Overview of Brow Lift & Forehead Lift Surgery
A browlift or forehead lift is a procedure that provides a more youthful look to the eyebrows and upper eyelids. By correcting drooping of the eyebrows, this procedure can often provide a solution for patients who constantly look tired or sad. This appearance is primarily due to sagging of the outer one-third of the eyebrow. This results in crow’s feet and redundancy of tissue just outside the corner of the eye in the temple area ultimately creating a tired look. These changes are often overlooked by patients. Treating this area by lifting the temple and outer third of the eyebrow can produce a rested energetic appearance. You can simulate the affect of a browlift by placing your palms at the outer edge of your eyes above your eyebrows and gently raise the skin upward while looking in a mirror. Along with raising the brow, various muscles that contribute to frowning can be treated to soften the vertical frown lines above the nose. These are the same lines that temporarily respond very well to botox.
There are many techniques that can be used to perform a browlift. In traditional or “open” techniques, a larger incision is used that is placed all the way across the scalp from ear to ear, either behind the hairline or just in front of the hairline. This incision allows the forehead tissues to be lifted and the muscles to be treated, all giving a smoother, more youthful appearance. The technique works very well but results in a large scar and some scalp numbness. Newer techniques focus on several small incisions that are hidden very well in the scalp. Along with the improved scar, numbness is usually not a problem and results can be equally as good. The newer techniques may or may not use an endoscope which is a camera that can assist with visualization through these smaller incisions. The muscles can also be treated as in the “open” technique. There are many variations of these less invasive techniques but as a whole, these techniques are more popular today than the traditional open browlift.
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Dino Elyassina performs Browlift, Forehead Lift in Bay Area and San Francisco
