It’s common to develop horizontal forehead grooves, sagging tissue, droopy brows, and frown lines as we age. While Botox injections can help prevent signs of aging, the only way to permanently rejuvenate the eyebrow and forehead areas is by undergoing brow lift surgery. In this article, I’ll overview what you can expect from your brow lift before and after surgery.

Brow lift patients can expect to gain a more youthful and refreshed appearance after the procedure. During the surgery we tighten wrinkled skin and gently lift the eyebrows, opening the eyes and making them appear more awake and rejuvenated.

• Many of our patients have specific cosmetic concerns they want to address, including:
• Horizontal wrinkle lines across the forehead.
• Eyebrows that droop over the eyes, closing off their appearance or impacting vision

Some of our patients opt to combine their brow lift with eyelid surgery and/or a full facelift. During eyelid surgery, we remove excess skin from the upper and/or lower eyelid areas to reduce sagging skin, open the eyes, and eliminate under-eye bags. During a facelift, we lift and tighten tissues in the cheeks, jawline, chin, and neck. At our practice, we offer discounts for add-on cosmetic procedures. Some patients will do multiple procedures at the same time.

First, you’ll meet with your surgeon. During this consultation, we’ll examine your anatomy and talk about your goals and surgical options. There are a few different brow lift incision patterns we can choose from based on these factors.

Direct brow lifts raise the entire brow and can be combined with eyelid surgery through the same incisions. For this procedure, we make an incision in the eyelid, above the eyebrow, or in the middle of the forehead. We hide these incisions in natural contours of the face or wrinkle creases to minimize scar appearance.

During an endoscopic brow lift, we make tiny incisions and use a camera under the skin to navigate tissue planes while elevating the brow skin.

Temporal brow lifts address drooping on the outer edges of the brows. For a temporal lift, we’ll make either a full incision or two small incisions tucked behind the hairline near the temples.

The procedure usually takes one to two hours. After your brow lift surgery, you should feel ready to return to work and do everyday activities within two weeks. It’s normal to experience some light bruising and swelling during the first week after your procedure. Complete, final results are usually seen within a few months. We’ll provide you with detailed recovery and aftercare instructions to help optimize your healing.

Direct and pretrichial brow lifts may be performed under local anesthesia to numb the area, whereas endoscopic brow lifts or brow lifts with eyelid surgery are typically performed under IV sedation. If you are awake for your procedure, you can drive yourself home. However, if you are under anesthesia or sedated then you’ll need a ride home.

You are likely a good surgical candidate if you are healthy, a non-smoker, and have realistic expectations for what brow lift surgery can accomplish. During your consultation, we’ll talk about your anatomy and medical history to discuss which cosmetic procedures are best suited to meet your goals.

If you’d like to learn more about brow lift surgery, we’d love to bring you in for a consultation. Our team of board-certified plastic surgeons and experienced providers at Plastic Surgeons of Northern Arizona can answer your questions and discuss your goals.