Plastic Surgery South Bay

Brow Lift South Bay

What is a brow lift?

A brow lift, commonly called a forehead lift, is a surgical procedure which will elevate the position of your brows and make them look less heavy in addition to eliminating the wrinkles.  There are several types of brow lifts, so the surgical technique can help determine the ultimate results.  For instance, there are endoscopic techniques which utilize a camera and tiny incisions behind the hairline, or open techniques which usually involve bigger incisions and no camera.  The choice of technique used will depend on a your physical features such as hairline, wrinkles, and brow position.  Your physician will choose the best procedure for you.

A brow lift will have results that are both functional and cosmetic.  From the functional standpoint, a brow lift will help avoid heavy eyelids that can cause difficulties with vision and a feeling of heaviness.  From a cosmetic standpoint, a brow lift makes a person look less serious and more youthful. It can rejuvenate the look of a person whose brow has fallen over time while simultaneously decreasing the number of wrinkles in the forehead and frown area. 

What are the benefits?

A brow lift can drastically change the appearance of a person’s upper face (forehead and eyes).  The benefits include a more youthful appearance and fewer wrinkles or lines.  If designed properly, a brow lift can also increase or decrease the size of a forehead, and it can greatly improve the appearance of one’s eyes.  Brow lifts are commonly performed with upper eyelid surgery to obtain the maximal cosmetic effect when addressing one’s eyes.  Performing eyelid surgery for excess skin alone is oftentimes not enough to completely rejuvenate the eyes without the addition of a surgical brow lift. 

What is the recovery time?

The recovery time from a brow lift is 10 days to 2 weeks, depending on the type of lift performed.  Immediately following surgery, you will wear a dressing wrapped around the head overnight and removed in the morning.  The sutures, which are placed at the time of surgery, are usually removed by day #10 after surgery.  There will be a moderate amount of swelling during the first week but this improves precipitously over the following weeks.  There may be some mild, residual swelling after this time, but this is usually not very noticeable. 

Does it require anesthesia?

A brow lift does require anesthesia but is a relatively short and straight-forward procedure. Therefore, anesthesia time is minimal.  Both conscious sedation, also known as moderate anesthesia, and general anesthesia are appropriate. Your surgeon will help you decide which type of anesthesia is best for you.

Is a brow lift safe?

Brow lift surgery is safe, but like any surgical procedure, it does have risks. Some of the risks of brow lift surgery depend on the technique used for the surgery and this will be dependent on each individual surgeon.  For instance, a coronal forehead lift / brow lift will have the risk of alopecia or hair loss while an endoscopic or pretrichial lift will not. 

There are risks to some of the nerves that give sensation and movement to the forehead and if damaged, this can be temporary or permanent. There can also be changes in the hairline or hair pattern, asymmetry, scarring, bleeding, or infection.  It is best to speak with your surgeon more in detail about the risks and complications of brow lift surgery, but all-in-all, it is a very safe procedure.

FAQs:

Am I a good candidate for surgery?

If you are relatively healthy and you’re eyebrows seem low or you have significant wrinkles in the forehead or frown area, you are a good candidate for brow lift surgery. A brow lift can also help elevate or reduce a person’s hairline, so your candidacy for specific types of lifts may be predetermined.  Brow lift surgery is an elective surgery so if you have other medical problems, your physician may decide that the risk of surgery is not worth undergoing.  Each individual physician will make this determination upon history and workup.

Will people know I’ve had surgery?

After surgery, patients will usually have bruising for approximately one week and moderate swelling for a few weeks.  Although a person usually doesn’t look funny, the surgical results might be noticeable for a few weeks following surgery.  In addition, the location of the brow may be slightly higher than ultimately planned just after surgery.  This is a normal occurrence that improves with a decrease in swelling and the mild descent of the brow over the first few months. 

Most people are comfortable returning to work within 1-2 weeks following surgery.  One’s return to work is partially determined by the type of brow lift performed and the type of work one does.  Heavy physical activity should be avoided for at least several weeks. 

What do I need to prepare for surgery?

Your physician will likely ask you to have blood work, an EKG, and medical clearance.  You should avoid medications that can cause bleeding (e.g. aspirin and ibuprofen), but your physician should be the one to ultimately make this decision.