Brow Lift / Forehead Lift Surgery

Your forehead takes up roughly one third of your face and has a significant influence on how old people perceive you to be and your current emotional state.

If you have a sagging forehead your eyebrows will be pushed downward giving your face an angry looking appearance or making you look as though you are in a constant state of deep contemplation.

With lower eyebrows you are also likely to develop sagging upper eyelids, creating an effect that makes you look much older than what you currently are.

Fortunately, cosmetic surgery can provide an effective solution for those who are looking to reverse a sagging forehead and give their face a much more youthful appearance.

Brow (Forehead) Lift

A brow lift, sometimes called a forehead lift, is a cosmetic procedure that removes the excess skin which is causing the forehead and eyebrows to droop.

A brow lift is similar to having to face lift, although only the top portion of the face is operated on. But in principle the effects are the same, tightening of the skin and a younger looking face.

In addition to removing excess skin, a brow lift may also mean removing some of the muscles in your forehead that normally allow you to frown so that your ability to frown will be reduced thereby delaying wrinkle formation later on.

Do You Need Forehead Lift Plastic Surgery?

One of the most effective ways to determine whether or not you would benefit from having a brow lift is to stand in front of a mirror and pull your forehead up with your fingers positioned at the top of your forehead.

If lifting your forehead up allows you to see better, or makes you look happier, relaxed or more youthful, then you would probably benefit from having a brow lift.

Remember, when lifting up your forehead your aim should be to raise your eyebrows to a normal height. Do not lift your eyebrows too high, because if your eyebrows were at this level in real life you would have a permanent “surprised” looking facial expression.

Another way to determine whether you would benefit from a brow lift is to ask others whether you look angry or tired all the time.

However, unless you have very honest friends, you probably won’t get an honest answer as most people will just try to be polite and tell you that you look fine.

Coronal Brow Lift

The most common surgical technique that is used for a brow lift involves first making an incision across your scalp so that it is hidden by your hairline.

The forehead is then pulled upwards and any excess scalp tissue and some muscle is removed. The forehead is then repositioned so that your eyebrows are lifted and your forehead is tightened, after which the incision is then closed.

A coronal brow lift can also be combined with a full face lift, and this is quite easy to do because the surgeon will be able to join your facelift and brow incision above the ears within your hairline.

Disadvantages Of Coronal Forehead Lift

One of the disadvantages of a coronal brow lift is that it leaves a longer scar than the brow lift technique next described.

How visible this will be after you have recovered really depends on the skill of your cosmetic surgeon. Some patients also report numbness in their scalp for a long time after their brow lift.

Endoscopic Brow Lift

The endoscopic brow lift is a newer cosmetic surgery technique that involves the use of an endoscope.

This is basically a tiny camera that can be inserted underneath the skin, and in order to use an endoscope for cosmetic surgery, a surgeon will have had to undergo specialised training.

During an endoscopic brow lift the cosmetic surgeon doesn’t actually remove any scalp tissue to lift the forehead.

Instead, with the assistance of the endoscope, the surgeon separates the forehead from the scalp tissue and some of the underlying muscle via three to five small incisions along the hairline.

The scalp is then pulled upwards into the appropriate position and then fixed into position with a permanent, dissolvable or removable device.

The scarring of the forehead tissues will go down to the bone providing a permanent brow lift.

Advantages Of Endoscopic Forehead Lift

An endoscopic brow lift will leave you with less scarring because only a few small incisions are made along the hairline.

Also, because no scalp tissue is removed, you are likely to experience a quicker recovery and suffer from less scalp numbness than you would from a coronal brow lift.

Disadvantages Of Endoscopic Brow Lift

The incisions made during an endoscopic brow lift sit close to the hairline, which may result in them being more visible than the scar from a coronal brow lift.

The end result may also not last as long, and in some cases, may not appear entirely symmetrical.

Brow Lift Cosmetic Surgery Recovery & Results

If you have a coronal brow lift you will have an incision line than runs across the top of your scalp, in some cases, from ear to ear. Although this will leave a big scar, most people won’t notice it as your hair will conceal it.

With an endoscopic brow lift your scars will be smaller, and in most people they heal up so that they become virtually invisible.

Since an endoscopic brow lift is less invasive than a coronal brow lift, you may be able to return back to work after one week, although it is generally recommended to rest for at least two weeks if you can.

With a coronal brow lift, you may not feel like going back to work until two to three weeks after your surgery.

When you are fully recovered your eyebrows will appear higher, and your forehead will appear tighter, smoother and less wrinkled.

Depending on your age, you may want to consider having a brow lift done together with a face lift or lower eyelid surgery to give your whole face a more youthful looking appearance.