooded eyelids.
By applying eye shadow in the right places above your eye you can create the illusion of eyelids that look less “hooded.”
Makeup is a popular solution to hooded eyelids. But it’s important to remember it won’t help improve your vision at all. Because the skin above your eyelid isn’t actually being lifted, any obstruction to your vision won’t be removed.
Still makeup can dramatically change the appearance of your hooded eyelids. It does take time to apply – generally much longer than just putting in eyelid strips – but it’s a quick solution compared to surgery.
For people that wouldn’t mind taking the time to skillfully reapply their makeup in specific ways everyday, makeup can fix hooded eyelids.
Surgery
You can fix hooded eyes without surgery, but it’s still an option. The surgery commonly used to fix hooded eyelids is called Blepharoplasty. The surgery is effective, but there are costs and some risks to consider.
First of all is the price. Blepharoplasty, like most surgeries, isn't cheap. A study performed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found the cost of blepharoplasty in 2017 was about $3,026 on average.
In some cases you might be able to get some help paying for it with insurance. That’s because fixing hooded eyelids with blepharoplasty can be a functional surgery to improve your vision. It also depends on what your specific insurance plan covers.
Secondly you should be aware of the risks. All surgeries come with risk. The chances of something going wrong aren’t high if you’re working with an experienced professional. But it’s still important to know the risks involved.
According to Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit medical organization for medical professionals, the risks of blepharoplasty include:
- Infection and bleeding
- Dry, irritated eyes
- Difficulty closing your eyes or other eyelid problems
- Noticeable scarring
- Injury to eye muscles
- Skin discoloration
- The need for a follow-up surgery
- Temporarily blurred vision or, rarely, loss of eyesight
Lastly you need to consider the time and effort to get the surgery done. After all the work of finding a trustworthy professional you’ll still have to go through a lengthy process of appointments. These include the consultation, followed by multiple appointments before and after the procedure.
Don't forget the recovery time either. This can be a few weeks, and during that time you’ll have to forego activities you’d normally do during that time. Strenuous labor and wearing contacts are just a few examples of the precautions you have to take while recovering.
After going through all that your hooded eyelids will be fixed. The solution is long lasting too, so for some this may be worth it.
What is the Best Treatment For Hooded Eyelids?
The treatments for hooded eyelids range from instant effective solutions to costly surgeries that need a lot of preparation. To see what treatment is best for you it’s important to know what your priorities are.
Are you trying to improve the appearance of your hooded eyelids for a special event, or is it to fix your vision? The reasons for fixing your hooded eyelids will be a big factor in deciding what treatment is best for you.
Makeup can be a relatively quick and effective solution. But it takes time and skill to correctly apply the right makeup techniques to improve the appearance of hooded eyelids.
Eyelid tape is another solution that is both quick and effective. It’s easy to put on, lasts all day, and isn’t noticeable. It also has the added benefit of improving your vision, which makeup doesn’t.
Lastly surgery is another more drastic solution to fixing hooded eyelids. The results of surgery are long lasting, but you have to weigh out the costs and the risks involved.
Surgery is also a permanent change to your appearance, and that’s a big deal. If you’re interested in surgery, you might want to try eyelid tape first to see the results of what your surgery will look like.
Eyelid tape can lift your eyelids just as well as surgery. So you can use them to see how you’ll look before you make any permanent changes to your appearance.
Contours Rx LIDS BY DESIGN - Eyelid Correcting Strips were made to instantly fix the appearance of hooded eyelids. Whether you want to see what you’d look like after surgery, or you’re just looking for a quick and effective solution, give them a try.