Brow Lift - How to Lift the Brows

As a person ages, there can start to be an appearance of signs of aging on the face. In the past, many patients decided to have the invasive surgical procedure known as a facelift to try and reduce signs of aging on the face. These days, patients can have Botox or fillers that do not require an invasive surgery while still being able to give the face a younger and more refreshed look. Another option is a brow lift which is also known as an eyebrow lift and a forehead lift. This procedure is able to tighten the skin, reshape the appearance of a “heavy brow,” and reduce the amount of frown lines in order to give the upper face a younger appearance.

Brow Lift – How is it Performed?

Some of the reasons that the face can change its appearance beyond the aging process include changes in the weight of a person and muscle activity in the face. All of these factors can cause the skin to gain a looser look or experience the formation of additional wrinkles.

There are three types of brow lift procedures, and they are endoscopic, coronal, and temporal. The decision about which technique to perform will be made by the surgeon after examining the structure of the face including its shape and skin type.

An endoscopic brow lift is performed when the surgeon intends to treat the entire eyebrow. The procedure starts with the creation of a series of small incisions across the top of the forehead and the temples. Then, the surgeon will insert an endoscope that includes a tiny camera and instruments attached to its tip. The doctor will reposition the targeted muscles and tissues under the skin and also remove any excess fat.

A coronal brow lift is considered to be a “classic brow lift” technique. The surgeon creates a continuous incision behind the hairline and the incision goes from ear to ear so the doctor can lift the forehead skin. The surgeon will readjust the underlying tissue and muscles and also trim any excess fat.

A temporal brow lift is the least invasive of the three techniques and it is often referred to as a limited incision brow lift. The surgeon creates several small incisions around each temple in order to lift the outer portion of the brow. It is often performed to address upper eyelids that are drooping.

Brow Lift – What Happens During the Surgery?

As mentioned above, there are multiple brow lift techniques but all of them can be performed as an outpatient surgery. The surgeon can administer local anesthesia or give the person intravenous sedition.

Once the patient is comfortable, the surgeon will begin the surgery and create the required incisions. The muscles and tissues under the skin will be adjusted as necessary to provide the person with symmetrical results as well as final results that are younger and more refreshed in appearance. The incisions will be closed using sutures or clips.

Brow Lift – What Happens After the Surgery?

The doctor will provide detailed post-op instructions to guide the patient during the recovery process. There might be some swelling and bruising that appears around the eyes and some additional areas on the face. These conditions will resolve on their own, but they might last for up to two weeks. In order to help minimize the amount of bruising and swelling, the patient should keep their head elevated during the initial few days after the brow lift. The patient can also experience some level of discomfort or numbness where the incisions were created but these will resolve on their own.

The final results of a brow lift start to appear once the majority of the bruising and swelling subside on their own. Once the incisions created by the doctor are healed, the final results can also start to become visible. Patients who are worried about scars need to know that any scars from the surgery will more than likely be hidden by the hairline.

The final results are considered to be long-lasting. However, there is a possibility of gravity pulling the skin downwards as a person continues to age. Even when gravity pulls the skin downwards, the frown lines and wrinkles in the area of the brow should not have as severe an appearance as they did before the procedure.

Brow Lift – What is the First Step?

In order to have a brow lift, the patient will need to schedule a consultation appointment with a surgeon in order to determine if a brow lift is the ideal medical option to treat the brow area. The surgeon will let the patient know the type of results they can expect to see as well as the best brow lift technique to gain the desired results. Once the patient has the necessary brow lift information, they can make an educated decision about having the procedure.

- MA