Brow Lift and Forehead Lift
Glendale, Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa, Surprise, & Peoria, AZ
Dr. Paul Angelchik is a Phoenix area plastic surgeon who offers brow lifts and forehead lifts at his practice. Patients who are interested in obtaining a more rested and youthful appearance of the forehead and upper eyelids are potentially candidates for a brow lift procedure.
Drooping brows and a wrinkled appearance to the forehead can make a person look tired or angry (even when they are not). At the same time, descent of the brow may push forehead skin down onto the upper eyelid exaggerating puffiness of the lids and at times obstructing vision. Correction of brow and forehead sagging, termed ptosis (pronounced “toe-sis”, the “p” is silent) can refresh the forehead, diminish or eliminate wrinkles, reposition the brow at the appropriate level, and contribute to a brighter, more energetic appearance.
Brow Lift and Forehead Lift Options
Surgical techniques vary depending on the severity of the problem, accounting for the anatomy of the forehead as a function of the amount and location of wrinkles, muscles and soft tissue mass, patient age, and patient and surgeon goals. Endoscopic forehead surgery uses a small fiber optic scope and special instrumentation to enhance visualization and reduce the size of the scalp or hairline incisions when performing the surgical dissection and tissue lifting. A popular option for younger patients with moderate sagging, this technique may incorporate an absorbable device called an ENDOTINE, which provides fixation and stabilization after lifting during healing, and then dissolves over about a year. The ENDOTINE is a triangular plate with tines like a fork which grab and hold the tissue in the desired location after lifting.
A lateral or temporal brow lift can be performed alone or with a procedure through the upper eyelid to give a subtle enhancement of brow position and reduction of wrinkles between the brows in younger patients with mild brow descent in a less invasive fashion. Finally, the traditional bicoronal brow lift, which uses an open incision across the top of the scalp, is performed for more advanced cases of brow descent, heavily furrowed foreheads, and in older patients who may require a more powerful lift. In all the operations mentioned, muscle attachments are released and specific muscle groups are weakened to achieve the desired appearance and reduce wrinkling. In the bicoronal operation skin is removed, which is not the case with the other lifts described here. Eyelid surgery and laser resurfacing may be performed at the same time to achieve more profound results in the right patient. Care is taken to preserve eyelid closure to avoid dry eyes.
The forehead lift procedure is done under general anesthesia on an outpatient basis. A drain is used for 2 days and the staples in the scalp are removed after the first week. Discomfort is mild to moderate usually and is well controlled with oral pain medication. Most swelling will resolve gradually over 2 -3 weeks along with bruising.
Major brow lift complications are rare.
In addition to brow and forehead lift, Dr. Angelchik also performs other facial procedures in his Glendale plastic surgery practice. Visit these pages in the website to learn about how Dr. Angelchik treats facelift, rhinoplasty, laser resurfacing, otoplasty and blepharoplasty patients in Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Peoria, Surprise, Mesa and surrounding communities.
