Eliminate Wrinkles and Restore Youthful Vibrancy

Brow Lift Scottsdale, Arizona

Drooping brows can lead to hooding of the upper lids, deepening the appearance of crows’ feet, and wrinkles between the eyebrows. A brow lift is designed to elevate the eyebrows, creating a more attractive and open facial appearance. To learn more about improving your facial appearance with a brow lift, contact Dr. Pamela Henderson in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her practice, which focuses exclusively on neck and facial procedures, proudly serves patients from throughout the greater Phoenix area.

The Browlift Consultation

Patients interested in a brow lift will attend a consultation, during which the brows are examined to determine the extent to which they contribute to the appearance of hooding and increased laxity of the upper lids. Generally in females, the tail of the brow should be at the same level as the inner aspect with an arch at the juncture of the mid to outer third that is slightly higher. With age the tail of the brow descends. In males, a more horizontally oriented brow is present. The vertical wrinkles between the brows, the horizontal forehead wrinkles and the heaviness of the skin creating a horizontal fold above the upper bridge of the nose are evaluated. The frontal hairline position and the thickness of the skin are also examined since these two factors are important in determining the surgical approach.

Preparing for Surgery

Once the decision is made to proceed with brow lift surgery, patients are scheduled for a preoperative appointment approximately two weeks prior to the surgical date. During that appointment, patients are given preoperative instructions and consent forms are reviewed. These instructions generally include avoiding medications that increase the risk of bleeding including herbs, vitamin E, aspirin, and NSAIDS such as ibuprofen, as well as taking supplements to reduce swelling and bruising. Pre-surgical treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic can also be utilized to decrease forehead mobility during the healing process.

Anesthesia

In most cases, a brow lift is performed as an outpatient procedure using IV sedation, often referred to as “twilight anesthesia.” In cases where a limited approach such as the temporal brow lift is performed, local anesthesia alone or combined with an oral or intramuscular medication for relaxation can be utilized.  For either local or IV sedation procedures, the brow lift is performed in Dr. Henderson’s Scottsdale, Arizona accredited in-office surgical suite.

The Brow Lift Procedure

There are several ways to perform brow lift surgery, and which approach Dr. Henderson will take depends on factors such as the laxity of the eyebrows, the depth of the forehead wrinkles, and the thickness of the skin on the forehead.

When patients have heavy skin and deep horizontal forehead wrinkles, a brow lift may be performed using the coronal approach. Because it is an open approach, the frontalis muscles, which control the elevation of the brows and deepen the wrinkles in the forehead, can be partially transected to reduce the mobility. This approach involves placing an incision behind the hairline, essentially from ear to ear, and was once the standard technique prior to the introduction of the endoscopic procedure.

For most patients with a low to normal frontal hairline position, or even in those patients with a mildly elevated frontal hairline who have milder amounts of brow drooping, the endoscopic approach is chosen for the brow lift procedure. The endoscopic approach not only avoids the longer incision associated with the coronal approach, thus reducing scarring, but also reduces the risk of numbness of the scalp which was unavoidable with the open, coronal approach due to the length and position of the incision. Although the hairline position may elevate, it is certainly not as significant as with the coronal approach.

For brow lift patients with a very high frontal hairline, where even a mild amount of hairline elevation would be undesirable, a trichophytic approach is chosen. Like the coronal approach, this is an open technique but with a portion of the incision placed along the frontal hairline. The incision is bezeled in such a way as to allow for hair growth in front of the scar during healing. In some instances, a combination of endoscopic and pretrichial approaches may also be used.

Finally, in cases where there is only a mild amount of brow droop in the outer aspect, brow lift is performed using just the temporal approach. Unlike with the open or endoscopic approaches, the muscles that contribute to vertical wrinkles between the brows are not addressed with this technique. In addition, because of the limited exposure and tissue dissection, the amount of elevation that can be achieved tends to be more limited.

After Brow Lift Surgery

Following the procedure, a light pressure dressing is applied for 24 hours. Headache is the most common complaint following a brow lift. After removal of the initial dressing, shampooing is possible but coloring the hair is generally avoided for four weeks. Strenuous activities should be avoided for approximately two to three weeks. Swelling and bruising gradually resolve over two weeks and final results are seen at approximately six to eight weeks.

Risks

Although uncommon in association with brow lift, complications can occur with any surgery. These include but are not limited to bleeding, infection, recurrent brow droop, asymmetry, hematoma, numbness, and motor nerve paralysis.

Learn More about Brow Lift Surgery

Repositioning the eyebrows reduces the heaviness of the upper lids, softens deep wrinkles and restores youthful vibrancy to brows that may have drooped over time. Arrange a personal brow lift consultation by contacting the Scottsdale, Arizona practice of Dr. Henderson today.