Most of the year, work, school, family and holiday commitments can leave you feeling too busy to consider cosmetic surgery. The slower days of summer are ideal for refreshing your looks with an eyebrow lift (brow lift), especially if you can use some vacation days to recover!
Why a Brow Lift?
The biggest reason for getting a brow lift (forehead lift or forehead rejuvenation) done is to look (and feel) younger. Like everything else in the body, the brows can sag over time, leaving you looking perpetually tired. By tightening the sagging skin on your forehead over your brows, your facial expression can once again look smoother and lighter while highlighting your eyes.
When you get a brow lift to raise the soft tissue and skin in the brows and forehead, your face also looks more symmetrical. You can even have a brow lift done with eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty). Both are popular cosmetic surgery options to make your facial appearance look fresher so you can feel younger.
What Happens When You Have An Eyebrow Lift Done
This relatively simple cosmetic procedure can be done in a surgical facility at our practice. You will be made comfortable with a general anesthetic to help you relax and even sleep. The technique used to perform the brow lift will depend on the wanted results, as that decides where the incisions will be made and any scars while healing. Depending on the technique, your surgery can take anywhere from one to two hours.
Brow Lift Techniques
- Coronal brow lift: Using this technique, our surgeon carefully makes the incision from ear to ear at the top of your head, hidden behind your hairline. The forehead will be raised so that your scalp overlaps the area behind the scalp. Once this overlap is taken out, the remaining skin can be sewn up.
- Endoscopic brow lift: This version has our surgeon making a few tiny incisions hidden behind the hairline. Next, a narrow tube is inserted endoscopically (using a small light and camera) into one of these incisions and show us the muscles and tissue. Another instrument will be placed into a different incision to lift the tissues of your forehead up where they can be sutured or screwed into place, followed by small clips or stitches.
- Hairline brow lift: This surgical technique involves placing the incision at the highest part of your forehead where the hairline begins. A small area of the forehead skin and tissue is then taken (instead of your scalp) so your hairline isn’t pulled back. It is a good option if you have a high hairline that is receding.
Post Brow Lift Surgery
We may wrap your forehead loosely to keep the swelling down. And if blood or fluid is leaking, a small tube can drain that for you. Before going home, you will be given detailed instructions on caring for your incisions. For the next few days, it is recommended that you sleep with your head elevated. Any discomfort while the incisions are healing can be managed with medication. Placing a cold compress on your forehead can also help minimize swelling. Avoid activities for a week that can strain your forehead while your brow is trying to heal.
Avoiding Direct Sun
For awhile after your brow lift procedure, your skin will be more sensitive to direct sunlight (and can also darken your scar). Too much sun exposure in the days afterward can lead to excess swelling in the incision area. Wear coverings (scarf, cap or hat) that protects your forehead and use an SPF sunscreen of 30 or higher. Before you know it, your site will heal, and your face will look brighter! If you would like to understand more about having a brow lift this summer, our cosmetic surgery team invites you to give us a call today!