Are there any less invasive, non-surgical alternatives that would lift my droopy brow?

Posted by Dr. Edwin Williams in Brow Lift / Forehead Lift, Browlift on January 28th

Question:

I’m 38. I have some frown lines on my forehead and between my eyebrows, though I don’t feel that they’re yet that horrible that I need to consider surgery. However, what I would really like to have fixed is one of my eyes as the eyebrow has becoming increasingly more droopy over the years. It’s now a big difference between my two brows and the droopy one goes over my eyelid. Is this something that can be fixed with a brow lift or would an eyelid lift be more appropriate? Are there any less invasive, non-surgical alternatives that would lift my droopy brow?

Answer:

There are surgical and nonsurgical options when one wishes to improve the appearance of their brow and upper eyelids. Nonsurgical options are usually best for people who are seeking mild degrees of improvement. Botox can be injected in the strategic locations to achieve a "chemical browlift". In doing so, the eyes themselves, can appear more refreshed, and the lines between the eyebrows can be softened to give one a more youthful and pleasant appearance. When droopiness of the brow and excess upper eyelid skin progresses, surgical solutions offer the best results. Typically, a browlift in conjunction with surgery to remove the excess skin from the upper eyelids, is an excellent combination that can be done together. It is important that if a droopy brow and excess upper eyelid skin do co-exist in a given patient, the surgeon needs to be aware and address both of these issues, because if the excess upper eyelid skin is removed without improving the brow, removal of the eyelid skin can actually pull the brow even further down towards the eyes.

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Is there such a thing as a mini browlift?

Posted by Dr. Edwin Williams in Brow Lift / Forehead Lift, Browlift on January 27th

Question:

Is there such a thing as a mini browlift?

Answer:

There are many different ways to lift the brow. The more traditional approach involves an incision across the top of the scalp, from ear to ear. Fortunately, this is a technique that has been replaced by less invasive techniques. We perform a modification of an endoscopic browlift, with small incisions hidden in the hairline. Although this is not truly a mini browlift, it achieves an excellent correction of a drooping brow with all the benefits of a minimally invasive approach.

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I get deep horizontal wrinkles on my forehead

Posted by Dr. Edwin Williams in Brow Lift / Forehead Lift on May 3rd

Question: When I raise my eyebrows, I get deep horizontal wrinkles on my forehead. Most of the time they are not quite as deep but they are still very noticeable. Could Botox be used to smooth these wrinkles or is a browlift recommended?

Answer: Botox is very effective in decreasing muscle activity in the forehead. After evaluation, an appropriate treatment would be discussed and recommended.

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I have a demanding job and can’t be out of work very long

Posted by Dr. Edwin Williams in Brow Lift / Forehead Lift on March 5th

Question:

I have a demanding job and can’t be out of work very long. How long does it take the bruising to heal and swelling to reduce after a forehead lift?

Answer:

The short answer is approximately 7-10 days. The forehead lift has been done in our practice for approximately 15 years using an endoscopic approach. This is often referred to as a minimally invasive procedure which essentially takes advantage of advanced technology, fiber optics and small incisions which reduces the recovery period significantly. We usually tell patients to prepare for 7-10 days for recovery. My standard line to patients is that they are not necessarily ready for the ‘family photograph’ at day 11. Most people take time off from work and return in 10-14 days.

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I would like to know what browlift procedure you perform. I am 41years old, and have worry lines on my forehead.

Posted by Dr. Edwin Williams in Brow Lift / Forehead Lift on October 28th

Question:

I would like to know what browlift procedure you perform. I am 41years old, and have worry lines on my forehead. I would like a brow lift but do not know what options are available to me.

Answer:

The type of browlift that I perform now and have for approximately 16 years is the endoscopic approach to brow, forehead and the mid-face. This is essentially performed through a minimally invasive procedure using five small incisions placed behind the hairline. The incisions are approximately one inch long and are hidden very nicely in the hair. We do not cut or remove any of the patient’s hair so the incisions blend right in, in a very short period of time. The procedure is performed with fiber-optics, small incisions and surgical innovation that allow us to do much more through the small incisions. Small incisions also cut down considerably on recovery time. A similar analogy is laparoscopic gall bladder surgery which is performed as an outpatient compared to the one-week hospital stay and large incision that used to be performed in gall bladder removal surgery. Regardless, this addresses the heaviness of the forehead, the temple area, and the hooding that occurs on the outer part of the eyelid and brow region.

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