Browlift

Browlifts or forehead lifts may completely refresh your upper face. A worried or tired look results from a brow that lies low and heavy on the forehead. The skin of the upper lid is often pushed downwards so that it looks as though an eyelid tuck is needed.

Overhanging skin in the upper eyelids can be addressed in two ways: an upper eyelid lift or a brow lift. While in the past surgeons often chose to automatically perform an upper eyelid lift to correct sagging of the upper lid, more often today, a browlift is used to create the same result.

A browlift can be performed alone or at the same time as a facelift, which also removes excess skin and tightens muscles in the mid and lower face. It may also be used together with Botox to reduce the appearance of forehead lines and wrinkles.

Younger adults who have a naturally low brow or who already have deep frown lines due to stress or muscle overactivity may also benefit from a browlift.

Sometimes, people focus their attention on the excess skin in the upper eyelids not realizing that it is their sagging eyebrows that are the cause of the problem. Dr. DeLorenzi is happy to explain the benefits of both eyelid surgery and browlift as each procedure applies to you.

The surgical technique Dr. DeLorenzi recommends will depend on: the position of your eyebrows, the amount of excess upper eyelid skin you have, and the height of your hairline (the height of your hairline can be altered a little after surgery).

Often, an incision is made across the top of the scalp, beginning above the ears and hidden in the hair. Sometimes, the incision may be placed at the front of the hairline or the middle of the scalp. The incision is designed to be inconspicuous when it is healed. Through the incision, Dr. DeLorenzi can modify or remove parts of the muscles that cause frown lines, remove excess skin and lift your eyebrows to a more youthful level.

Another forehead lift technique uses an endoscope, a long thin tube with a light on the end attached to a video camera. The endoscope is inserted through several tiny incisions in the scalp and allows Dr. DeLorenzi to see and work on the inside structure of your forehead. The endoscopic technique has the advantage of requiring minimal incisions, but it may not be beneficial for all patients.

If your main concern is frown lines between your eyebrows, a “limited endoscopic procedure” can be performed to correct these problems. If you are having upper eyelid surgery performed, it may also be possible to treat frown lines by way of the incisions that are made in the upper eyelid.

Complications from a browlift are infrequent though sometimes the normal numbness and itching that follow the surgery may be prolonged. Patients also sometimes experience minor hair loss where the scalp incisions were made, but this is usually temporary and easy to conceal.

Swelling and bruising should be gone within two weeks. You may use camouflage makeup almost immediately. Do expect temporary numbness and possibly some itching of the scalp as the nerves heal.

You will have an accurate idea of how you will look within a week.