How Are Brow Lifts Performed?
By Barry Schwartz | Published on January 24, 2011 | 0 Comments
At Weston Center for Plastic Surgery, Inc., Barry Schwartz M.D., an experienced plastic surgeon in Ft Lauderdale, Florida meets on a regular basis with a wide array of patients who all have different concerns and are seeking alternative solutions to some of the same issues. For instance, while millions of people around the country have embraced the results that fillers and Botox provide to diminish lines and wrinkles in the face, some people want a longer lasting, more dramatic solution.
For patients who are experiencing severe sagging in the upper face, Dr. Schwartz explains that brow lifts may offer the results they are after. Basically, he says, there are several types of brow lifts, each of which offers slightly different results depending on the severity of a patient’s facial sag and personal preference.
The first option, he explains, is a full eyebrow lift, in which the incision is made across the crown of the head. Once the incision is properly made, the brow tissue is dissected from the forehead and scalp and elevated off of the bone and muscles down to the eyebrows. At that point, Dr. Schwartz says, the attachments of two muscles are detached from the skin. These are the muscles that cause you to frown, he adds. Then, a certain amount of tissue is pulled back. Through this procedure the muscle in your face known as the frontalis is interrupted so that you cannot wrinkle your forehead.
A less invasive alternative to the full brow lift, Dr. Schwartz explains, is the endoscopic brow lift. While there are different variations of this technique, he says, instead of making a full incision—as your surgeon would do in a full brow lift—minimal incisions are made and hidden in your hairline. The skin around your eyebrows is then pulled up and away from the tissues. Using the endoscope, the muscles that cause the lines and wrinkles in your forehead and in between your eyes are visualized, manipulated, cut, and maybe even removed.
A third type of brow lift that offers patients two solutions to their sagging skin is called the transblepharoplasty lateral brow lift. This procedure, Dr. Schwartz explains, is done in conjunction with upper eyelid surgery. Once the eyelid surgery has been completed, the surgeon uses the same incision to lift the outer portion of the brow through a device that is placed into the bone. Though the device will dissolve, the scar tissue that forms around it will continue to hold the eyebrow in its new position.
While each of these techniques focuses on particular issues with the eyebrows and forehead that a patient may be concerned with, Dr. Schwartz advises his patients to keep in mind that nothing is permanent. While brow lifts do offer longer lasting results that Botox—which generally lasts for up to six months—you will probably notice sagging again three to five years after your surgery. While some of the muscle in your forehead will be removed or compromised during surgery, it is ultimately a combination of aging and muscle use in the forehead that will lead to sagging again, he explains. However, to prolong the results of your procedure, Dr. Schwartz suggests intermittent treatments of fillers or Botox to reduce the appearance of any lines or wrinkles that form in the years after your brow lift.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.