A Brow lift procedure adjusts the brow position and shape to create a more attractive periorbital region, also referred to as the zone around the eye. The forehead surgery lifts the brow to accentuate the eye and lid while at the same time effacing forehead wrinkles. The overall effect is a more a relaxed, open and youthful look.

Hilger Face Center Brow Lift Surgery before and after, Minneapolis and Edina

Our highly experienced brow lift surgeons are double Board-Certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and offer forehead surgery in the Minneapolis, Edina and the surrounding areas.

Brow lift can be performed through several different approaches. Options include a coronal (over the top of the scalp which is rarely used) access, an incision at the hairline or more commonly an endoscopic technique. The hairline also known as trichophytic or pre-trichal incision does not alter the position of the hairline but does create more temporary scalp numbness. More commonly, we use the endoscopic procedure. We were the first team in the region to adopt this method over 15 years ago. We have found that it provides an attractive and lasting result, with less numbness and minimal alteration of the hairline. Since aging involves all soft tissues, a browlift is often combined with eyelid surgery to create a more youthful result.

WHAT IS AN ENDOSCOPIC BROW LIFT SURGERY?

An endoscopic Brow Lift is a facial surgery that utilizes an endoscope (tiny camera) to change the soft tissue re-alignment of the forehead and brow line. It restores the youthfulness of the face by raising the arch of the brow as well as removing frown lines in the forehead and between the brows.

WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE PROCESS FOR AN ENDOSCOPIC BROW LIFT?

Like any cosmetic procedure, the first step is a consultation at least one week before the procedure. This will help determine the desired results as well as answer any questions that may come up. On the day of the procedure, anesthesia will be used to sedate the patient. While the patient is under, several small incisions will be made along the hairline and sometimes along the brow. These small incisions are usually concealed in the hairline or other areas of the face. A scope is used in the incisions to reassign the muscles, making the forehead more youthful and skin tight.

WHO IS A CANDIDATE FOR A MINNEAPOLIS ENDOSCOPIC BROW LIFT?

Though many people have a little wrinkling, the best results from a brow lift are achieved by those who have excessive wrinkling and sagging of the brow and forehead. Minneapolis Endoscopic Brow Lift is ideal for people who want to take years off their appearance.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AN ENDOSCOPIC BROW LIFT?

A brow / forehead lift restores the youthful appearance to a sagging and wrinkled forehead. Brow / forehead lifts reduce the look of lines, and makes the face look more awake and less angry. The overall change is a look of vibrant youthfulness. When compared to the traditional brow / forehead lift, the endoscopic brow/forehead lift is less invasive and leaves less scarring due to smaller and fewer incisions.

  • The first night after your brow lift surgery a large compressive dressing will be applied to the forehead and a portion of the scalp. The bandage can be removed at home the day following your surgery.
  • A sense of tightness in the forehead and brow region is to be expected. There will be some discomfort even over the top of the scalp as this area has been repositioned with surgery. Since the surgery has involved elevation of the brows, some swelling and bruising around the eyelids, particularly in the upper eyelid, may be noted. The procedure should not affect the vision with the exception of mild difficulty with completely opening the upper eyelids.
  • Some bruising will be evident the morning after surgery. The swelling is usually the worse the morning of the second day after surgery. Some bruising may become apparent in the upper eyelid and may even show in the lower lid as the effects of gravity become apparent.
  • If your eyes are irritable, a non-medicated moisturizer such as Refresh Drops can be used and a non-medicated eye ointment can be used at night.
  • If you wear contacts, please do not use them until after we see you in the office following your surgery.
  • On the second post-op day you may take a shower and shampoo the scalp. Do be cautious around the incision sites so that you do not create any discomfort while shampooing. It is unlikely that you would disturb the surgical site in any way that would damage the long term result.
  • Between 5 and 10 days after surgery, we will see you in the office again. You may notice in the first few days after surgery some mild change in sensation of the forehead but this should be only temporary.
  • Some mild swelling will be present in the area of the brow lift surgery for the first two weeks after surgery.
  • In the first two weeks after surgery, the brows may appear to be excessively elevated but they will settle to a more normal position with time.
  • We would ask that you not do any heavy, physical exercise for the first two weeks after surgery.
  • We encourage you to be up and walking the day after surgery, but we would like you to avoid any strenuous activity so as to minimize the bruising after surgery.

The surgeon will discuss any kinds of preparation that will need to be done. It is best to quit smoking as soon as possible before the procedure and skip NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and aspirin. Both will affect clotting and healing, causing healing to take longer and causing more bruising.

Since a brow lift / forehead lift is elective, insurance will not usually cover it. In cases where the sagging impacts vision, insurance will cover at least part of the cost of the surgery.

Sometimes the surgeon finds it necessary to use general anesthesia for a brow lift / forehead lift. More often than not, though, the surgeon will use a combination of local anesthesia as well as light sleep sedation.

Trust in no one but the best for your Brow Lift procedure. The right surgeon for you will have extensive experience, years of specialized training, and an artistic eye for the form of the human face. Choose a surgeon who is Board-Certified in Facial Cosmetic Surgery; this tells you that he has exceptional expertise in his specialty, has received extensive training in procedures of the face and neck, and annually passes rigorous testing and peer evaluation. The best Brow Lift surgeon will listen to your aesthetic desires, developing a surgical plan specifically for your needs and wants.

All of us have some mild degrees of asymmetry of the brows, but with time and laxity they can become more accentuated. If there’s a mild to moderate degree of asymmetry of the brows, this can often be improved to some degree with Botox injected beneath the tail of the brow which allows it to elevate slightly. In addition, as we age, we lose volume and for some patients we recommend some filler be added beneath the brow to reestablish some of the youthful fullness in the eye area, and this often will create a secondary elevation of the brow to a mild degree. Any significant brow decent, however, needs to be corrected with surgery. These surgeries are not invasive and can be performed through small incisions behind the ear without shaving any hair.

Usually, a surprised look is created by excessive elevation of the brows and not the facelift itself. If the brows are excessively arched, they can be lowered with surgical intervention in which in the soft tissues of the forehead are elevated, repositioned lower down and then stabilize in that new position. Judgment as to the exact technique used to achieve this would require office consultation.

A facelift will do virtually nothing for forehead wrinkles, and a forehead lift or brow lift is the appropriate technique to alleviate this concern. Worry lines across the forehead are usually due to the skin laxity of the forehead and brow that develops over time. Some patients have acquired a pattern of expression in which the forehead muscles are contracting and giving a more elevated appearance to the brow and associated with that are forehead wrinkles. In addition, as the brows descend the forehead muscle reflexively contract to hold the brow in a more normal position, and this muscle contraction can create increased horizontal forehead lines. Once the brows are repositioned, if there is a pattern of expression in which the muscles stay contracted, Botox can be very helpful adjunct to then relax these lines once the brows have been stabilized in a more appropriate position.

This question is very common and reflects some of the confusion that is generated in the media.  Botox is very effective at decreasing dynamic wrinkles.  Brow lift re-drapes soft tissues that have settled over time.  As the brows settle, our forehead muscle contracts to compensate for this descent.  This does create deeper wrinkles across the forehead.  Botox is placed into the muscle to relax these wrinkles.  The brow can actually end up excessively low and the results can be very unhappy for the patient and the physician.  If your brow seemed to be lower than you’d like and your forehead muscles are working overtime, then a consultation regarding brow lift is very appropriate.  If it is just the scowling muscles, the inner portion of the brow above the bridge of the nose, that trouble you, then Botox is an excellent treatment option and surgery can be deferred.