Goodbye to Sagging Brows

As one ages, the position of the eyebrow changes. It could shift lower, and the upper eyelid peak could shift sideways. The height of the eyebrow could also increase in the middle. On the narrower end, the eyebrow’s height may decrease. These changes alter the eyebrow’s shape. A sagging eyebrow can make a person look sleepy or anxious.

Sagging eyebrows can cause problems. They can hinder vision. They also play an important role in non-verbal communication. Droopy eyebrows can make a person feel sleepy or anxious. It may also give a person an angry look, which can create problems when communicating with another person.

The young and the old move their eyebrow muscles differently. Young people use more of the forehead and “frowning” muscles. The forehead muscles (AKA frontalis) lift the eyebrows, while the “frowning” muscles (AKA corrugator supercilii) pull the eyebrows downward. These muscles co-ordinate to prevent the eyebrows from sagging. Ageing can weaken the forehead and “frowning” muscles.

On the other hand, elderly people use the muscles around the eyes more. These muscles move downwards to close the eyelid. Repetitive downward movements can cause the eyebrows to sag. In young people, these muscles help to maintain eyebrow balance.

Furthermore, there is also a loss of skin elasticity as we age. A young person has more collagen and elastin in his/her skin, which glows and is bouncy. Youthful skin also holds the eyebrows up. However, the repeated use of contact lenses may stretch muscles around the eyes. This could eventually cause sagging.

Older people tend to have dermatochalasis – a condition where the eyebrows droop, resulting in extra skin falling over the eyelid. This extra skin can block their vision. Surgery removes extra skin and fats over the eyes. Another possible condition is brow ptosis. This is caused by muscle weakness. Eyelid heaviness or hooding is felt because the brows have descended. The forehead muscles then work harder to lift the falling eyebrows. This results in forehead wrinkles, and muscle strengthening or surgery is needed to correct this.