Procedures

Brow Lifts

What is a brow lift?

The effects of aging are inevitable and the brow and forehead area, along with the eyes, often show the first signs. Sun, muscle activity, smoking and gravity all affect the face, resulting in loss of skin elasticity, frown lines, wrinkling across the forehead, and increasing heaviness of the eyebrows.

Sagging of the eyebrows is a common cause of baggy upper lids and is often wrongly treated with lid surgery (blepharoplasty). This surgery does not address the eyebrow problem and often leads to a less than satisfactory result. The brows are best lifted by keyhole (endoscopic) surgery and the incisions are made behind the hairline. Dr Lamb uses a CO₂ laser in all these procedures to minimise bleeding, swelling and bruising to produce a faster recovery and better result.

 

 
Thread lifting, which is essentially a non-surgical lift usually performed by cosmetic doctors, has been shown to be of only temporary value and lasts approximately 12 – 18 months. A surgical brow lift should last at least five to ten years.

Dr Lamb shows a patient how a brow lift will improve her droopy eyelids

Before brow lift and upper lid blepharoplasty	After brow lift and upper lid blepharoplasty
Before left brow lift	After left brow lift
Before brow lift and upper lid blepharoplasty	After brow lift and upper lid blepharoplasty

Is a brow lift for you?

Some patients think they need eyelid surgery when they actually have a drooping brow. To see what a brow lift can do for you, put two fingers above the outer part of your brows and gently lift the skin upwards and outwards. Dr Lamb will give you an accurate demonstration during a consultation.

The surgery

An incision of two to three centimetres is placed behind the hairline on both sides of the temple region. The brow area is gently elevated to a natural, attractive position where the tail, rather than the head, of the brow is elevated. This prevents the ‘startled’ look that people fear most. This is secured in position with ‘barbed’ absorbable sutures that can be adjusted in the post-operative period and will eventually completely disappear. Dr Lamb’s use of barbed sutures as part of the surgical procedure prevents any chance of over-correction. (This suture should not be confused with a commonly-used ‘thread lift’ or ‘stitch lift’ that only lasts 12 to 18 months.) The temple incision is closed with staples that are removed at three weeks with minimal scarring. Dr Lamb uses an endoscopic technique with CO₂ laser resulting in minimal incisions and less scarring, bruising and swelling. 

Combining a brow lift with other procedures

A brow lift is often combined with upper lid blepharoplasty and ptosis surgery, and/or lower lid blepharoplasty and canthoplasty.