Brow Lift
As you get older, your skin loses its elasticity and begins to sag and even your eyebrows may start to droop. This may cause you to appear angry, sad, or tired – even when you feel great.
A brow lift, also known as a forehead lift, can restore the eyebrows to a more youthful position. It helps to reduce the signs of facial aging by repositioning the eyebrows and giving the eyes a more open look, making you appear more alert and rested.
About the Procedure
It is important not to overlift the brow, but rather to shape it into a youthful aesthetic contour. The tail of the brow should be higher than the inner part. We also relax the muscles between the eyebrows and often place a small amount of fat to smooth the skin surface.
In most brow lift surgeries, short incisions are made behind the frontal hairline to hide the scar. We prefer to perform the browlift using an endoscope. The endoscope is a tubular probe fitted with a tiny camera, and a bright light which is inserted through a small incision. During surgery, the surgeon watches a viewing screen which magnifies the transmitted images of the body’s internal structures. With the endoscopic procedure, three small incisions are made behind the hairline just large enough for placement of the endoscope within the hairline.
The tail of the brow is then elevated and fixed in position with some special stitches. The wound is closed with sutures and/or staples. A brow lift procedure takes about one hour to perform.
The procedure is performed under local anesthesia with intravenous sedation or general anesthesia depending on patient preference. This is a decision you and your doctor can make.
A brow lift can be performed in conjunction with a face lift. Also, when appropriate, a brow lift may be combined with blepharoplasty.
Recovery and Healing
Sutures will be removed in 10 days to two weeks. You should be able to shower and shampoo your hair the morning following surgery.
Following surgery, you may experience some numbness and temporary discomfort around the incision that may be controlled with over-the-counter or prescription medications.
Swelling and bruising is normal but usually subsides in a few days. You may also experience slight headaches. Ice compresses can help reduce swelling.
Swelling may also affect the cheeks and eyes and in some instances can even extend down to the jawline. This should all disappear in a week or two.
Most people can resume normal routines within a week after surgery, depending on one’s age and how many procedures are performed at the same time.
Risks
Hair loss can occur.
In rare cases, the nerves that control the movement of the eyebrows may be injured, resulting in an inability to raise the eyebrows or wrinkle the forehead.
Loss of feeling commonly occurs along or just beyond the incision line. This is usually temporary, but may be permanent in some people.
As with all surgical procedures, bleeding and infection can occur.
I have the utmost respect for the integrity and skills of Dr. Grotting and his staff. Dr. Grotting is a perfectionist , and gives the look of not having a facelift. I am so glad that I chose him!