Brow Lifts

Our foreheads broadcast the telltale signs of aging more so than virtually any other place on our bodies. Fortunately, a forehead lift is one of the simplest and most common procedures to fight the visible signs of aging. As we age, the muscles and skin on the forehead begin to lose a great deal of elasticity, which causes the characteristic drooping and furrowing, often giving the appearance of fatigue, anger, or frustration.

By smoothing out lines and lifting sagging skin, a forehead lift gives a younger, more refreshed look. Most people who elect to have a brow lift fall between the ages of 40 and 60, but a brow lift is a quick and easy way for anyone to enhance their appearance.

Best Candidates for Brow Lifts

The best candidates for a brow lift are usually people between the ages of 40 and 60 who have deep brow furrows because of age, stress, or genetics.

Uncertainty and risk of Brow Lifts

Even simple procedures like a brow lift carry certain dangers, although these are very limited. If you have any questions about possible complications speak to your plastic surgeon before your procedure.

Planning for Brow Lift surgery

During your initial consultation your surgeon will examine your skin, hairline, and bone structure to asses which approach best suits your needs. Be sure to alert your doctor to any problems in your medical history such as circulatory problems, excess scarring, or previous facial surgery, for these conditions may alter the outcome of your procedure.

Preparing for Brow Lift surgery

Before your surgery your doctor will give you explicit instructions on what not to eat, drink, or take. You may also wish to let your hair grow out before the procedure in order to better hide any scars in your hairline. Doctors also recommend that you stop smoking because smoking interferes with the body’s natural healing mechanisms. You also should arrange transportation to and from the appointment and ask someone to help you out for the first few days.

Where the Brow Lift surgery is performed

Brow lift surgery can be performed in either an office-based surgical center or a hospital, depending on the patient’s needs. Your plastic surgeon will help you determine your treatment plan during your consultation.

Types of anesthesia

Most plastic surgeons choose to use a combination of local anesthetic and oral sedative. You will be awake through the procedure but will feel no pain, although some patients report minor discomfort and tugging during the surgery.

How the Brow Lift surgery is performed

Modern brow lifts are usually performed using one of two techniques. The first is the more traditional surgery, which involves a lengthy incision along the hairline of the patient beginning at one ear and ending at the other. The hair on either side of the incision is tied back and the skin on the forehead is carefully separated from the tissue underneath. The skin is then stretched across the forehead and reattached within the hairline by tight stitches and sutures. Some surgeons like to cover the area with surgical gauze and bandages, but that is at their discretion.

An innovative and less invasive procedure is called an endoscopic brow lift. Instead of one long incision, the surgeon makes three to five half inch cuts in the top of the scalp, into which a pencil thin scope is inserted. This scope is connected to a TV camera which allows the doctor to see beneath the skin without having to cut it open.

While the camera is inserted into one incision, a surgical tool is inserted into another, and the forehead skin is lifted while the underlying tissues are smoothed out or removed all together. The smaller incisions are then washed and stitched, and depending on the doctor, covered with gauze or antiseptic dressing.

Post-op/Recovery

The recovery period after a brow lift greatly depends on the procedure. A traditional brow lift is a much more invasive procedure, and as such requires a prolonged recovery period. Many patients will typically experience mild pain and numbness as the anesthetic wears off, but these symptoms are easily treated by over-the-counter pain relievers.

Doctors often recommend keeping the head elevated for two to three days after the procedure to reduce swelling. Your surgeon will usually advise you to take it easy for a few days, and avoid strenuous physical activity for a week.

Endoscopic patients usually feel better faster, as their procedure is less involved and complicated. In any case, people who get brow lifts are counseled to avoid direct sunlight for a few weeks, and refrain from any activity that raises blood pressure, as it can increase susceptibility of post surgical bleeding.

Most people return to work after week or so, and the final signs of the surgery usually disappear after three weeks, leaving the patient looking and feeling refreshed, renewed, and looking younger.

Surgical Indication:

The procedure corrects drooping brows and improves the horizontal lines and furrows that can make a person appear angry, sad or tired.

In a browlift, the muscles and tissues that cause the furrowing or drooping are removed or altered to smooth the forehead, raise the eyebrows and minimize frown lines.

The complex of these muscles and tissues can be fixed in two different ways:

• to the periosteal coverage in the frontal region of head;
• on the frontal bone with the help of special screws.

An alternative for the browlift is temporal lifting.

Rehabilitation period:

5-7 days.