Brow Lift (Forehead Lift, Browplasty)
3d try-onA brow lift, which is also known as a forehead lift or browplasty, aims to improve the facial appearance by tightening or getting rid of excess skin and tissues that cause eyebrows to sag. Various types of brow lifts exist, but they all share the same goals: to lift underlying muscles and forehead tissues in a way that lessens wrinkles and deep furrows, which can cause a person to look older and angry.
Written By: AEDIT Staff
Published: March 19, 2021
Last updated: January 17, 2022
For everyday skincare essentials, pre- and post-treatment support, procedure enhancers, or even treatment alternatives, we’ve got you covered.
The Skinny
According to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there were 22,713 brow lift procedures performed in 2017. A qualified board-certified plastic surgeon can help determine the specific type of brow-lift technique that may work best for you to lift your eyebrows from a saggy position, which can at times cover the vision or bring an aged “mean” appearance.
The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery notes that brow lifts affect the area above the brows, while eyelid lifts improve the area around the eyes. Facelifts, on the other hand, focus on the region of the face surrounding the middle or lower portions, while a neck lift improves the collar bone and chin area.
An experienced plastic surgeon will also be able to determine if eyelid surgery would better suit you instead of or in addition to a forehead lift since brow lift surgery won't alleviate the crow's feet type of wrinkles around the eyes or baggy eyelids.
As reported by Johns Hopkins Center for Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, patients from ages 40 to 60 are the ones most likely to undergo an eyebrow lift.
The Specifics
Ideal Candidates for Brow Lifts
The ideal candidates for brow lifts may vary, based upon the type of procedure being considered. In general, potentially good brow lift surgery patients include the following:
- Overall healthy individuals with brows that sag
- Folks who dislike how their droopy eyebrows make them appear older, angry or sad
- People with deep horizontal forehead wrinkles
- Patients with deep furrows and frown lines between or over the brows or the top of the nose
- Men or women with excess skin and tissue that hangs over their eyes, blocking their vision
- Balding men who won't be affected by hairline changes because their hairline has receded
- Good chemical brow lift candidates are ones who have good skin quality, less laxity and aren't ready for surgery
Who Should Not Get a Brow Lit?
Certain individuals may not be good candidates for brow lift surgery, but consult your physician regarding the following conditions:
- Patients allergic to general anesthesia, local anesthesia, or an intravenous (IV) sedation that may be used during their procedure
- Individuals seeking a Botox® brow lift that are allergic to the substance, or have droopy eyelids that Botox® could worsen
- Patients seeking to correct sagging forehead skin shouldn't seek correction through a chemical brow lift
- Individuals with thin hair or those suffering from hair loss shouldn't have the pretrichial brow lift
- Darker-skinned individuals should be aware that visible scarring may be more evident
- People with high hairlines or those who are balding should not receive a coronal brow lift and endoscopic brow lift due to the visibility of the scars
- Patients who don't have deep forehead wrinkles to hide incision sites and those with low front hairlines should not receive a mid-brow lift - along with those concerned about issues with their foreheads and temples
How Much do Brow Lifts Cost?
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of a brow lift in 2017 was $3,374. However, that amount does not account for additional costs associated with brow lift surgery, such as the expenses incurred for medical history tests, surgical anesthesia, facility fees for the cost of the operating room, along with other expenses for prescription medication and recovery needs.
Since the types of brow lift surgeries vary widely, along with the fee charged by the facial plastic surgeon based on his or her location and level of experience, brow lift costs can run the gamut. A brow lift's cost can range from $300 up to $14,000. With the average cost roughly around $7,150.
Invasive brow lift surgeries such as the coronal, pretrichial, traditional, direct brow lift, and even an endoscopic brow lift can range in cost from $4,000 to $7,000. At times patients choose to combine their brow lift procedure with additional treatments.
Botox® brow lifts are less expensive, ranging from $100 to $1,000 per treatment, based on how many injections of Botox® are used. Brow lifts gained via Botox® injections require upkeep costs since the results are not permanent.
In general, brow lifts undertaken for cosmetic reasons likely will not be covered by personal medical health insurance, yet a plethora of plastic surgeons offer financing options for their patients. To better understand the price of the procedure, check out our complete guide to brow lift cost.
Brow Lift Recovery
Recovering from brow lift surgery is also largely dependent upon the type of surgery experienced. A board-certified plastic surgeon who has extensive experience in guiding patients through the recovery periods from their brow lift surgeries will provide post-operative instructions to help individuals ease into their after-surgery care and heal properly.
The time it takes to recover from invasive brow lift surgery can be shorter or longer for some patients, but overall, patients can expect some of the following during their recovery period:
- Elevation of the head for 48 hours and ice packs to reduce swelling
- Pain medication and avoidance of strenuous activities
- Healing of wounds in 10 to 14 days
- Bandages to minimize bruising
- Back to work or normal activity in 7 to 14 days
- Botox brow lift patients should avoid reclining for four hours after treatment
To better understand the healing and downtime associated with the procedure, check out our complete guide to brow lift recovery.
Before & After Brow Lift Care
The method of preparing for brow lift surgery should be fully understood by the patient well before the procedure, to experience the best results. Whether undergoing an endoscopic lift or more invasive means of brow lift surgery, patients should be armed with the following knowledge.
Prior to Brow Lift Surgery
Weeks before getting brow lift surgery, a patient should be instructed by their plastic surgeon to perform tasks such as the following:
- Give up smoking 30 days prior to getting brow lift surgery, because nicotine reduces blood flow, can slow the healing process, and cause problems with anesthesia - such as heart attacks and infections - according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine and the American Society of Anesthesiologists
- Don't take blood thinners such as aspirin, or any supplements, herbs, and vitamins for 14 days before surgery to avoid unnecessary blood loss during the procedure
- Cease drinking alcoholic beverages two days before surgery so that it won't interfere with anesthesia
- If hair dye is desired, patients are advised to use it before surgery, since it won't be allowed for six weeks afterward
- Abstain from eating and drinking for six hours or more before surgery
- Buy all post-surgical needs before the surgery
- Take off jewelry, makeup, and contact lenses before surgery
After Brow Lift Surgery
- Consume Arnica and Vitamin C for 14 days to help lessen bruising and speed up the healing
- Get a friend or family member to drive you home and abstain from driving for 3 or 4 days post-surgery
- Expect swelling, bruising, stitches or staples near or in the hairline
- Take any prescribed antibiotics during the first 7 days after surgery to prevent infection
- Stay away from NSAIDs such as Motrin®, Advil® or other ibuprofen to reduce bruising and swelling risks after Botox® injections
- Tell your doctor about any unexpected fevers, rashes, blemishes, cold sores, redness and swelling that doesn't dissipate
- Keep all follow-up appointments
- Refrain from manipulating the area of treatment and avoid facials until given the go-ahead by your medical professional
Types of Brow Lifts
The use of dermal fillers can help fill out and prevent forehead wrinkles, improving the brow area. In combination with fillers, Botox® is even used as one of the methods of lifting the brows, as you'll discover in the following sections. However, brow lift surgery can lift the eyebrows, forehead, and upper eyelids in a dramatic fashion that helps frown lines decrease. A cosmetic surgeon who specializes in facial plastic surgery can cause a more youthful appearance and a welcoming facial expression to appear via a brow lift procedure.
Find out next about seven main types of brow lifts, from the traditional and invasive form of cosmetic surgery for the brows to the less invasive endoscopic brow lift and beyond.
1: Coronal Brow Lift
The coronal brow lift is named as such because "coronal" relates to the "crown" of something - in this case, the head. With a coronal brow lift, which is often called a forehead lift, the long incision site runs from one ear to the other ear across the top of the head, like a headband. The facial plastic surgeon makes the long incision in the portion of the scalp that is hidden by the hair, and the surgical procedure bevels the incision site in an attempt to protect the hair follicles from being harmed.
A refreshed appearance is then created when the brow area is manually lifted along with underlying muscles, and excess skin is removed to create a smoother forehead. Patients who have extremely high foreheads may respond better to an anterior hairline incision site, which allows for a brow lift that doesn't change the hairline height, but may leave more visible scars that can be covered with bangs.
2: Endoscopic Brow Lift
An endoscopic brow lift usually involves four to six small incisions being placed within the scalp, behind the hairline. The cuts make room for an endoscope to be inserted to allow the facial plastic surgeon to see muscles and tissue via the camera attached to the tube-like device. The small incisions also allow space for the muscles to be moved or cut in a manner that provides a forehead and brow lift.
Extraneous fat and tissue can also be extracted during the surgery, while the brows are lifted as well. The endoscopic procedure creates fewer scars than the traditional forehead lift with the long incision, therefore recovery time is shorter. Because of these advantages, the endoscopic lift is the most common form of incision type used during brow lifts.
3: Pretrichial Brow Lift
A pretrichial brow lift places the incisions along the hairline in the front, or close within the front of the hairline. Your pretrichial incision site will be based upon factors such as the shape of your forehead and hairline.
Individuals who have foreheads which are extremely curvy, or people with high hairlines, should get a pretrichial lift with the incision placed in a short central location, combined with an endoscopic forehead lift.
Select surgeries can be performed at the same time. Traditional pretrichial forehead lifts could be done in conjunction with a facelift, and the facelift incision could join the brow lift incision.
4: Combination Mid-brow Incision with Endoscope Brow Lift
There are times when a combination of techniques works best for specific patients, such as an endoscopic brow lift used in combination with a "mid-brow" incision that is hidden in a forehead crease.
An endoscope can then be used to view beneath the brow area as the surgeon manipulates the underlying muscle, tissue, and fascia as needed. A variety of surgical tools can be utilized to create suspension and trim any excess fat and tissues.
5: Traditional Mid-brow Lift
Another method of performing a lift from the middle of the eyebrow area is the traditional mid-brow lift, which isn't used as often as an endoscopic lift, but it also creates an incision within the patient's forehead crease. The incision site may help the surgeon precisely target the area for brow lifting and removal of excess skin, but a mid-brow lift creates incisions in a very visible location.
Yet and still, the traditional mid-brow lift allows for flaps of skin to be raised to perfect the brow position and to correct crooked or asymmetrical eyebrows.
6: Direct Brow Lift
A direct brow lift is one of the brow lift techniques that involves incisions directly atop the eyebrow hairs to attempt to hide the scars therein, according to the Review of Ophthalmology. The direct brow lift procedure is not as common as it once was, but can still be useful for certain patients who require specific corrections in the functionality of their brow areas.
The direct brow lifting technique can be effective, although it is often not used because of the potential for visible scars. In general, the direct brow lift is often reserved for older or male patients who have thick bushy eyebrows that can more readily hide the scarring. The study included 50 men who had direct brow lift surgery, along with upper eyelid blepharoplasty surgery.
Overall, the direct brow lift was determined to help brow height asymmetry greatly because of the superior level of control is provided to reverse drooping eyebrows. The results proved that the direct brow lift technique also provided long-term results for bald men and those with high hairlines.
7: Chemical Brow Lift
A chemical brow lift uses substances like Botox, instead of incisions and sutures, to lift the eyebrows. Botox® can be injected into specific areas to relax muscles that pull the brows downward. Botox® injections can cause the patient to be unable to contract those specific muscles, which in turn can minimize wrinkles.
Shaping the brows with Botox® necessitates a deep understanding of how the underlying muscles perform and can have a limited effect upon raising the brows when compared to surgical methods. However, plastic surgeons and expert injectors who specialize in the procedure can use a combination of Botox® and dermal fillers to raise and shape the brows in a way that offers a beautiful aesthetic without surgery.
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