What is a Brow Lift?

The eyebrow lift or forehead lift tackles sagging brows that make a face look older and more tired than it should. With all the Zoom time in recent months, facial treatments are surging in popularity. If you’re looking for a more youthful and rejuvenated appearance, you might be considering a brow lift. Let’s look at how a brow lift works, the benefits, risks, and aftercare tips. 

How Does a Brow Lift Work?

A brow lift is a type of procedure where your surgeon will reposition and lift your forehead. The surgery itself lasts between 1 to 2 hours. During the treatment, your surgeon will make an incision, lift your forehead, and anchor the skin down. There are different techniques of performing a brow lift that your surgeon will discuss with you during your consultation. 

For an eyebrow lift, the most common techniques are either an endoscopic brow lift or an open brow lift. An endoscopic brow lift is also known as a keyhole brow lift. Your plastic surgeon will make about 3 to 5 small incisions along the scalp. They will then insert a very small camera to look at the underlying muscle. From here, your surgeon will then lift and tighten the brow into a higher position. Overall, this technique can target mild to moderate sagging in the brow region. 

The other option is known as an open brow lift. For this technique, your surgeon will make an incision from ear to ear along the hairline. Next, any excess skin is removed and tightened to deliver a tighter, younger-looking brow area. 

The final stage of a brow lift is to close the incisions. Depending on the type of technique used, this can change. In general, the options for closing the incisions include skin adhesives, removable or absorbable sutures and special clips. 

Before and after eyebrow lift to improve symmetry at The Harley Clinic

What are the Benefits of a Brow Lift?

With the eyebrows being such a prominent feature on the face, there are various reasons why more people choose to get a brow lift. As you age, it’s normal for skin to sag and lose elasticity. Lines can start to appear and deepen on the forehead. Your eyebrows can also droop due to certain medical conditions. If you find that your eyebrows are drooping to the point where you feel self-conscious, or perhaps it’s even impacting your vision, you may benefit from an eyebrow lift. 

There are several benefits of a brow lift, including:

  • Smooth forehead wrinkles 
  • Improve crows feet 
  • Restore a youthful look to the eyebrows 
  • Remove excess skin 
  • Reduce the appearance of upper eyelid sagging 

Brow Lift Before and After 

Before and after brow lift at The Harley Clinic, London

What are the Potential Risks and Complications of a Brow Lift?

As with any type of surgery, there are potential risks and complications of a brow lift you need to be aware of. There are certain risks associated with a brow lift, such as hair problems. This is because of where the procedure is performed on the body. 

Risks and complications include:

  • Hair problems 
  • Scarring 
  • Asymmetry 
  • Pain and bleeding 
  • Fluid accumulation 
  • Infection 
  • Changes in skin sensation 
  • Anaesthesia risks
  • Skin loss 
  • Eye irritation 

Brow Lift Aftercare Tips 

Although most of our patients experience very little pain after a forehead lift, the initial recovery period is about 2 weeks. This is when you need to make the most adjustments to your day-to-day routine to promote good healing. 

In the first 24 hours following the surgery, you will need to wear bandages. After 2-3 days, you can wash your hair. Your surgeon will guide you on how to do this. It’s normal to expect some bruising and swelling, especially in the first few days following the procedure. 

It’s essential that you don’t bend or do any heavy lifting for 2 weeks. Avoid smoking to promote effective healing and recovery. Your surgeon will remove your stitches after 1 to 2 weeks. You must follow all your aftercare instructions as they are put in place to aid healing and produce the best results possible. 

You should be able to go back to work in 2 weeks of your surgery. Over the next few weeks, any bruising and swelling should go down. In general, you shouldn’t see any visible scarring, but if you can, it should be easy to cover up with your hair while you’re healing. After the surgery settles in, you should see the final results in 6 to 8 weeks. 

Your forehead area can make you look older, tired, angry, or sad. By undergoing a brow lift, you can look to achieve a more youthful and alert appearance. Your recovery and aftercare will help you get great results safely and more comfortably. 

After a few weeks, you will start to see the final results. It takes time for the bruising and swelling to go down before you can enjoy your brows. It’s difficult to say that an anti-ageing procedure will last forever, but the results of a brow lift are long-lasting. Typically, the results can last between 10 and 12 years. 

Non-Surgical Alternative to a Brow Lift 

If you’re looking for a non-surgical alternative to a brow lift, one option is a non-surgical brow lift. As the name suggests, it uses botulinum toxin to lift the brows. Naturally, one of the main differences between the two procedures is that one is more temporary and the other permanent. 

A non-surgical brow lift elevates the eyebrows and helps to treat frown lines on the forehead. The anti-wrinkle injections work by relaxing the underlying muscles to smooth the skin. This means that the forehead muscles can now pull up the skin and, in turn, raise the eyebrows and make your eyes look more open. 

If you’re looking for a permanent option, then a surgical brow lift is likely a more suitable option. But if you would prefer a temporary option without surgery or downtime, then a non-surgical brow lift makes more sense. 

Book a consultation today at the Harley Clinic to discuss your options and see if you’re a suitable candidate for a brow lift. 

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