Brow and Forehead Lift Surgery by Laser
What is brow lift surgery?
Brow lift surgery, also known as a forehead lift, is a procedure in which the skin on the forehead is raised, thus smoothing out creases and lines, correcting drooping brows and improving frown lines. The eyebrows are raised slightly, creating an aesthetically pleasing lateral arch, and resulting in a more alert and awake appearance.
Brow lifts are often done in conjunction with blepharoplasty (upper eyelid surgery) and face lifts, though can also be done as stand-alone procedures.
Brow lift laser surgery functional and aesthetic benefits
As the position of the eyebrows change with age, crowding can occur and droopy skin can interfere with vision, therefore brow lift surgery is not only cosmetically beneficial, but can also be helpful for those whose vision has been hindered by eyebrow ptosis.
The Pretrichial (Hairline) Brow/Forehead Lift
A pretrichial brow lift is Dr. Ciric preferred technique due to its longevity and versatility: it can provide more dramatic results if desired, allows for better opportunity to improve asymmetry, and not only preserves the natural position of the hairline, but can also provide an opportunity to lower the hairline while shortening the height of the forehead, if needed. This surgical approach is performed by making an incision a few millimeters behind the hairline. The skin and muscles of the forehead are then lifted upward and a strip of skin and underlying tissue is removed at the incision. After fully healed, the incision scar will be virtually undetectable, as the incision is made in a way that preserves hair follicles to insure hair growth along the scar. This type of brow lift is best suited to those with high foreheads as the result is a shortening of the upper third of the face.
Endoscopic Brow/Forehead Lift
Another popular method of brow lift, the endoscopic brow lift, is done by making five small incisions just behind the hairline. An endoscope (camera) is inserted in one of the incisions while a surgical instrument is inserted in another and is used to pull, tighten and secure the underlying tissue with sutures, screws or staples. Because the incisions are made behind the hairline, scars will be virtually invisible.
An endoscopic brow lift can smooth out the entire forehead while lifting the eyebrow area which “opens up” the entire upper face. Eyebrow shape and asymmetry can be addressed with this type of lift, but not as predictably as with the trichophytic brow lift. This procedure can lift the eyebrows quite nicely, but an unwanted side effect is raising of the hairline which is why Dr Ciric is very judicious with patient selection for this technique: he does not recommend this technique for patients with a long forehead (high hairline). This type of lift may also not be ideal with someone with severe brow descent or heavy skin, and may not be as long lasting as the pretrichial method.
The Coronal Brow Lift
A coronal brow lift is similar to the pretrichial lift, except the incision is made from ear to ear, much higher, at the crown of the head. Pretrichial lift similar to coronal brow lift, without altering the height of the front hairline. Partially pretrichial zig zag incision. The beveled incision about 2 mm behind the hairline to induce hair growth through the scar. Open approach allows better visualization and solving the ptosis of the brow and weakening hypertonicity of the frontalis, corrugator supercilii, and procerus muscles.
Temporal brow lift
As the name suggests, the temporal brow lift is made in the temple region, just 1-2 cm behind the temporal hairline to hide the incision. This is a less invasive brow lifting technique that only addresses the outer aspect of the eyebrows to create a nice arch and improve the lateral hooding of the eyes. It is often done in combination with eyelid surgery (brow lifting) under local anesthesia to open up the eyes and improve the arch of the eyebrow.
The downside of this technique is that it doesn’t give as long lasting results as the trichophytic approach, but has the benefit of being less invasive and can be done under local anesthesia with an undetectable scar which is hidden by hair completely.
What is a Trichophytic forehead lift?
Trichophytic browlift or forehead lift is an excellent procedure to simultaneously lift the brows and shorten the forehead for a more balanced facial vertical thirds: top of forehead, in between the brows, below the nose above the lip, and bottom of chin.
The term “trichophytic” means hair growing, as that is what occurs, i.e., hair is allowed to grow through the scar to make the scar difficult if not near impossible to detect.
The Mid-forehead or Direct Brow Lift
Also known as a “gull wing” lift, this type of brow lift is done by making two incisions just above the eyebrows and removing a section of skin from the forehead. This procedure is best suited for those with severe forehead wrinkles that hide the incision scar and for patients with a thinning hairline, insufficient for other types of lifts. After the ellipse of skin is removed from above the eyebrows or mid forehead, the incision is closed in multiple layers to ensure minimal scar visibility; this results in raising the eyebrows, smoothing out skin and slightly shortening the forehead. This type of lift is also excellent at addressing brow shape and symmetry. The drawback is a scar, which although well positioned in skin creases, can take several weeks/months to fade.
Direct laser lateral brow lift and blepharoplasty improves the vision and the eyelid position
Please see photo before & after-sagging brows and eyelids that cause vision obstruction
When will I see results?
You will notice a change immediately following surgery and for the first few weeks you may look a little surprised, however, the eyebrows will settle into a more natural position as healing progresses and the swelling subsides. Swelling can take a few weeks and up to six months to go down completely and your final results will continue to develop over this time.
Who is a candidate for a brow lift?
Candidates for brow lift surgery can be healthy persons of any age, as some conditions addressed by the procedure are not age related but are genetic, such as low, heavy brow or furrowed lines above the nose.
If you have one or more of the following conditions present, you could be a candidate for a brow or forehead lift:
- Visible furrows between the brows
- Moderate to severe frown lines causing an “angry” appearance
- Droopy brows
- A consistently weary or tired appearance
- Heavy upper lids
- Deep horizontal forehead lines
- Sagging brows and eyelids that cause vision obstruction
It is also important to enter into any kind of cosmetic surgery with a clear, healthy mindset, and realistic, attainable goals.
Alternatives to brow lift surgery:
Though they will never deliver the same results or take the place of surgery, there are non-surgical options to brow or forehead lifts available; these include Botox and RF treatment. Botox relaxes the muscles in the face and raises eyebrows via injection. The results of what is sometimes referred to as a “Botox Brow lift” only last a few months, but this is an option for someone who is unsure whether or not to go through with surgery to test drive what their results may look like.
Laser Full face and Neck lifting, Laser Forehead (Brow lift) and Laser Blepharoplasty
