A Look at the Traditional and Endoscopic Brow Lift

As the name implies, a brow lift (or eyebrow lift) lifts the brow to its proper position. It is a plastic surgery procedure that must be performed by a qualified surgeon. During the procedure the operating physician will take away the droopy, sagging tissue and skin that is found in the eyebrow and forehead area. Then he will proceed to tighten up the skin that is left.

Having a brow lift can take years off a person’s appearance. As time passes the forehead tends to become wrinkled and to develop folds of skin. This is called lateral hooding. For some people it can get so bad that the sagging skin folds hangs down as low as their eye and can obscure their vision. Some people may also notice that the region between their eyelid and eyebrow has become saggy and loose. This can make the person look either very tired or cranky. All of these problems are addressed when a lift on the brow is performed.

Plastic surgeons have two types of lift procedures to choose from. There is the traditional brow lift and the new and more modern endoscopic lift. These two surgical procedures are similar in nature but also have their differences.

There is more than one type of traditional lift that can be done. The coronal lift is one form. In this case the doctor will take the skin in the scalp area and pull it in an upward direction, thereby getting rid of the excess skin and tissue that is causing the hooding problem. To prevent the formation of wrinkles in this area of the face the surgeon may loosen up the muscles at the same time.

Another kind of traditional lift for the eyebrow is known as the hairline lift. Those who are experiencing a receding hairline prefer this method. The incision that the surgeon makes is made below the hairline. It leaves behind a visible scar. However the scar will fade as time passes.

The endoscopic lift involves the use of a tiny camera that is known as an endoscope. The endoscope allows him to better see what he is doing. During this plastic surgery procedure the doctor will make a variety of small incisions in the scalp and the head. These incisions are required to pull the skin of the forehead into a tighter, firmer position. In some instances small screws will be placed into the bone of the skull with the stitches around them. This is required for some patients to stabilize the incision site.

Both types of brow lifts have their positive and negative points. Most brow treatments are done under general anesthesia as opposed to local. The operation can take anywhere from two to three hours to complete. If there are no complications during or following the surgery then the patient can go home the same day. However if something unfortunate does arise then the individual may have to stay in the hospital overnight to be closely monitored.

The patient will experience some pain and discomfort following the brow lift, as well as some bruising and swelling. These things are all perfectly normal. No two patients heal at the same rate. However most people should start to feel better and also be able to see the successful results of the procedure they had within three to six weeks after the surgery.