Brow Lift & Forehead Surgery
As the framing structure for the eyes and a significant source of facial expression, the eyebrows have a tremendous impact on a person’s appearance. Over time, the natural aging process can cause the eyebrows to sit lower on the face and appear heavy or droopy, lending a tired or angry appearance to the eyes. Aesthetic eyebrow surgery, referred to as a brow lift, forehead lift, or browplasty, can lift and enhance the shape of the brows while smoothing the forehead, helping a person to appear younger, more alert, and more expressive.
Benefits of Brow and Forehead Lift Surgery
A brow or forehead lift procedure can create a more youthful, alert appearance by:
- Enhancing the shape of the eyebrow arch
- Elevating the position of the eyebrows to eliminate “hooded” appearance
- Reducing or eliminating wrinkles such as brow furrows and horizontal forehead lines
- Smoothing wrinkles that appear on the bridge of the nose or between the eyes
- For some patients, a more thoroughly rejuvenated look can be achieved by combining browplasty with upper or lower blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) or a mid-face lift.
Eyebrow Lift: What to Expect
Preparing for your Brow Lift
Before undergoing an eyebrow lift procedure, each patient attends a consultation with his or her surgeon. During this conversation, patients have the opportunity to speak candidly about aesthetic and functional concerns they have about their eyebrows or overall eye area appearance. The Oculoplastic Surgeons at CEI have spent years studying the eyes, and can give patients expert advice on how to reach their cosmetic goals. At this time, the surgeon will recommend a comprehensive treatment plan to help each patient achieve an appearance that is fully refreshed but still looks natural. The goal here is to make sure you look as young as you feel without a “pulled” or artificially tight appearance.
In preparation for eyebrow lift surgery, patients will be asked to stop smoking and to avoid medications that may lengthen recovery after the surgery, such as aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs.
The Brow Lift Procedure
A forehead lift is an outpatient procedure performed under general anesthesia. There are a number of different approaches to the eyebrow lift procedure, allowing surgeons to fully customize treatment to complement each patient’s unique physiology and help them meet their aesthetic goals.
Hairline Brow Lift
Also referred to as pretrichial brow lift, this approach is ideal for patients who have higher hairlines. Incisions are made just above the hairline, allowing the surgeon to remove excess skin and raise the forehead and browline to a more youthful appearance.
Direct Brow Lift
In this procedure, incisions are made just above the eyebrows, where they are hidden by the brows themselves. The surgeon then lifts the brows to a more contoured, tighter appearance and secures them into their new position with sutures.
Coronal Brow Lift
For this procedure, the incision is made behind the hairline, roughly from one ear to the other. This allows the surgeon to excise a significant amount of excess skin and tighten the forehead and brow area, and scars are totally hidden on the scalp.
Lateral Brow Lift
For patients who experience the majority of their drooping at the outer portion of the eyebrows, a lateral, or temporal, brow lift may be an ideal solution. For this procedure, incisions are made within the hairline near the temples to allow the surgeon to lift and contour the outer portion of the eyebrows.
Endoscopic Brow Lift
An endoscopic eyebrow lift is performed with an endoscope, which is a very thin camera inserted through a tiny incision to guide the surgeon. Additional small incisions will be made to allow the surgeon to lift the forehead skin and eyebrows, tightening and contouring the skin for a more refreshed appearance. For patients with mild to moderate wrinkling of the forehead or who need minimal lifting of the brows, this is an ideal procedure with a shorter recovery time than a traditional brow lift.
Recovery After Brow Lift Surgery
After a forehead or eyebrow lift, patients can expect to experience some bruising and swelling as well as mild to moderate discomfort that can be controlled with low-dose prescription medications. Patients generally wear dressings or bandages over their stitches for roughly one week, then return to have stitches removed and their progress monitored by their surgeon at CEI. It takes several weeks to fully recover after eyebrow lift surgery, but most patients feel comfortable going in public and even returning to work shortly after their stitches are
Trusted Source
What should I expect during my brow lift recovery?
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Go to Source
removed.
Who Is a Candidate for Eyebrow Lift Surgery?
If you are frustrated with the effects of aging on your forehead and upper face, you may be a great candidate for a brow lift with the talented Oculoplastic Surgeons at CEI. The ideal candidate for this procedure:
- Is in good overall health
- Does not smoke
- Has healthy eyes, with no eyelid muscle weakness or dry eye disease
- Has realistic expectations about what can be achieved with plastic surgery
What Are the Risks of Brow Lift Surgery?
Any surgical procedure has some risks, but the risks and complications of forehead lift surgery are greatly diminished when a patient chooses to work with our expert Oculoplastic Surgeons. Complications may include:
- Unnatural-looking results; appearing too tight or “pulled”
- Dry eye or eye irritation
- Asymmetrical results
- Infection
-
Trusted Source
What are the risks of a brow lift?
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Go to Source
Poor wound healing
Schedule a Brow Lift Consultation
If you have become frustrated by the appearance of forehead wrinkles and drooping or sagging eyebrows that make you appear tired, angry, or sad, you may be interested in learning more about how you could benefit from a forehead or eyebrow lift. At CEI, our highly trained Oculoplastic Surgeons are experts in both the appearance and function of the eyes and can carefully adjust the delicate tissues of the upper face to help you look more youthful, happy, and alert. To learn more about eyebrow lift and forehead lift surgery, please contact CEI in Cincinnati or the Northern Kentucky area.
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1 American Society of Plastic Surgeons. What should I expect during my brow lift recovery? Available: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/brow-lift/recovery. Accessed November 9, 2020.
2 American Society of Plastic Surgeons. What are the risks of a brow lift? Available: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/brow-lift/safety. Accessed November 9, 2020.
The doctors at Cincinnati Eye Institute have either authored or reviewed the content on this site.