EYEBROW AND FOREHEAD LIFT
Aging changes in the eyebrow and forehead can result in an angry, tired appearance. The skin between the eyebrows may bunch and wrinkle. The brow lift elevates the brows, tightens and smooths the skin of the whole forehead and lifts the adjacent upper eyelid skin. This results in a happier, more rested and alert appearance. The brow lift can be tailored for each individual. The patient may choose to lift the whole forehead, just the lateral part of the brows, or only one brow.
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ENDOSCOPIC AND SMALL INCISION BROW LIFT
Because the modern trend in surgery is for smaller, hidden incisions, the endoscopic or small small-incision brow lift is our most frequently used brow lift procedure. Two to four small, half inch long incisions are made on top of the head, just behind the hairline. There also may be small tucks taken in the scalp above the ears. The eyebrows and forehead are released, elevated, fixated with staples and tiny devices. After three days, the patient may wash and style his or her hair over the devices that are removed in the office using topical anesthetic two weeks after surgery. This procedure is a good option for people with thinning or no hair on the top of their scalp.
BOTOX BROW LIFT
A mild brow lift can be accomplished by relaxing the eyebrow depressor muscles with Botox. Dr. McKinstry can raise or lower one eyebrow or a portion of an eyebrow to make uneven eyebrows appear more symmetric.
CORONAL BROW LIFT
The coronal brow lift is a traditional brow lift that is not frequently used currently due to a longer incision. A strip of hair-bearing scalp above and between the ears is removed and the wound is closed with staples. The patient can expect to have numbness on top of the head for the first three months after surgery.
PRETRICHIAL BROW LIFT
In the previous two types of brow lifts, coronal and endoscopic, when the forehead and eyebrows are pulled up, the hairline is also pulled up resulting in a slightly higher forehead. For patients who already pre-operatively have a very high forehead, the incision can be made at the hairline so the forehead does not become higher. The incision at the hairline is closed with sutures rather than staples.
MID-FOREHEAD BROW LIFT
This is a less frequently performed procedure used to elevate one or both eyebrows. It is used in a patient with pre-existing forehead creases. In plastic surgery all incisions are hidden. In the previous brow lifts described, the incisions are hidden behind the hairline or at the hairline; in this case the incision can be hidden in a pre-existing wrinkle, excising a strip of forehead skin above or below that wrinkle or crease. Sometimes the incision is made through two horizontal creases resulting in one line where there were two.