Endoscopic Eyebrow Lift Specialist
The brow is among the first of our facial features to shows signs of aging. For this reason, a brow lift is a popular procedure and often one of the first cosmetic surgery procedures that patients select. A brow lift is often a good choice for those from 35 to 45, rather than a full facelift, which is often not needed until well into the 50s.
An endoscopic brow lift and skin resurfacing can correct most of the signs of aging in the upper eyelid area without a traditional upper eyelid surgery.
“Rejuvenating the eyes with an endoscopic browlift is a wonderful breakthrough for many reasons,” believes Dr. Simoni. Some of these reasons are the fact that no skin is removed during the brow lift, which means that there is less chance of irritation due to impaired blink function and dry eyes. The brow lift may be the first step in cosmetic enhancement of the eyes.
To fully understand a brow lift, take your finger and feel the bony ridge under or along your eyebrow. This is called the orbital rim. As we age, the eyebrow drops down to this rim or even below it. This can cause people to look tired or angry all the time.
Removing eyelid skin is not the issue and may even cause the eyebrow to be pulled down further. The correct solution is a brow lift to raise the brow and create a refreshed and rested expression.
Brow Lift Techniques
Recent years have seen major advances in the techniques for brow lifts. The most modern and minimally invasive method is called the endoscopic brow lift. Several small incisions are made above the hairline. Instruments called endoscopes allow your surgeon visibility from these incisions. Muscles and underlying structures can be resuspended using this instrumentation, which achieves positive results without major scarring or incisions.
During an endoscopic brow lift, the hairline stays in approximately the same position and no skin is removed. The eyebrows and their musculature are simply lifted. This is a huge advance over the older method of a coronal brow lift, where portions of the scalp itself were removed and the hairline was raised, often resulting in unnatural outcomes by raising the hairline too high. Another method used was the direct brow lift, which can result in visible scars on the face near the eyebrows themselves.
“The endoscopic brow lift is the technique of choice today,” says Dr. Simoni. “In the right hands, it offers every advantage: less scarring, no hair loss and faster healing.”
Risks of Brow Lift Surgery
It is important that a facial plastic surgeon familiar with endoscopic brow lifts perform your procedure. An experienced facial plastic surgeon will avoid removing too much glabellar muscle (the muscle that furrows the brow). This avoids the phenomenon of the eyebrows appearing too far apart. Interfering with the frontalis muscle (the muscle that causes horizontal forehead wrinkles) can give a frozen appearance to the upper third of the face, which hinders the expression of emotion. Surgically lifting the eyebrow too aggressively in the middle can result in a constantly surprised or shocked look.
The positioning of the eyebrows requires careful consideration of the patient’s overall face shape, along with his or her features and facial structure. It also requires a detailed concept of facial aesthetics.
If you look through women’s magazines, you can see that skilled makeup artists and aestheticians have shaped models’ brows to accent the arch in a way that flatters the eye shape. You will also notice that the arch is present in the outer third of the brow, not the direct center. Make sure you review the before and after photos of your surgeon to see what kind of results he gets with eyebrows. It may also be wise to get projections of what your specific results will look like, allowing you to know that you and your surgeon are on the same page regarding your expected outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My hairline is very low. I only have an inch and a half of skin over my brows below my hairline and lots of wrinkles. What can I do to address these wrinkles without lowering my hairline even more?
A: If you would like to raise your hairline, you may want to consider a moderate coronal lift, which will produce more significant results in the forehead area. Whether this procedure is right for you depends significantly on your age, the thickness and color of your hair and other factors, all of which will be assessed during your consultation.
Q: A doctor has recommended removing some of the muscle from the region in between my eyebrows during a forehead lift. Do you agree with this recommendation?
A: Removing muscle from this area can leave a depressed area that does not look natural. It can also cause the brows to appear to spring apart. Jessica Lange is an example where it appears that her brow lost some volume and muscle mass. In our practice, muscles may be modified during an endoscopic brow lift, but they are not fully removed.
Q: I had an eyebrow lift done “the old way” and there are extremely visible incision scars. Can these scars be made less obvious?
A: Over time, the skin may relax on your forehead and create folds that may conceal the scars, but that is probably not the outcome you want. There is no way to completely get rid of these scars, but their appearance can be softened with laser resurfacing. It’s also recommend that you use sun screen with a rating of 30 SPF or higher. This will reduce the likelihood that the skin around the scar will darken or that the scar itself will redden. Scars that appear as a dimple in the skin can be addressed with various facial fillers available on the market. This can create a smoother appearance, which will reduce shadows. Addressing these two aspects, negative pigmentation from sun damage and shadows due to skin depressions, can make a large difference in reducing the visibility of these scars.
Q: Is an endoscopic brow lift always better than a coronal brow lift?
A: If you are concerned about your brows sagging yet want to maintain a natural appearance, the best choice is the endoscopic brow lift. This type of brow rejuvenation creates the most authentic results. The endoscopic brow lift rarely creates a “startled,” or overdone look. You will also experience faster recovery times and there is less facial numbness. It does not require the removal of any skin or hair, whereas the coronal lift actually removes a portion of scalp and raises the hairline. This results in a long scar, which is more visible for those with light or thin hair.