Hello, this is Dr. Hyo wan Suh, board-certified plastic surgeon at Lively Plastic Surgery.
“I’m bothered by my drooping eyelids, but I don’t want dramatic changes or a completely new double eyelid line.”
“I heard subbrow lift surgery involves an incision beneath the eyebrow. Will the scar be noticeable?”
These are some of the most common concerns we hear from patients considering surgery for aging eyelids.
When upper eyelid skin begins to sag with age, two of the most commonly recommended procedures are ‘upper blepharoplasty’ and ‘eyelid lift surgery (sub-brow lift)’.
Traditional upper blepharoplasty removes excess eyelid skin through an incision along the future double eyelid crease. Because the eyelid itself is directly reshaped, the procedure usually creates or enhances a double eyelid line.
However, many patients — especially those in their 40s, 50s, and beyond — prefer a more natural rejuvenation rather than a dramatic change in appearance.
For these patients, eyelid lift surgery can be an excellent option.
Unlike traditional upper eyelid surgery, a sub-brow lift does not directly alter the eyelid crease itself. Instead, it lifts sagging tissue through a carefully designed incision hidden beneath the eyebrow, preserving the patient’s natural eye shape while restoring a younger, brighter appearance.
In many ways, eyelid lift surgery is less about “changing” the eyes and more about restoring the refreshed appearance you had 10 or 20 years ago.
Of course, one question naturally follows:
“What about the scar?”
In this article, we’ll walk you through the real benefits, limitations, recovery process, and scar management of eyelid lift surgery — and explain why proper surgical planning makes all the difference.
[Sub-brow lift, pre / postoperation 1 month ]
What Makes Eyelid Lift Surgery Look So Natural?
Eyelid lift surgery involves a delicate incision placed directly beneath the eyebrow. Through this approach, excess sagging skin is removed while deeper supporting tissues and muscles are gently lifted together.
The goal is not to create a completely different appearance, but to restore a naturally refreshed, more youthful eye contour.
One of the biggest advantages of this procedure is that it preserves the thin, delicate eyelid skin near the eyelashes and maintains the patient’s original double eyelid line.
This is important because eyelid skin naturally varies in thickness.
The skin closest to the eyelashes is extremely thin and refined, while the skin becomes progressively thicker toward the brow area.
During upper blepharoplasty, excision of a portion of the thin eyelid skin near the lash line is unavoidable. In patients with naturally thicker skin, or in cases requiring more extensive skin excision due to severe sagging, this can result in a heavier or puffier upper eyelid appearance after surgery. This is because the thin eyelid skin below the crease meets the thicker skin of the upper brow area above it.
By contrast, eyelid lift surgery approaches the thicker brow area instead of the delicate eyelid itself, reducing the risk of a bulky-looking upper eyelid.
Many patients describe the result as:
“My eyes still look like me — just younger and more refreshed.”
That said, sub-brow lift surgery is not ideal for everyone.
Choosing the right procedure requires a careful evaluation of eyelid anatomy, brow position, muscle function, skin thickness, and overall facial balance. This is why consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon experienced in various eyelid and lifting procedures is especially important.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Subbrow Lift Surgery?
Good Candidates
✅ Patients who already have a double eyelid crease, but whose eyelid skin has begun covering it
✅ Patients with adequate distance between the eyebrow and eyelid with no brow ptosis
✅ Patients seeking brighter, less tired-looking eyes without altering their facial identity
Patients Who May Need a Different Procedure
❌ Patients with significant brow ptosis (eyelid and eyebrow distance is too short or overusing forehead muscles to keep eye opening)
❌ Patients with weak levator muscle function (blepharoptosis)
In cases of severe brow drooping, a forehead lift or brow lift may provide more satisfying results.
Additionally, if the muscles responsible for opening the eyes are weak, ptosis correction surgery may be necessary instead of eyelid lift surgery.
Because aging around the eyes can involve multiple anatomical factors at once, individualized surgical planning is essential for achieving balanced and natural results.
Eyelid Lift Scars: Are They Really Noticeable?
“Honestly, I’m most worried about the scar.”
This is probably the number one concern among patients considering eyelid lift surgery.
To be precise, no surgery is completely scar-free. However, in experienced hands, eyelid lift scars can usually heal extremely well and become barely noticeable over time.
Understanding how scars form is important.
A scar is simply part of the body’s natural healing response after the skin has been injured. The key is minimizing tension, optimizing incision placement, and supporting proper healing throughout recovery.
At Lively Plastic Surgery, scar minimization begins with meticulous surgical design.
The incision is carefully placed along the lower border of the eyebrow, typically within the densest portion of the brow hair where it blends most naturally.
Equally important is reducing tension on the skin closure.
Rather than removing skin alone, we perform deep-layer lifting that repositions both skin and underlying muscle together. This helps distribute tension more evenly and supports finer scar healing.
Postoperative care also plays a major role.
During the initial wound healing phase — typically the first two weeks — keeping the incision moisturized with antibiotic ointment can help support optimal healing.
Afterward, silicone gel scar therapy is often recommended to reduce excessive collagen formation and improve scar texture.
Sun protection is also extremely important, as UV exposure can worsen pigmentation around healing scars.
In selected cases, additional scar management treatments may be helpful as well.
Because scar healing varies from person to person, structured postoperative care and close follow-up are just as important as the surgery itself.
At Lively Plastic Surgey, we carefully guide patients through each stage of healing with personalized scar management and postoperative care instructions.
Final Thoughts
Eyelid lift surgery can be an excellent option for patients who want to restore a younger, more refreshed eye appearance while maintaining their natural facial identity.
However, achieving beautiful results requires more than simply removing excess skin.
Factors such as brow position, eyelid thickness, muscle strength, facial proportions, and skin quality must all be carefully evaluated before surgery for satisfying results.
At Lively Plastic Surgery, we specialize in eyelid rejuvenation and facial lifting procedures designed to create refined, natural-looking results with minimal visible scarring.
Our goal is simple:
to help patients look brighter, more youthful, and more refreshed — without looking overdone.
If drooping eyelids have been bothering you or making your eyes appear tired and heavy, we invite you to schedule a consultation with our team.
Thank you.