Droopy eyebrows can make your eyes look tired, sad or stern. A low brow often also pushes skin down onto the upper eyelid, so the lid looks heavy and hooded.
But the brow is not always the cause: often the excess skin sits on the eyelid itself. Here you can read how to tell the two apart, what helps without surgery and which methods lift a brow, along with their risks.
In short
- With age, the inner and middle parts of the brow tend to sit slightly higher, not lower; at the outer end there was no significant change in a meta-analysis [1].
- A simple finger test shows whether the brow, the eyelid or both make the eye look heavy.
- Exercises do no harm but have not been shown to lift a low brow in a lasting way.
- Botulinum toxin in the forehead can even lower the brows for a while [3].
- A brow lift raises the brow; after upper eyelid surgery alone, the brow sat lower on average [4].
Do Eyebrows Really Drop With Age?
Not as simply as often assumed. A meta-analysis of 19 studies with 3,634 people found that the inner and middle parts of the brow actually sit slightly higher with age, by 1.4 mm and 1.17 mm on average. At the outer end of the brow there was no significant difference [1].
The tired look therefore often comes from the outer end of the brow: if it sits low while the eyelid skin loosens, the outer part of the eye looks heavy. If you keep raising your forehead to keep your eyelids clear, this also suggests that the brow is involved.
- 1Outer end of the brow sitting low (dashed line: where it usually sits)
- 2Skin gathering on the outer upper eyelid
- 3Inner end of the brow, at its usual height
What Causes Droopy Eyebrows?
- Natural shape: some people simply have low-set or straight brows.
- Loss of support: skin and connective tissue at the temple lose firmness; the outer end of the brow in particular can sit lower.
- Muscle pull: muscles around the eye and between the brows pull the brow down, while the forehead muscle raises it.
- Facial nerve palsy: after facial paralysis, the brow on one side can drop.
Important: if one brow suddenly drops together with a drooping mouth corner, weakness, or problems with speech or vision, call emergency services straight away (112 in Turkey, 999 in the UK) – this can be a stroke. A new one-sided facial weakness without other signs also needs prompt medical assessment.
Brow or Eyelid?
A simple test: look straight ahead into a mirror and gently lift the brow with a finger to its natural height. If the fold on the eyelid largely disappears, the brow is involved. If skin still rests on the lid, there is also, or mainly, excess skin on the upper eyelid.
| Finding | How you recognise it | What may be considered |
|---|---|---|
| Low brow | The finger test largely removes the eyelid fold | Brow lift |
| Hooded eyelid | Skin stays on the lid even with the brow lifted | Upper eyelid surgery |
| Both | Brow low and excess skin on the lid | Brow lift, often combined with upper eyelid surgery |
| Drooping lid margin | The lid edge partly covers the pupil | Assessment; correction of the eyelid-lifting muscle if needed |
Read more about the eyelid side under hooded eyelids and upper eyelid surgery.
What Helps Without Surgery?
- Brow shaping: plucked or filled-in brows whose highest point sits a little further out can visually open the eye.
- Exercises: facial exercises are harmless, but there is no evidence that they lift a low brow in a lasting way.
- Botulinum toxin: depending on where it is injected, it can lift the brow slightly and temporarily in some people. It can also do the opposite: in a 3D study, treating the forehead muscle together with the frown area lowered the brows almost along their whole length two weeks later; the effect lessened by three months [3]. People who use their forehead to hold up heavy brows should keep this in mind. It does not correct a clearly low brow.
If you mainly notice horizontal lines from constantly raising your brows, see forehead lines.
How Is a Brow Lifted Surgically?
Depending on the findings, several methods are possible:
- Endoscopic brow lift: through small incisions in the hair; read more under endoscopic forehead lift.
- Temporal lift: through a short incision in the hair at the temple, mainly for the outer end of the brow; see temporal lift or brow lift.
- Hairline incision: an incision along the front hairline, an option if the forehead is high.
- Direct incision above the brow: the scar lies along the upper edge of the brow.
Which method fits depends on the brow shape, forehead height and hairline. You can read about the procedure in detail on our eyebrow lift page.
Brow Lift and Eyelid Surgery
The order matters. A meta-analysis found that the brow sat significantly lower after upper eyelid surgery, by about 1.45 mm on average [4]. If the brow is already low and only the eyelid skin is removed, the heaviness can therefore remain or even become more noticeable. That is why the position of the brow is checked before eyelid surgery and, if it is too low, it is usually lifted first or at the same time.
Risks and Warning Signs
Swelling and bruising are common and can move down below the eyes. A systematic review of 82 studies found that numbness and noticeable scarring are among the most common complications with all methods. With an incision at the hairline, hair loss along the scar occurred in 8.5%; with endoscopic techniques, numbness was described in 6.2% and asymmetry in 3.6%. The figures come mainly from case series and should be read with caution [2]. Rarely, the forehead branch of the facial nerve is irritated.
Contact your treatment team the same day if after the operation you have a fever, increasing swelling, discharge of pus, or if you can no longer close your eye completely.
Is It Covered by Insurance?
A brow lift for cosmetic reasons is usually not covered by public health systems or private insurers. After facial palsy, or if the low brow measurably restricts your field of vision, funding may be possible in individual cases; in the UK this depends on local NHS criteria. Clarify this before planning, especially if the operation is to take place abroad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you train droopy eyebrows?
Exercises do no harm but, as far as is known today, they do not lift a low brow in a lasting way.
Can Botox lift droopy eyebrows?
Slightly and temporarily in some people, depending on the injection points. Injections into the forehead muscle can also lower the brows for a while [3]. A clearly low brow is not corrected this way.
Is upper eyelid surgery enough?
Only if the brow is in the right position. If it is too low, it is usually lifted first or at the same time, because the brow tends to sit lower after eyelid surgery alone [4].
Does a brow lift make the forehead higher?
That depends on the method. If the forehead is already high, the incision is chosen so that the forehead does not become higher unintentionally. Read more under big forehead and high hairline.
Will I look surprised after a brow lift?
This should be avoided. Mainly the outer end of the brow is usually raised, because the inner brow tends to sit higher with age anyway [1].
Why has only one eyebrow dropped?
Brows are often slightly uneven by nature. A new, one-sided drop, especially if it appeared suddenly or together with other facial weakness, should be assessed by a doctor promptly; with signs of a stroke, call emergency services.
Personal Assessment
References
- Asaad M, Kelarji AB, Jawhar CS, Banuelos J, et al. Eyebrow height changes with aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2019;7(9):e2433. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002433
- Byun S, Mukovozov I, Farrokhyar F, Thoma A. Complications of browlift techniques: a systematic review. Aesthet Surg J. 2013;33(2):189–200. doi:10.1177/1090820X12471829
- Schlager S, Kostunov J, Henn D, Stark BG, Iblher N. A 3D morphometrical evaluation of brow position after standardized botulinum toxin A treatment of the forehead and glabella. Aesthet Surg J. 2019;39(5):553–564. doi:10.1093/asj/sjy205
- Liu R, Sun Y, Huang J, Long X. Brow position change and its potential risk factors following upper blepharoplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2023;47(4):1394–1409. doi:10.1007/s00266-023-03288-0
This article is for general information and does not replace a medical examination. The results of any surgical or interventional procedure vary from person to person. Please seek detailed advice from your doctor before any procedure.
