Brow Lift Options
Brow lifts are generally performed in two ways. The options are coronal lift and endoscopic lift. Most patients are pleased with the results of a forehead lift, no matter which surgical method was used. Often, patients don't realize how much their sagging forehead contributed to the signs of aging until they see how much younger and more rested they appear after the lift.
Although a brow lift does not stop the clock, it can minimize the appearance of aging for years.
- A coronal (also called classic and open) brow lift
involves one continuous incision, beginning at the level of your ears
and going up around your hairline. Depending on where your hairline
is, the surgeon will move the incision line to avoid a visible scar.
Through this incision, your surgeon can alter the muscles (frontalis,
procerus and corrugators) that cause horizontal forehead wrinkles and
scowling. After doing this, your surgeon will actually remove a 1-2
centimeter strip of your scalp and sew the remaining scalp together.
Although this may sound gruesome, it is the oldest and most reliable
technique in brow lift surgery. The main disadvantage is that you will
be numb on the top of your head for about six months, after which time
the sensation usually returns. This technique also raises your hairline,
which can be a problem for those with a high forehead who also wear
their hair back.
If you have advanced brow droop with deep wrinkles, a coronal forehead lift may be most appropriate.
The advantages of this technique are that it is lasting (it will not have to be repeated as you age, with very rare exceptions). Also the scars are concealed behind the hairline and are not seen after they heal. - Endoscopic brow lift involves three to six short
(usually less than one inch) incisions behind your hairline. Your surgeon
will insert a scope (small camera on the end of a thin tube) into one
of the incisions. This allows the surgeon to see under your skin without
making a long incision across the top of your head. At the same time,
he or she will use another device inserted in another incision to make
the necessary alterations. Through this technique, your plastic surgeon
will be able to do most of the things that can be accomplished through
a coronal lift with a few notable exceptions. Your plastic surgeon will
be able to weaken the scowl-causing muscles but will not be able to
directly alter the muscle that causes horizontal wrinkles. Also, your
plastic surgeon can lift your forehead, but does not remove the excess
scalp. The surgeon merely shifts it upward and backward on your skull.
In this procedure, small titanium anchors are used to secure the offending tissue once it's altered appropriately. Those anchors are tiny, but mighty. Even with these screws, because excess scalp is not removed, there exists greater potential for your forehead and brows to droop after an endoscopic lift. (Relapse is most common in those with very droopy brows and very deep creases.)
If you have mild to moderate brow droop and horizontal wrinkles, an endoscopic lift may be a good choice.
Because endoscopic lifts have only been performed since 1995, no one knows exactly how long the results last. Finally, endoscopic lifts, like coronal lifts, raise your hairline, but (unlike coronal lifts) they do not cause temporary numbness on top of your head.
Because the incisions are smaller, this procedure is less invasive. You will experience minimal scarring and shortened recovery time.
