How to Reduce Upper Eyelid Exposure & Get Hunter Eyes

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Explore natural and surgical methods to get hooded eyes

Co-authored by Austin Wayne and Bailey Cho

Last Updated: January 30, 2026 Fact Checked

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• What’s upper eyelid exposure?
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• Reducing Upper Eyelids
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• Is it attractive?
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• FAQs
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

According to the looksmaxxing community, upper eyelid exposure is what gives you vulnerable “prey eyes” and prevents you from getting striking “hunter eyes” like your favorite male models. In this article, we’ll explain what upper eyelid exposure is and how to reduce it both naturally and surgically. We’ll also cover whether upper eyelid exposure is considered attractive, what causes it, and explain how rare it is.

How do you get rid of upper eyelid exposure?

There’s no scientific evidence that you can reduce upper eyelid exposure, but you can try relaxing your eyebrows to help bring more skin over your eyes, or injecting Botox into your forehead to relax those muscles and give you a hunter eye look. Alternatively, consider blepharoplasty to make your lid more hooded.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

What is upper eyelid exposure?

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1. 
   Upper eyelid exposure means you have double eyelids. Rather than having a fold of skin that hangs over the eyelid crease (known as hooded eyes), someone with upper eyelid exposure has double eyelids, where there’s a visible fold or crease that divides the lid into two parts. Having double eyelids can make the eyes appear larger, more open, and sometimes even “buggy.” According to looksmaxxers, a person with upper eyelid exposure has “prey eyes,” while a person with hooded eyes has “hunter eyes.”

   • Celebrities with upper eyelid exposure: Cillian Murphy, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Amanda Seyfried, Jenna Ortega, and Gemma Chan
   • Celebrities with hooded/hunter eyes: Sean O’Pry, Ian Somerhalder, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Stiles, Eva Green, and Gigi Hadid
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Reduce Upper Eyelid Exposure

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1. 
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   Practice relaxed eyebrow expressions. Instead of raising your eyebrows, which can pull your eyelid skin upwards, make a conscious effort to relax your eyebrows at all times. This can help bring more skin over your eyes naturally, giving you the effect of hunter eyes.
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   Try the UUDD (“Up, Up, Down, Down”) exercise. Start by lifting your eyebrows like you’re really surprised, then look up using only your eyes. Drop your eyebrows back down, and then drop your eyes forward. Some people claim that UUDD strengthens the muscles around the eyes, helping to narrow them and create hunter eyes.

   • However, there’s no scientific evidence that you can change your eye shape.
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   Press ice cubes against your eyelid. Some believe that pressing ice against your eyes for an extended period can increase adipose (fatty) tissue around your orbital bone, so the eyelid skin can fold over and give you hooded eyes. While this hasn’t been proven, ice can help reduce puffiness around your eye, which may give you a narrower hunter gaze.
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   Apply Volufiline serum to increase the volume of fat in your lids. Volufiline is an oil-soluble ingredient that is said to stimulate adipocyte (fatty) tissue. In theory, applying it topically may increase fat cells and make your lids appear more hooded, although there’s no significant clinical research to support this claim. Still, you can try massaging Volufiline serum over your eyelids once or twice a day.
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   Get Botox injections in your forehead. Botox is a neurotoxin that temporarily paralyzes the muscle at the injection site. When injected into the forehead, some claim it can help relax the forehead and eyebrow muscles, which may add some folding to your eyelids and give you a hunter eye look. Again, this isn’t 100% guaranteed, but it might be worth a shot.

   • Botox generally lasts 3-6 months, so you’ll likely need to return for touch-ups afterward to maintain the results.
   • While Botox injections are common, there can be side effects, so be sure to consult with a licensed medical professional before having injections done.
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   Consider blepharoplasty to make your lid look more hooded. Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, is the most invasive treatment to reduce upper eyelid exposure and achieve hunter eyes. A surgeon can remove excess skin from your lid so the fold sits closer to your lash line, making your lid look more hooded. This is the most invasive treatment, so be sure to consult with a qualified medical professional.

   • That said, blepharoplasty cannot change your orbital bone structure, and your brow position matters a lot. If your brow is low or drops after surgery, that can give you the hunter eye look.
   • Potential risks include bleeding, infection, noticeable scarring, skin discoloration, difficulty closing the eyes, injury to eye muscles, temporarily blurred vision, loss of eyesight, and the need for follow-up surgery.
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Section 3 of 4:

Is upper eyelid exposure attractive?

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1. 
   Yes, upper eyelid exposure is considered attractive in many cultures worldwide. While there’s no universal standard for what makes eyes attractive, having a defined crease (double eyelid) is perceived as youthful, expressive, and beautiful to many. Prominent upper eyelid exposure can make your eyes appear larger and more alert, which some people associate with attractiveness. That said, facial harmony is usually more important than individual features, so your eyes can be attractive (regardless of their shape) as long as they fit with your brows and cheeks.

   • Other cultures consider hooded eyes more attractive because they convey a mysterious, striking look.
   • At the end of the day, beauty is entirely subjective, and what one person considers attractive might not be true for someone else. The most important thing is how you feel about your features and what makes you feel confident and beautiful!

Section 4 of 4:

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. 1
   What causes upper eyelid exposure? Your anatomy and genetics determine whether you have upper eyelid exposure. Having thinner skin on your upper lid makes your crease more visible, and having less fat there allows the fold to form more clearly. Double eyelids are considered a dominant gene, making them common in many populations.

   • If you have one parent with double lids and one with monolids, you’re more likely to have double lids.
2. 2
   Is upper eyelid exposure rare? No, upper eyelid exposure isn’t necessarily rare, but the visibility of the upper eyelid can vary significantly from person to person. Some people may have super pronounced upper eyelid exposure (think Cillian Murphy), while it may be more subtle in others. For instance, upper eyelid exposure is less common among East Asians, where about half of the population has monolids (no visible eye crease between the upper lash line and eyebrow).
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