Forehead Lifts Renew A Youthful Look

A brow lift is a surgical method used to treat droopy eyebrows caused by excess skin; sometimes this excess skin will impair vision. A forehead lift can also alter the muscles in the brow to smooth wrinkles, or scowl muscles. It is relatively new to the field of plastic surgery, and was first introduced in 1910. A German doctor, Erich Lexer, who is also credited for developing other plastic surgery techniques, developed the coronal forehead lift. It involves making one long incisions from ear to ear along the hairline, which will better conceal the surgical scar. The surgeon then lifts the skin and muscles from the bone to cut the excess skin. They can also manipulate and weaken the muscles in the eyebrows that cause wrinkles and scowling. When the lift is complete, the doctor must remove a small portion of the hairline to sew the forehead back to the scalp. This method is the oldest and most reliable, although there are two other techniques that are less invasive and do not create a large surgical scar.

An endoscopic forehead lift is the most popular of the two. For this technique, the cosmetic surgeon will make between four and six small incisions behind the hairline to insert an endoscope behind the skin. This small camera allows the surgeon to do most of the same things they are able to do with an open surgery, however, they can only weaken the scowl muscles; they cannot alter them to eliminate the wrinkles. Additionally, they can only shift excess skin backwards, it cannot be removed. For these reasons, results from the endoscopic method do not last in patients with very deep creases, or a very low droop. The third technique, a subcutaneous lift, is rarely used because it can cause highly visible scarring; however, it does not cause numbness, like the other methods. An incision is made across the top of the forehead where the hairline begins to remove the extra skin, and alter the brow muscles. The results are more permanent, although patients will have to wear their hair forward to conceal the scar.

Each of these brow lift procedures can be done in a doctor's office in about two hours, and there is no overnight stay needed. Recovery time, however, depends on the technique used. The open lift will require more pain therapy, and the stitches will take about 10 days to heal. Swelling, itching, and numbness can be expected, but it will disappear in a few days. Full recovery for each will take at least one month, although it is possible to return to work or school in about 10 days, after the stitches have been removed.

A brow lift can successfully create a more youthful look, and when performed with other cosmetic surgeries it can provide for dramatic results. A consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon will help determine which method of the brow lift is better-suited. This is especially important for assessing the position of the hairline, since the procedures can alter the hairline, and sometimes leave visible scarring.