FAQ – Brow Lift
What is a Brow lift?
As the aging process continues to progress, our brows will begin their descent. This gives the upper portion of the face a more tired and heavy appearance. This procedure elevates the aging brows so that upper face’s appearance is restored to a more youthful appearance. It is important to note that forehead wrinkles are not removed with this procedure. These wrinkles form as a result of the usage of the forehead muscle. Botox is used to treat wrinkles of this nature.
Who are the best brow lift candidates?
The best candidates for brow lift surgery are patients who are otherwise healthy and have descended brows. If the upper eyelid and brow region has a tired and heavy appearance, a brow lift is a beneficial procedure.
How does an endoscopic brow lift work?
This procedure is performed with the use of a wide range of techniques. The technique that is chosen will depend on the patient’s anatomy. Three small incisions are made on the forehead. From there, a small endoscope will be used as a means of elevating the tissues off of the patient’s forehead. The forehead and brow are placed at a higher level than before. This procedure offers patients certain advantages, such as a faster recovery time and smaller incisions. Conversely, low and heavy brows are not able to be successfully lifted with the use of this technique.
What about coronal brow lifts?
This brow lift surgery requires open scalp incisions. This technique is often chosen because it can provide the patient with long lasting and high quality forehead and brow elevation. It provides the best and most long-lasting elevation of the brows and forehead. Additionally, the patient’s incision is successfully hidden away in the upper region of their scalp. The recovery is longer than the recovery time of the endoscopic technique, however. Patients also risk losing hair and experiencing numbness of the forehead region.
What are hairline brow lifts?
It is a brow lift surgery requiring the patient to receive an incision at the point where their hairline begins. A specific pattern is used in order to make the incision so that it can become essentially invisible once the healing process is complete. The ideal candidates for this procedure are patients looking to address their high forehead and low brows. An endoscopic brow lift is more challenging for patients with high foreheads. If the patient has a high hairline, a coronal brow lift will not work well because of the hairline elevation that takes place.
What type of anesthesia is used during these procedures?
IV sedation is used if the patient is only receiving one procedure. If the procedure is going to be combined with a face lift or eyelid surgery, general anesthesia or LMA is typically used.
What is the brow lift recovery period like?
A patient that decides to undergo a brow lift procedure is typically able to resume their regular work schedule and all of their normal activities within seven to ten days. The day after the surgery, patients will make an office visit so that a light forehead dressing can be removed. Bruising does not tend to take place after the procedure has been completed. Any swelling that occurs is usually mild at worst. Patients return to the office at the ten day mark so that the smaller stitches that have been placed on the incision can be removed.
Will there be any scarring?
The brow lift incisions will all be properly concealed and are not able to be detected by the naked eye. It does not matter which technique the surgeon uses.
Do brow lifts cause the patient to experience pain?
A patient may report a feeling of slight pressure in their forehead region once the brow lift has been completed. These feelings will only last for a few hours and be resolved within the first night. Pain medication is offered to the patient as a means of resolving their discomfort.
What is the recovery like?
The recovery process for this procedure is a mild one. It is an ambulatory surgery. This allows the patient to return to their residence on the same day that the surgery takes place. The post operation period is going to be a relatively painless, minus the mild pressure that the patient will experience in the forehead region for roughly two to three hours after their surgery has been completed. The patient will make their way back to the office of Dr. Sheffield the morning after surgery. At this time, he will check the incisions and remove the dressing.
On the seventh day post-op, the patient’s sutures are going be removed. The vast majority of the patient’s swelling resolves itself within the first week of the recovery. The remainder of the swelling will no longer be visible after an additional three weeks. The procedure causes little to no bruising.
Are there any risks or complications associated with this surgery?
Brow lift related complications are typically rare. If complications do take place, the patient may experience hair loss, infection, a loss of sensation or some scarring. A temporary inability to elevate the eyebrow region may occur and this could be permanent in the rarest of instances.