Youthful eyebrows add beauty and brightness to all other facial features, but aging brows can cause the upper face to droop and sag. Facial plastic surgeon Dr. Will Thompson performs brow lift surgery in Denver, CO, for men and women with drooping and sagging eyebrows, forehead creases, and hooding over the eyes.
What’s a Brow Lift?
A brow lift, also known as a forehead lift, is a cosmetic surgery that raises sagging brows, minimizes age lines on the forehead, and tightens the forehead muscles. Dr. Thompson customizes the brow lift procedure to meet his patient’s goals and create a more youthful and energetic appearance.
Several different brow lift techniques may be used. The endoscopic brow lift technique uses advanced technology to provide excellent results while employing tiny incisions for a quicker recovery. The temporal lift (lateral lift) raises the eyebrows near the temples to restore a youthful shape to the brows. Additional techniques place the incision behind the hairline, directly in front of the hairline, or in a forehead crease just above the brow. All methods typically heal well but can have advantages and disadvantages based on the patient’s aesthetic goals.
Dr. Thompson may perform an eyebrow lift surgery as a single procedure or together with other treatments like Botox, dermal fillers, or even facelift surgery to enhance the results or to achieve more comprehensive rejuvenation.
Brow Lift Benefits
Dr. Thompson customizes brow lift surgery for his patients and will make any of the following adjustments as necessary:
- Minimize horizontal furrow brow lines
- Smooth forehead wrinkles
- Reduce sagging upper eyelids
- Improve crow’s feet
- Restore a youthful brow arch
- Make eyes appear larger and more alert
- Remove excess sagging skin
- Raise low, heavy brows
Candidates
Suitable candidates for this procedure are physically healthy adults who do not smoke and have realistic surgical goals.
This procedure can improve the appearance of inherited conditions like a low or heavy brow or help with furrows or frown lines caused by stress or muscle activity in individuals of any age. Men and women who most often request the procedure are over forty years old.
Dr. Thompson evaluates each potential candidate during a private consultation to determine if a brow lift will help them meet their aesthetic goals.
Brow Lift Consultation
Dr. Thompson meets with patients interested in an eyebrow lift during a private consultation in Denver, CO, to talk about their goals, current health status, and medical history. He evaluates their forehead region, including the brow muscles, brow shape, upper eyelids, and skin laxity.
There are different types of this procedure. Therefore Dr. Thompson creates a surgical plan that takes into account the natural shape of the patient’s eyebrows, the height of their forehead, and their aesthetic goals.
Surgery
During the consultation, Dr. Thompson explains the details of the patient’s personalized eyebrow lift surgery. He typically completes the procedure using general anesthesia; however, some techniques can be performed under local with sedation.
Whenever possible, the surgeon uses minimally invasive techniques to perform a brow lift. Each operation addresses the patient’s unique goals, which can include emphasizing the eyes, tightening forehead muscles, removing excess skin, smoothing wrinkles, arching the brows, and raising the eyebrows. The procedure may take one to two hours, with patients returning home on the same day.
Recovery
Dr. Thompson provides a list of aftercare instructions to help ensure excellent results, prevent infection, and emphasize comfort. Our expert staff is available to answer any questions during the recovery.
The doctor will examine the incision site during the first week to ensure the patient is healing correctly. Tylenol or prescription pain medication, when needed, may relieve discomfort. Cold compresses will minimize swelling, and the patient must elevate their head while sleeping and resting to reduce swelling and encourage healing.
Most patients resume their regular daily activity within one to two weeks, but strenuous exercise should be avoided for the first two to three weeks.
Forehead Lift Results
Dr. Thompson customizes the procedure to match each patient’s goals and explains the anticipated results during the consultation. Reduced signs of aging and lifted brows may be seen almost immediately, but the full results will emerge after the residual swelling has disappeared.
Brow Lift FAQs
Eyebrow lifts are customized to meet the patient’s unique needs and may be simple or more complex. Dr. Thompson may recommend a brow lift in combination with other procedures, which may reduce the individual cost of the eyebrow lift. For example, if you have a brow lift with a facelift, the anesthesia fee for the brow lift and some of the other expenses would be reduced.
Some eyebrow lift costs may be covered by insurance if Dr. Thompson recommends the procedure to restore vision caused by drooping brows. While cosmetic procedures are not typically covered by insurance, we offer flexible payment options.
The procedure is customized, and some of the techniques may vary. Each technique has unique aspects that will be discussed at the time of consultation. All methods typically heal well, but Dr. Thompson may recommend one over another based on the patient’s characteristics and goals.
Complications after the procedure are rare. However, there are potential risks associated with every surgery. Some risks may include visible scarring, reduced sensation, infection, and bleeding. Dr. Thompson explains the potential risks during the consultation, along with the anticipated results.
Eyebrow lift results are usually longer-lasting, but aging will naturally continue, and the brows can droop over time with excess skin laxity. Improvements may be experienced for greater than ten years if the patient commits to a healthy lifestyle, does not smoke, and maintains a healthy weight.
This procedure can be combined with many other facial procedures, including Botox, rhinoplasty (nose job), or eyelid surgery, to provide a customized look. The brow lift only addresses the upper forehead and is often combined with a facelift for total rejuvenation.
This will improve sagging and wrinkles that cause drooping in the forehead. Botox or dermal fillers may be used with the procedure to reduce crow’s feet and wrinkles that are not caused by drooping brows.
If you wish to avoid surgery, Dr. Thompson may recommend other treatment options. Botox alone may be effective in some cases. Botox can relax the muscles that create deeper creases between the eyes. The relaxation of these muscles can encourage the brows to lift.
Schedule Your Consultation in Denver Today
Dr. Will Thompson, MD, in Denver, CO, is a board-certified head and neck surgeon and fellowship-trained facial plastic surgeon. If you’re interested in learning more about brow lift procedures, please call (303) 667-1474 to request a brow lift consultation with Dr. Thompson.
