Forehead / Brow Lift
Is a forehead/browlift right for you?
Just as every face is different, everyone’s forehead is different. Today’s active adults live very stressful lives, and the forehead is often the first place where the signs of tension appear as dreaded frown lines.
If you are 40 to 60 years old and have noticed your frown lines growing deeper or your eyebrows sagging, you may be a candidate for a brow lift. In a consultation, Dr. Hernandez will thoroughly examine and advise you whether or not you are a likely candidate for surgical rejuvenation of the forehead.
Not everyone seeking facial rejuvenation needs a browlift, and I will advise you accordingly. Some people are blessed with strong brow fixation and show few signs of skin relaxation on the forehead, says Dr. Hernandez.
“However, if your frown lines significantly concern you, we can explore suitable surgical options. Various procedures are available, and the one chosen will be based on the anatomy of your brow. There are several criteria to be considered; among them are your bone structure, the height of your forehead and hairline. The thickness of a person’s hair contributes to how neatly surgical scars can be hidden and is also a factor for consideration,” notes the doctor.
Well-known for her personal care and individual attention, Dr. Vivian Hernandez is highly regarded for her expert surgical skills. As brow lift techniques have changed and developed over the span of her career, the doctor has remained on the cutting edge of the innovation for surgical treatments of the forehead.
Dr. Hernandez on the anatomy of the brow
When I do a brow lift, I partially remove and weaken the muscles that are causing the frown lines between the brows, says Dr. Hernandez. Smoothing out the wrinkles and frown lines can give you a happier, friendlier expression.
While everyone’s forehead is unique, we all have two strong muscles in the center of our brows – the corrugator and proceros muscles. They are constantly contracting to reflect our feelings and express our emotions. These constant muscular contractions make them the culprits of the furrowed frown lines and creases between the brows.
Similarly, this interaction of the forehead muscles can increase the skin’s relaxation. With so much muscle and tissue activity in this region, the resulting effects will still be varied from person to person. With a personal consultation, Dr. Hernandez can carefully examine your forehead and discuss the surgery that she would recommend for you.
A forehead/brow lift surgery can be performed as part of a facelift or by itself. Dr. Hernandez might suggest one of several forehead/brow lift procedures to address your personal needs.
Endoscopic brow lift
An endoscopic browlift is considered a minimally invasive surgical procedure. It is performed using an endoscope – a long, thin tube with a camera at its end. The endoscope is inserted through the center of the three small incisions that Dr. Hernandez makes just behind the hairline in the scalp. These small openings are less evident than the longer coronal brow lift incision.
With the endoscope, Dr. Hernandez is able to view the muscles and tissues beneath the skin, enabling her to relax some of the muscles that produce the frown lines between the brows, while at the same time re-positioning the drooping eyebrows.
Besides the minimal incisions, another advantage of this technique is that it does not require any skin removal, allowing for a quicker recovery. Therefore, this technique is advised in cases where skin removal is not needed.
Coronal browlift
Often referred to as “a traditional forehead lift,” the coronal lift is not as widely performed today as it once was; however, it is still applicable in some cases. A coronal lift is performed using an incision across the top of the head (extending from ear to ear) just inside the hairline (1-2 inches).
This method allows Dr. Hernandez the maximum access needed to lift the skin and weaken selected muscles, thus releasing tissues that can cause wrinkles. With this procedure, she will be able to elevate the eyebrows and also remove excess skin. This will allow her an easy re-draping of the forehead skin, making it smoother while helping to minimize the frown lines.
Anterior browlift
An anterior brow lift is best suited for people with wider than normal foreheads. The incision for an anterior browlift is made along the hairline at the front of the scalp. This technique will allow the doctor to reduce the size of the forehead area by bringing down the hairline. The placement of the incision allows for tissue to be removed from the forehead as opposed to the scalp as it is in a coronal browlift.
A forehead/brow lift in Dr. Hernandez’s specialized facility
When you have a forehead/brow lift in Dr. Hernandez’s accredited surgical facility, you will follow the same essential protocol as a patient having eyelid surgery or lower facelift. For brow lift surgery, Dr. Hernandez is always assisted by her specially chosen Board Certified M.D. Anesthesiologist and Registered Nurse.
Recovery from a forehead/brow lift with Dr. Hernandez
Following forehead/brow lift surgery, Dr. Hernandez takes great care to ensure that your recovery period is smooth and comfortable. If the brow lift alone is performed, your recovery will take about one week. You will go home the same day.
If the brow lift is performed as part of a more comprehensive surgery such as a facelift, the recovery period will be longer and will follow a recovery regimen required by those surgeries. You may also need to see Dr. Hernandez for follow-up appointments over a period of two weeks.
Dr. Hernandez always strives to ensure a smooth and comfortable recovery from forehead/brow lift surgery.
Back to work, looking better
Your decision to return to work or your normal routine will be made in consultation with Dr. Hernandez. It would be prudent to postpone any major event or strenuous activity for three to four weeks after your forehead/brow lift. Regular return visits with Dr. Hernandez will be scheduled according to your individual needs and recovery time.
Contact the office of Dr. Hernandez today to schedule a consultation and find out if a brow lift is right for you.