The operation of forehead and eyebrow lift gives a younger and a fresh look at your face above the eyes. In this procedure, drooping eyebrows and the forehead skin are lifted, and the lines and wrinkles which make you seem angry, tired or sad are minimized.
What are forehead and eyebrow lift?
In the operation of forehead/eyebrow lift, the muscles and tissues which cause wrinkles or drooping are removed or replaced. Hereby forehead skin turns smooth, eyebrows elevate and the wrinkles between the eyebrows are minimized. Forehead/eyebrow lift operation is performed by the endoscopic method or by making an incision concealed behind the hairline as in the classical method. Both of these techniques give similar results: smoother forehead skin and a more vibrant look.
What are endoscopic eyebrow lift and eyebrow suspension?
The endoscope is an imaging device which ensures that the procedure results in minimal incision scar. Rather than a wide incision, the endoscopic method requires only minor incisions through which the endoscope can be inserted. In this way, the operation is performed under the skin with the aid of a camera.
On the other hand, eyebrow suspension is quite a simple method. A cord is inserted through a minor incision made on the hairy skin and it is carried down to the end of the eyebrow, and then the end of the brow is elevated. Although it is quite a simple method, its impact is not permanent.
Who is the best candidate for a forehead/eyebrow lift?
Forehead/eyebrow lift operation is most commonly performed on people of the age group of 40 to 60s. The operation aims to minimize the visible effects of aging. Nevertheless, this procedure can also be performed on anybody who develops wrinkles on their forehead or between their brows due to stress or muscle activity. In addition, those people who have sagging forehead skin or deep wrinkles on the nose due to hereditary reasons can also have a more refreshed and youthful look thanks to this procedure.
Is forehead/eyebrow lift suitable for me, and will it be satisfying?
Forehead/eyebrow lift operation is suitable for people who look for minimal improvement. Nevertheless, this operation is generally performed in combination with the facelift operation in order to improve the overall look of the face. Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) can also be performed in combination with a forehead lift operation particularly on people with a distinct skin fold on the upper eyelids. In some cases, we may recommend forehead lift as a more convenient operation to the patients who believe that they need an upper eyelid surgery.
What kind of a procedure is used in a forehead/eyebrow lift?
Two methods are employed in forehead/eyebrow lift operations: the classical method and the endoscopic method.
Classical forehead lift: Before the operation, your hair is strapped by rubber bands on both sides of the incision line. The hair on the forehead region is not cut, but hair which grows just in front of the incision line may be shortened.
A circular incision is usually made. This incision starts close to the ear level, moves across the upper part of the forehead and ends after reaching down to the opposite part of the head. Since the incision usually falls far behind the hairline, the operation scar is not visible.
With the incision made, the forehead skin is carefully lifted and the underlying tissue can be removed or forehead muscles can be loosened and modified. Eyebrows can also be lifted and the excess skin at the incision point is trimmed in order to create a smoother and younger appearance.
Then the incision site is sealed by sutures or clips. In order to prevent irritation, your face and hair are washed and the rubber bands on your hair are removed. Incision sites are wrapped by elastic bandages.
Endoscopic forehead lift: Hair is pushed back in this method, too, and the hair is shaved behind the hairline that will form the incision site.
However, instead of a long and circular single incision, hairy skin is incised on three to five spots shorter than 2.5 cm each. The endoscope, which is a pen-sized camera connected to a television monitor, is inserted through an incision spot and thereby subcutaneous muscles and the tissues can clearly be displayed. Using another instrument inserted through a different incision spot, forehead skin is lifted, and the muscles in addition to underlying tissues are removed or modified in order to create a smoother and slick look. The eyebrows can also be lifted and placed up to a new position with the help of subcutaneous sutures or the temporary fixation screws inserted behind the hairline.
After the lifting procedure is completed, the incisions on the hairy skin are sealed by sutures or clips and this region is washed. Incision sites are wrapped by elastic bandages.
What if there is not sufficient hair to hide the incision site?
We can also perform forehead lift operation on those patients who have lost their hair, whose hairline draws back or who have undergone upper eyelid surgery. In such cases, it is enough to slightly shift the location of the incision or to keep the scope of operation a little more limited.
If you have lost your hair on the forehead region, we position the operation incision just on the hairline in order to prevent more hair loss on the forehead. With the patients who have no hair or those patients who experience hair loss, we sometimes make an incision which follows the natural line of the cranium in the middle of the hairy skin. In this way, you can make the operation scars relatively less noticeable by pushing the hair towards your forehead. Since hair-cut styles are not generally convenient to cover the incisions in male patients, a special plan may be required to conceal the operation scars.
How should I prepare myself for a forehead/eyebrow lift operation?
You should inform us if you are using blood thinner medications. In addition, as smoking slows down post-operative recovery, we recommend you to quit smoking in advance.
If your hair is too short, you may prefer to get your hair to grow longer before the operation so that the operation scars can be concealed during recovery.
Where is the forehead/eyebrow operation performed?
Forehead/eyelid lift operation is performed in the surgery room of a fully equipped hospital. Nevertheless, if the operation is limited to eyebrow suspension, it can be performed in an office environment, too.
Will I need to be anesthetized?
If the method to be performed is limited to eyebrow lift or suspension, this operation can take place under local anesthesia or with heavy sedatives. However, apart from such situations, forehead/eyebrow lift operation is generally performed under general anesthesia.
How long does the operation take?
Based on the procedure conducted, the operation takes half an hour to two hours. If the procedure is limited to eyebrow lift or suspension, it takes approximately half an hour. A Forehead lift or endoscopic forehead lift takes 1-1.5 hours.
How long should I stay in the hospital after the operation?
After forehead/eyebrow lift operations, usually, the patients can go home on the same day.
Will I have pain after the operation?
Forehead lift and suspension procedures are usually painless. Nevertheless, a slight pain and discomfort may be experienced after endoscopic forehead lift surgeries. But this pain can be controlled by using painkillers.
Does the forehead/eyebrow lift operation leave any scars?
In general, no wide and noticeable scar is left after a forehead/eyebrow lift operation. Formation of a wide scar is a rare complication. In such a case, the wide scar tissue can be excised and replaced by a new finer scar through an operation. Some patients may experience hair loss by the operation scar, too. This is generally a temporary situation.
What should I expect after the operation?
Regarding the situation immediately after the operation, some significant differences may be seen between a patient who has undergone a classical forehead lift operation and another patient who has undergone the endoscopic operation.
A patient who has undergone a classical forehead lift operation may experience some loss of sense and a temporary feeling of discomfort on the incision sites, but these problems may be eliminated by medications.
In order to minimize post-operative swelling, you may be required to keep your head in an upright position for 2 or 3 days. Swelling may occur around the cheeks and eyes – but this situation is expected to disappear in approximately a week.
A feeling of itching may replace the loss of sense on the upper part of your hairy skin during the recovery of nerves. It may take 6 months for such complaints to disappear completely. The bandages used are removed one or two days after the procedure. Most of the sutures and the clips are removed in two weeks, and by two stages in some cases.
Some hair loss may occur around the incision site and a temporary thinning of hair may be experienced. Usually, hair starts to grow in a normal way again in a few weeks or months. Permanent hair loss is rare.
The patients who undergo an endoscopic forehead lift operation may experience loss of sensation, and discomfort and a slight swelling on the incision site.
The pain felt in the incision site is usually minimal and can be controlled by medications when necessary. The patients who undergo an endoscopic forehead lift operation experience a milder itching compared to those who underwent a classic forehead lift operation.
The sutures or the clips used to seal the incisions are usually removed in a week while the fixation screws are removed after two weeks.
When can I get back to my normal life?
Even though you will regain your normal activity level in a few days, you should not overstrain yourself for at least 1 week upon the surgery. You are expected to have a shower and use shampoo in a few days or as soon as the bandages are removed.
Most of the patients can return to work or school in 7 to 10 days. This period may be even shorter for the endoscopic patients. For a few weeks, you should avoid running, stretching exercises, heavy housework, sexual intercourse or any other activity which may elevate blood pressure. For a few months, you should also avoid being subject to heat and sunlight for long periods of time.
Most of the visible operation scars are expected to completely disappear in approximately 3 weeks. Slight swellings and bruises can be concealed by using special camouflage masks.
What kind of adverse situations may I experience after the operation?
In rare occasions, unilateral or bilateral damages may occur on the nerves which control the movement of the eyebrow.
Loss of sense is frequently experienced along the incision line or immediately by the incision line –especially in classical forehead operations. This complaint is commonly temporary, but it may turn permanent in some patients.
Infection and bleeding are extremely rare; nevertheless, they should be kept in mind.
Will I keep my new looks?
You will maintain the look you gain upon forehead/eyebrow lift operation for a long time. As long as aging continues, a minimal change will happen on the region lifted for sure but positive effects will be permanent.
On the other hand, the improvements achieved by the eyebrow suspension method change back into their former situations in 1 or 2 years, and intervention is required again.
What can I do to preserve the results of the operation?
Regardless of the surgical method used, most of our patients are satisfied with the results of the forehead lift procedure. Our patients are surprised to realize that they look so much younger after the lifting operation and that they looked so older before because of the drooping on their forehead region.
Although forehead lift operation does not stop the time, it can minimize the visible effects of old aging. You may even want to undergo this operation again in the future.
