Browlift Surgery in Guilford, CT

Over time, wrinkles and creases naturally form over the forehead. These occur as the skin loses elasticity and the brows sag. A heavy brow can make the upper eyelids appear “saggy” as well. Some patients with heavy upper lids also have a saggy brow. Our patients from New Haven, Connecticut choose forehead lift (brow lift) surgery to elevate the brow and attain a younger, more attractive face and eyes.

Dr. Derek Steinbacher, board-certified plastic surgeon, often performs forehead lifts endoscopically with 3 small incisions behind the hairline. The advantage of this approach is minimal scarring and shorter recovery time. He often combines a brow lift with other facial procedures like a face lift or eyelid surgery for a more impressive facial rejuvenation.

What is Brow Lift Surgery?

With age, the skin on our forehead and above our eyebrows begins to sag. A brow lift focuses on these areas. The procedure removes or alters the muscles above the eyes to smooth lines and raise the eyebrows for a more youthful appearance.

What Is the Difference Between a Brow Lift and an Upper Eyelid Lift?

During consultations, Dr. Steinbacher discusses the difference between lifting the brows and tightening the eyelids. For patients needing a brow lift, the area above the eyes encompassing the eyebrows is sagging downward, along with the forehead skin above it. These are larger areas with underlying support muscles and skin.

Eyelid surgery addresses only the eyelids, removing excess sagging skin and tightening the muscles that control the eyelids if necessary. An eyelid lift won’t do anything for sagging brows.

Who is an Ideal Candidate for a Brow Lift?

Dr. Steinbacher’s brow lift patients are typically between the ages of 40 and 60 and aren’t happy with the sagging skin and lines on their forehead. Good candidates for a brow lift have horizontal lines across their forehead, vertical lines between their eyebrows, crow’s feet at the sides of the eyes, and an overall sagging to their brows. This sagging can give the person a perpetually tired or angry countenance.

How Can I Tell if I Need a Brow Lift or an Eyelid Lift?

As mentioned above, eyelid surgery addresses only the eyelids. Sagging upper eyelid skin is the target. Patients who could benefit from eyelid surgery may have eyelids that are drooping, giving them a perpetually tired, or even sleepy, countenance. With this surgery, excess eyelid skin is trimmed and the muscles controlling the eyelids may be tightened. The result is a more alert, younger appearance.

To tell if a brow lift is what you need, you can perform a simple test. Stand in front of a mirror and take the lower palms of your hands and place them just above the eyebrows on each side of your head. Now pull those palms up and away from your eyes. What you see is basically what a brow lift will accomplish.

What is the Brow Lift Procedure?

There are two options for a brow lift, depending on your personal situation. If possible, Dr. Steinbacher uses the endoscopic method, as this makes for a far easier recovery and scarring becomes basically invisible. The endoscopic method has become a general approach for most patients. But if a patient needs more extensive adjustment of underlying support tissues, Dr. Steinbacher may need to use the coronal method.

Here are the two options for a brow lift:

Endoscopic brow lift

Thanks to continuing improvements in technology, the endoscopic brow lift has become the method of choice. Dr. Steinbacher makes three to five short incisions within the hairline. An endoscope, a tiny instrument with a camera on the end, is inserted into one of the incisions. This provides excellent visuals of the area to be addressed without the need for the longer coronal incision. Tools are inserted into the other small incisions to manipulate the skin and muscles. As you would expect, the incision scars are tiny and in a short period of time they can hardly be seen, if at all.

Coronal brow lift

This is also known as the “traditional” brow lift. It involves a single coronal (think of it as the shape of a pair of headphones) incision that runs from one ear, wraps up around the forehead, and terminates at the other ear. This incision is hidden within the hairline. The forehead skin is lifted away and underlying muscles are trimmed and repositioned as appropriate. If necessary, the eyebrows may be lifted. The final step is to trim excess skin. Then the skin is re-draped and the incision is closed.

What is Recovery From Brow Lift Surgery Like?

There will be swelling and bruising after your brow lift, and this can migrate down into your cheeks and around your eyes. While unpleasant, this should run its course in a week to 10 days. For the first two or three days after your surgery, you’ll need to keep your head elevated, even while sleeping.

Traditional brow lifts involve more numbness and discomfort along the incision. Initial numbness will be replaced by itching that can last up to six months. Often, the hair near the incision will fall out or thin, but normal hair growth should return within weeks or a few months.

Endoscopic brow lifts will also involve some numbness due to the tissue manipulation, but there is far less itching than with a coronal brow lift.

Most patients can return to work within 10 days, but heavy lifting and vigorous exercise will need to wait for around one month. You need to be sure to minimize blood pressure elevating on the forehead.

Will I Have Scarring After a Brow Lift?

Because Dr. Steinbacher uses the endoscopic method whenever possible, scarring from these procedures is really minimal. Usually, he only uses three small incisions to gain access, and these are hidden within the hairline. In the coronal method, the incision is long, but it is also placed within the hairline to hide the scar pretty effectively.

Schedule a Consultation

Are you ready to find out more about Brow Lift surgery? Request a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Derek Steinbacher or call his office in Guilford at (203) 453-6635. His office is convenient to patients from New Haven and other communities in Connecticut and Rhode Island and is 90 minutes from New York.

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