Also known as a forehead lift, a brow lift minimizes the creases that develop across the forehead, or those that occur high on the bridge of the nose; improves what are commonly referred to as frown lines; and repositions a low or sagging brow. It will raise your eyebrows to a higher and more aesthetic position and will also improve lateral hoods (which are the droopy flaps of skin that hang over the outside corner of your eyes. Plastic surgery of your forehead will also soften your horizontal forehead wrinkles and the scowl lines between your eyebrows.

A brow lift will NOT improve baggy eyelids, puffy eyes, or crow's feet.

Your Personal Consultation
During the initial consultation, your plastic surgeon may ask you to look in a mirror and point out exactly what you would like to see improved. Sometimes, patients may focus their attention on excess skin in the upper eyelids and not realize that sagging of their eyebrows contributes to this skin redundancy. You should be very frank in discussing anything about your appearance that bothers you, as well as what you hope to achieve with surgery. This will help your surgeon to understand your expectations and determine whether they can realistically be achieved.

You should come to the consultation prepared to discuss your medical history. This will include information about any medical conditions you may have, medical treatments you have received, previous surgeries including aesthetic eyelid or facial surgery, and medications that you currently take. It is important for you to provide complete information.

There are a variety of ways to elevate the brows and correct aging changes in the forehead area. Your plastic surgeon will closely examine your entire forehead and upper eyelid region, noting the muscle activity when you assume various facial expressions. The particular surgical technique that your surgeon recommends will depend on many factors such as the position of your eyebrows, the amount of excess upper eyelid skin and the height of your hairline.

Brow Lift Options
A brow lift may be performed in several ways. In many instances, an incision is made across the top of the scalp, beginning above the ears and hidden within the hair. Sometimes, the incision may be placed at the front of the hairline or, in some cases, toward the middle of the scalp. The incision is designed to be inconspicuous when healed. Through the forehead lift incision, your plastic surgeon can modify or remove parts of the muscles that cause wrinkling and frown lines, remove excess skin, and lift your eyebrows to a more pleasing 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 the plastic surgeon to see and work on the various internal structures of the forehead. The endoscopic technique has the advantage of requiring very minimal incisions, but it may not be equally beneficial for all patients. In some instances, alternate methods may be preferable, or a combination of endoscopic and other techniques may be used.

Sometimes, if your main concern is frown lines between your eyebrows or across the top of your nose, a limited endoscopic procedure to correct these problems can be done. Alternatively, if you are having upper eyelid surgery performed to remove excess skin, it may be possible to treat your frown lines by the same upper eyelid incisions.

Understanding Risks
Fortunately, significant complications from aesthetic eyelid surgery are infrequent. Every year, many thousands of people undergo successful eyelid surgery, experience no major problems and are pleased with the results.

The subject of risks and potential complications of surgery is best discussed on a personal basis between you and your surgeon, or with a staff member in your surgeon's office. Some of the potential complications that may be discussed with you include hematoma (an accumulation of blood under the skin that may require removal), infection and reactions to anesthesia. Following the surgery, there can be a feeling of dryness or irritation in the eye that requires treatment. There is a possibility of a temporary decrease in sensation of the eyelid skin or impaired eyelid function that sometimes may need to be corrected by additional surgery.

You can help minimize certain risks by following the advice and instructions of your plastic surgeon, both before and after your eyelid surgery.

Results of Your Forehead Surgery
A forehead lift eliminates the tired, worried or angry expression often caused by low eyebrow position and deep forehead furrows. Since the healing process is gradual, you should expect to wait at least several weeks to get an accurate picture of how you look.

How long will the results last?
How long the results of your forehead lift will last depends on many variables including your heredity and lifestyle factors. Even though the aging process continues, patients are usualy happy with their apperance for many years following a forehead lift. Some patients find that they want to make additional improvements at a later time.