What is a Brow Lift?
As a person ages they begin to lose elasticity in their skin, and the muscle and fat begins to lose its tone. This results in an appearance of being old, tired, sad, or angry. The brow lift (or forehead lift) procedure is designed to restore a more vibrant, youthful look by repositioning a low or sagging brow, and tightening the skin that may be wrinkled or creased across the forehead.
Quick Facts
Here at Boulder Plastic Surgery, our surgeons usually perform using the endoscopic technique. Browlift Procedure: Minimize forehead creases, drooping eyebrows, hooding over eyes, furrowed forehead, & frown lines by lifting excess tissue & redraping skin.
- Length of Procedure – About 1.5 hours
- Anesthesia – General/outpatient procedure
- Side Effects – Vary depending upon the patient, but generally include swelling, numbness, headaches, and bruising. Patients may experience possible itching and hair loss at the incision sites as the wounds heal – a condition that may last for several months. Patients may also experience a rare condition that causes a change in the hairline.
- Risks – Slight risk of injury to the facial nerve, which could result in a loss of motion, muscle weakness, or asymmetrical appearance. There is a minor risk of infection and a possibility of broad or excessive scarring.
- Recovery – Patients should expect to return to work within 7-10 days.
- Exercise – Patients should abstain from rigorous exercise for the first 2 weeks following the procedure, after which they may return to 1/3 normal intensity, increasing to 2/3 normal intensity at 6 weeks, and a return to full exercise intensity at 8 weeks.
- Fading and Scar Improvement – Depending upon the health of the underlying tissue, the patient should begin to notice a reduction in the appearance of the surgical scar in 6 to 12 months.
- Hair Care – Normal salon treatments, including highlights and coloring, can resume after 4 weeks.
- Bruising – Localized bruising of the area will be noticeable for 2-4 weeks following the procedure.
- Swelling – Moderate to significant swelling of the area should be expected for up to 4 weeks following the initial procedure with a reduction and dissipation over the course of the next 2 to 3 months.
- Recovery – As with most facial cosmetic surgery procedures, the patient can expect to begin noticing improvement within 2 weeks, with a noticeable improvement in appearance at 4 weeks and continued subtle/soft improvements for 6 months.
- Duration of Results – Duration of improvement is dependent upon many factors, but the patient will typically experience an improvement in their appearance for 10 years after the procedure has been completed. This is not a procedure which typically has to be repeated.
- Office Visits – The patient will be expected to return to the office 1 day post-op and then again at 5 days after the procedure. There will be 7 to 10 additional office visits expected within the first 3 months, another at 6 months, and then annually after that.
- Pain Relief – Ibuprofen and narcotics as needed.
Considerations
While skin on the brows can be tightened by a brow lift, the texture of the skin will not be changed by a brow lift. If you have sun damage, wrinkles in your lower face, irregularities in skin color, acne scars, and/or age spots, you may want to also consider skin-resurfacing procedures in combination with a brow lift to improve the skin. The following conditions could indicate that a brow lift surgery is right for you:
- Have a low or sagging forehead (a sad or tired appearance)
- Have hooding of the upper eyelid skin making the eyes look closed off
- Have deep horizontal creases across the forehead
- Have deep frown lines, or furrows, between the eyebrows
- Have other signs of aging in the brow region
Endoscopic Brow Lift: At Boulder Plastic Surgery, our surgeons utilize an endoscopic technique to lift and reshape the brows. This is a much less invasive alternative to the traditional open brow lift. During an endoscopic brow lift, we can access the brow area through several small incisions in the scalp with a thin flexible scope. The attached light and video camera allows the surgeon to see and work on the various internal structures of the forehead and brow to create a more youthful looking appearance to the upper face. A brow lift can be done in combination with other facial cosmetic procedures, such as eyelid surgery or a facelift to give a more balanced, natural rejuvenation.
What is a forehead lift?
A forehead lift is performed to improve facial harmony from sagging skin around the forehead, eyebrows, and upper eyelids while softening the appearance of age lines. During this procedure, underlying muscles within the forehead are carefully altered and excess skin is removed to address any existing drooping. We perform the forehead lift under local anesthesia to ensure optimal patient comfort. The ultimate goal is to establish a youthful complexion and correct traces of sagging.
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