It’s a question we here at Texas Neuro Eye and Plastic Surgery field frequently from clients: “Can brow lift results be permanent?”
The answer is more nuanced than you may think. Let’s jump into the ins and outs of brow lifts–and to ensure that yours are long-lasting.
First Things First: What is a Brow Lift?
A brow lift is defined as “a cosmetic procedure to reposition your forehead, raise the brow, reduce wrinkles, and make you look more youthful.”
Why are brow lifts recommended? Because, as you age, your skin loses elasticity, making it more prone to the effects of gravity. As such, you’ll likely notice your brows sitting lower over time, and may have a combination of vertical and horizontal forehead lines.
This is triggered by a variety of factors like:
- Gravity
- Sun damage
- Deteriorating collagen levels
- Consistent frowning or downwards eyebrow movement
Brow lifts work to correct “grumpy” expressions created by these wrinkles, the depth of wrinkles, and a lack of skin elasticity. Other names for brow lifts are forehead lifts, forehead rejuvenation, temporal brow lifts, lateral brow lifts, and, most colloquially, browplasty.
What Types of Brow Lifts Are There?
There are four types of brow lifts:
- The Classic Brow Lift: Also known as an “open brow lift” or “coronal brow lift,” this technique involves one incision from ear-to-ear across the top of a patient’s head.
- The Endoscopic Brow Lift: The endoscopic brow lift involves a short series of incisions in your scalp vs. one continuous incision. In this technique, the surgeon will insert a scope into one of the incisions to view the tissues and muscles on a screen while utilizing another device inserted in another one of the incisions to make any necessary alterations. This procedure is generally considered less invasive than the classic brow lift due to the size of incisions involved.
- The Limited Incision Brow Lift: This technique combines the classic lift and the endoscopic lift; in a limited incision brow lift, the surgeon will use smaller incisions without a scope. Because of this, it can only be used to correct wrinkles around the eyes vs. wrinkles on the forehead.
- The Non-Surgical Brow Lift: The non-surgical brow lift uses Botox to smooth out wrinkles on the forehead and beside the eyes. However, these results can never be permanent due to the injections wearing off over time.
Candidacy and Recovery Time for Brow Lifts
With over 88,000 brow lifts being performed in the United States every year, two common questions we field frequently are as follows: “Am I a candidate for a brow lift?” and “What’s the recovery time after getting a brow lift done?”
First, to be a candidate for browplasty you must check off three boxes: be physically healthy (and therefore able to recover quickly and easily); be a nonsmoker; and have realistic goals about the outcome of the procedure. Our staff will go over in detail your complete medical history and surgery goals during the consultation to ensure that these standards are met.
Recovery generally takes patients one-to-two weeks. Discomfort and swelling will gradually fade (and be easily managed with medication). Still, full swelling will likely take two weeks to completely ebb.
During this recovery period, stay sure to follow a few tips. First, sleep with your head slightly elevated to minimize swelling. Also, use over-the-counter pain medication as needed. Lastly, do not engage in any strenuous exercise. Significant improvements in skin elasticity will appear noticeable right away.
Can Brow Lift Results Be Permanent?
A brow lift is a permanent cosmetic procedure and results often last a lifetime.
It remains possible to see the results of browplasty fade over time due to a continued loss of skin elasticity. Still, pre-existing wrinkles will not appear as severe as pre-surgery. Corrective surgery can also be performed later down the line if desired. And it can also combine with other popular treatments like face lifts, blepharoplasty, or neck lifts.
To improve the longevity of your browplasty results, we recommend one major thing. Consistently wear sunscreen to protect your skin from sun damage and other environmental stressors.
Ready for Results That Last a Lifetime?
Here at Texas Neuro Eye and Plastic Surgery, we pride ourselves on offering cosmetic brow lifts that do the distance.
Find yourself ready for results that last a lifetime? Book your consultation today for a brow lift.