Dealing with hooded crepey eyelids? Is the skin above your eyes suddenly sagging and you need natural solutions to fix this because surgery just isn’t an option right now? We’ve got you! While sadly surgery is the only way to totally correct this condition, there are a number of steps you can take to improve your sagging eyelids naturally, so read on as we count them down.

Firstly though, what exactly are hooded eyelids? And why are you the one dealing with them!?

“Hooded crepy eyelids”, “droopy eyelids” “baggy eyelids” or dermatochalasis as it is technically referred to, are when the skin above the eye sags and hangs over the eye. The excess skin occurs between the brow and the upper lash line and in some situations can affect your eyesight.

They are caused by a number of factors including genetics (thanks parents!), allergies, dehydrated and nutrient deprived skin and….age, this is because as we get older the collagen and elastin in our skin (which keeps it smooth, supple and youthful) starts to diminish, decreasing firmness and elasticity as well as weakening skin tissue, making it unable to support the weight of our eyelid skin.

So what can you do to improve this, before heading down the surgery route? Lots!

 

1. Look for eye creams and treatments that contain collagen and elastin

We love Pevonia’s Lumafirm Eye Contour Lift & Glow! Rich in Marine Collagen, Marine Elastin and super hydrator – hyaluronic, this powerhouse product provides powerful anti-ageing benefits to the very delicate eye area – visibly soothing puffiness, reducing signs of fatigue and diminishing crepey eyelids.

 

2. Use products rich in retinol

Retinol you say? Yes, don’t be scared of this superhero ingredient. Indeed, you need to apply with caution, and start off introducing it to your daily skin ritual slowly, but retinol works on both the upper and lower eyelids to improve the skin barrier function and increase the collagen content of the skin! This increase in collagen tightens the skin and visibly reduces any fines lines and sagginess of the eyelids. Yess!

Try Pevonia’s Micro Retinol Line. The 4 outstanding products in the line contain all-natural retinol, sourced from green leafy vegetables. To create each product, Pevonia have used a specialized technology to create micro-particles of retinol that get delivered deep into the epidermis. This means complete product absorption, no skin irritation and immediate results.

Every product in the Micro Retinol Line contains a powerhouse trio of vitamin C, vitamin E, and Micro-Retinol^® The addition of vitamins C and E not only ensures Micro-Retinol^®’s stability, but also that the skin’s nutrients and density are renewed and preserved.

 

3. Lay two chilled cucumber slices over your eye lids every day for 20 minutes

Yes, this old wives tale actually works! Cucumbers contain ascorbic and caffeic acids, both of which reduce saggy eyelids. They decrease inflammation and naturally tighten skin too!

Also, if you wear makeup, opt for a remover formulated with cucumber like Pevonia’s Eye Makeup Remover. It’s beautifully calming and decongesting, soothing and calming sensitive eyes while effectively removing makeup without pressure or friction.

 

4. Boil two Chamomile tea bags, cool them and place them over eyelids every morning

You might not have heard this one before, but Chamomile is a natural anti-inflammatory so it’s great for strengthening skin and reducing puffiness, swelling and skin irritation around the eyes. As with your cool cucumbers, you can apply two chamomile tea bags to your eye lids. Firstly though, you’ll need to actually make the tea! Place two tea bags into a cup with the boiling water. Next cool them in the fridge for 30 minutes until nice and chilled and then place over your eyes for 20-30 minutes. Do this every morning when you make your cup of tea of coffee and reap in the results!

 

5. Eat grapes if you aren’t already doing so! A bowl a day will do!

Grapes are not only delicious, but they also offer a multitude of benefits! One of them is helping counteract drooping eyelids! How? You may ask! Grapes are full of resveratrol, a natural element that slows cell ageing, so eating more grapes while it won’t necessarily improve your already hooded eyelids it will help slow down skin ageing, preventing excess fine lines and further skin slackening and sagging.

6. Keep skin hydrated and drink plenty of water!!

Yes, that old piece of advice! You know those 2 litres (8 cups) of water you are supposed to drink a day for optimum skin health? Yes! do it!

 

7. Reel in on the smoking

If you smoke and you are worried about your baggy eye lids, try to give it up! Tobacco smoke can affect the tissues around the eyes. It can cause puffiness and disorders of the eyelids, such as irritation and inflammation!

 

8. Get enough shut eye

That’s right lack of sleep as we know can affect our eyes. Who hasn’t woken up with saggy, puffy eyes of a morning when they haven’t had enough sleep? It’s time to make sleep a priority. I know easier said than done for some, but I also know myself that I need to practice what I preach, and if I wanted to, I could put down that book or turn off the tv or close my laptop an hour before I actually do each night!

9. Make sure you slip, slop, slap every. single. day, all year around

Just as you want to protect your face and body against sun damage you need to remember to protect your eyes too! You might have concerns about applying sunscreen to your delicate eye zone, but don’t! Most sunscreen is safe to use on and around your eyelid region (just don’t accidentally put it in your eyes of course!!)

Also wear your sunglasses religiously! After all, you want to protect those sensitive peepers of yours as much as possible. Blue light omitted from our devices can also negatively impact your eye area. So put down those devices! To learn more about blue light damage and how it affects your eyes, click here.

If the idea of going under the knife terrifies you, try these solutions first.