Sagging and loose skin around your forehead, eyebrows, and upper eyelids can be a cause of worry. These are signs of ageing. Baggy skin around the eyes due to lack of sleep can often make you look tired and older than you actually are. Space between your hairline and eyebrows can mean excessive loss of hair, or it can also mean that wrinkles have developed on your forehead.
In such cases, you would want a cure that can tighten your skin in the specific areas and give you a younger, more rejuvenated look.
A Brow Lift can reduce wrinkles on the forehead and pull sagging eyebrows skin tighter.
Browplasty, commonly known as browlift is a cosmetic surgery that involves elevating drooping eyebrows to treat obstruction of vision, remove worry lines from the forehead and improve one’s appearance. A forehead lift can also have the same procedure and goal and the term is often used interchangeably with a brow lift.
The ideal candidates for the procedure would be:
People who are physically fit and healthy.
Individuals who don’t smoke.
Individuals with an optimistic approach and realistic goals.
Adults who have trouble with vision due to sagging eyelids.
People who permanently look grumpy or tired.
Adults who wish to alter the appearance to look more approachable.
There are mainly three techniques that can be adopted for a brow lift surgery:
Endoscopic Brow Lift
This is the least invasive method in which the surgeon makes a number of small (lesser than an inch) incisions behind the hairline. A tiny camera or an endoscope is inserted to obtain a clear view and the surgeon then repositions the muscles, extracts the excess fat and lifts the forehead tissue.
Temporal Brow Lift
This is also known as Limited Incision Brow Lift. The surgeon makes incisions that are about an inch long. These are made right above the temple, behind the hairline. Through the incisions, the surgeon then lifts and repositions the facial tissues near the outer brow area. This surgery is often done in conjunction with a double eyelid surgery.
Classical Brow Lift
Also known as the Coronal Brow Lift, this old procedure is the most invasive. It involves making a single long incision behind the hairline, running from one ear to the other. The excess fat is removed and the remaining tissue and muscles are repositioned to give a more youthful appearance to the brow.
Choose a surgeon you are comfortable with and discuss with him your concerns, opinions and goals regarding the procedure.
The candidate is required to quit smoking at least six weeks prior to the procedure as nicotine increases the chances of complications arising, and interferes with the recovery process.
Alter the current course of medication, if any, as prescribed by your surgeon.
Keeping yourself hydrated is important before any invasive procedure.
Aspirin, ibuprofen and other inflammatory drugs must not be consumed before the surgery as they can cause increased bleeding and hence prolong recovery time.
One may choose to grow short hair in order to cover post procedural scars.
Arrange for proper accommodation and transportation from the hospital.
Ensure you have someone to assist you and stay with you for at least two days after the procedure.
Apply ice packs around the eye area as suggested in the after care instructions by your surgeon. This helps in reducing swelling.
The patient is advised to keep his head elevated when in the lying position or sleeping for around a week after the surgery.
Pain is uncommon but medication can be provided if the patient experiences any pain. There is however a common feeling of numbness or discomfort in the treated area.
The patient’s forehead may be taped or wrapped loosely with a garment in order to minimise swelling.
A drain or a tube may be used to get rid of any excess fluids or blood that may be collected beneath the skin.
Keep your incisions clean and shower regularly. Use gentle shampoo and conditioner to wash your hair.
In the first week after the surgery, the patient must not strain himself and must only indulge in mild physical activity during this stage of healing.
Do not workout or do any strenuous exercises until after one month after the procedure as this may increase your blood pressure and prove to be painful or uncomfortable.
It is advisable that the patient stays on a liquid diet the first day right after the procedure.
From the second day onwards, the patient may resume normal food that is soft and easily chewable.
Eat balanced meals, rich in nutrients as this may help with the recovery process.
Drink plenty of juices and water to stay hydrated and make up for the fluid loss. editortex Follow the medication strictly as prescribed to you by your doctor.
If you do not have realistic expectations from the results of the surgery, you may be disappointed with the results.
The procedure can have dramatically positive results on the way you look. It can contribute to your self esteem and level of confidence.
If you wish that your friend, or colleague starts appreciating your physical appearance after the surgery, your expectations from the surgery are not realistic. The surgery can only bring about a change in your self-perception, not others perception of you.
The resultant scar from the surgery might be visible for at least a few months. You can hide it through makeup and by taking good care of it, it will fade away early. If the scar isn’t catered to properly, it might become permanent.
Before you decide to undergo the surgery, be prepared to miss a few days of work, since any major movement of the head has to be restricted for at least 2 days after the surgery.
The effect of a brow lift lasts a lifetime.
It can treat drooping eyebrows that obstruct vision.
Treats sagging eyelid skin which makes one look grumpy and fatigued.
Frown lines between the eyebrows and forehead creases can be removed as one of the benefits of the surgery.
The person looks alert, friendlier, and looks more pleasant.
Makes the patient look years younger than he/she actually is.
Some complications include bleeding, scarring, eye irritation, and fluid accumulation. However all of these are common and subside within 3-5 days of the surgery.
For some patients who have suffered from heart conditions previously, problems related to the usage of anesthesia might arise during the procedure,
Hair loss around the incision areas is also common.
Have tight facial skin and are prone to scarring as the procedure requires stretching skin tissues.
Are chronic smokers and drinkers; they might have trouble healing after the surgery and have excessive internal bleeding.
Have a genetic disposition towards a wrinkled forehead and might get wrinkles even after the surgery.
Are extremely fair; in such a case, the chances of the scar showing prominently are higher.
The main aim of a brow lift surgery is to tighten the skin near the forehead and eyebrows to eliminate wrinkles and give the patient a more youthful look. In case an individual wants to avoid a brow lift surgery, there are a few other alternatives that s/he can opt for.
Dermal Fillers
One of the most common non-surgical alternatives is the use of dermal fillers and botox, which can be injected into the specific area to clear up wrinkles, creases and scars. A number of substances, both natural and artificial can be used as dermal fillers, the most popular among which are Radiesse and Restylane. This procedure is referred to as a Chemical Brow Lift and requires repeated procedures.
Laser Peel
Sometimes drugs for brow-lifts are combined with other non surgical methods such as a laser peel.
This involves focussing a beam of light towards the forehead area, to reduce any wrinkles. While this is an effective treatment to reduce skin blemishes and skin irregularities, it is more costly than the one-time surgical brow lift and carries a greater risk of scarring.
However, both these alternatives do not give a permanent solution and last for about 3-6 months only.
Scars are generally discernible as the incisions lie right behind the hairline or run alongside it. The hair tends to grow out camouflaging the scars and these tend to fade over time. Getting bangs can help the patient initially to cover them.
Ointments and other medication can be suggested for the same reason in certain cases to quickly get rid of the scars.
Some complications common to brow lift, as any other facial surgical procedure, include:
Scarring
Scarring is a common risk in many cosmetic surgery procedures, including brow lift. Though in this case, scars are small and easily concealed in the brow hair.
You can take precautionary steps to reduce the scar’s visibility. These steps include minimising strenuous activity for a few weeks after the surgery and sleeping in an upright position while keeping the head up.
Bleeding and Swelling
Bleeding and swelling are also common side effects of brow lift. The best way to tackle swelling is to apply cold compresses on the affected area. To prevent bleeding, restrict movement of the facial muscles. Do not laugh, smile or frown for at least 2 days after the surgery. Any of these activities can cause stress to the forehead muscles.
Pain
Generally, pain or discomfort is mild and you can wait it out. Get adequate rest and keep your head elevated while sleeping. Apply ice pack and massage the affected area, but only very gently. If the pain is more than you can bear, get a prescribed medication from the doctor.
The surgeon you choose should be extremely adept for a demanding surgery like brow lift. To be on the safer side, choose a surgeon who has a satisfactory background in terms of education, training, and years of experience in performing the brow lift. In addition, look at the before and after pictures of patients who underwent the surgery with the same doctor. Try getting in touch with some of these patients to get a first hand account of their reviews.
If the doctor isn’t highly trained in this procedure, some complications can arise. These include:
Elevated hairline
Facial asymmetry
Irritation or dryness in the eye
Skin discoloration
To ensure that you do not end up with these easily avoidable complications, ensure that you research well about your surgeon and communicate with him prior to the surgery. This can be done through online portals like medical tourism facilitators.
