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Plastic Surgery

Brow Lift

The brow and the upper eyelid affect one another, so they need to be considered together. Even if you just need one of these procedures, you need to be aware that each of these procedures affects both of these areas afterward, sometimes in surprising ways. Men and women need to be considered separately since the aesthetic is completely different.

Brow Lift for Women

A brow lift surgery often softens a woman’s appearance and makes her appear more approachable. The brow can be raised somewhat higher in women than in men, although this is not invariable and should also be performed conservatively. An over elevation of the brows should be avoided. The choice of level and shape of the brows is one that needs to be determined individually and does not necessarily follow any arbitrary rules.

If the skin of the upper eyelids is loose and hangs down, the patient may unconsciously hold her brows elevated to keep the loose skin off her upper lids. In this case, correction of the excess upper eyelid skin can eliminate the need for forehead elevation, relax the forehead and reduce the forehead creases without the need for a brow lift.

Brow Lift for Men

The aesthetic in men is that the brow should be low and relatively straight, and the upper lids should not be overly defined. An overly lifted brow or hollow upper need to be avoided. Changes should be conservative.

The brow should be at or slightly above the ridge of bone above the eye. If the brow has fallen lower than the level of the ridge, then a brow lift may be considered. Brow lifting has been a challenge in men since the ability to hide any brow lift incisions behind the hairline is compromised by the fact that the hairline is generally going to rise with age.

There are three techniques for lifting the brow:

  • Direct browlift: This simple, local anesthesia technique involves the excision of excess forehead skin above the eyebrows to elevate the droopy brow. The incision scars are hidden in the natural wrinkle lines. This technique is simple and has excellent duration with minimal risk except for incisions that may be visible in the forehead. This brow lift recovery time is relatively short, with sutures removed at approximately one week at which time the patient may cover the incision with makeup.
  • Open browlift: This is the traditional technique where a long incision is made in the scalp from ear to ear to elevate the brow. Duration is great, however there is potential for long-term to permanent numbness to the top of the scalp as a side effect.
  • Endoscopic browlift: This technique is performed using a scope through several small incisions in back of the hairline. The brow is elevated with sutures or absorbable plates or resorbable plates. The endoscopic brow lift provides minimal visible scarring, but does need to be performed carefully to achieve long-lasting outcomes.

The concept of eye vs. brow lifting is best explained in a personal consultation where the benefits of each procedure can be demonstrated for the patient in front of a mirror.

Disclaimer

Treatment results will vary, talk to a practitioner to see if this treatment or procedure is right for you.


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