It’s a common concern that having a high forehead automatically ruins your chances for having a forehead lift. This doesn’t have to be the case. If you want to take a few years off your appearance to look more rested and relaxed, a forehead lift, also called a brow lift, can be an excellent choice. Learn more about the two techniques used for tightening slack skin and muscles on the forehead to reduce the appearance of creases and wrinkles.
Goals of a Forehead Lift
The goal of any forehead lift is to reduce the appearance of drooping skin and weaker muscle tone that leads to lines, creases, and the fold of skin that can form on the brow creating the hooded appearance over the eyes. These issues often make a person look tired or angry.
Comparing the Endoscopic and Coronal Forehead Lift
With an endoscopic forehead lift, incisions are made within the hairline to make them easy to hide. Several incisions are made in the hairline in the scalp and on the temples. An endoscope is inserted into one of the incisions and transmits video feedback of the underlying tissue and muscle. The facial plastic surgeon tightens the muscle and removes excess skin through the remaining incisions.
A coronal forehead lift involves one incision, but it travels from one ear to the other, in an area that is behind the hairline. While this gives your surgeon the best access to the muscle and tissue on the forehead, the long incision requires more time to heal.
Expectations During the Recovery
Following a forehead lift, you are taken to a recovery area while the anesthesia wears off. Once the surgeon feels it is safe for you to go home, you can leave the office and begin your recovery in the comfort of your home. During this time, you need to rest, take any medications your surgeon prescribed, and follow the postoperative instructions given to you by your surgeon. When you rest, keep your head elevated to help reduce swelling. You may find this is easiest by sleeping in a recliner.
It’s possible that the surgeon inserted a drainage tube to help fluid leave the surgical area. This drainage tube is removed a couple days after the surgery, so you will need to return to your surgeon’s office for that procedure.
Bruising and swelling are main concerns following a forehead lift. It can take 10 days for these symptoms to subside. In the meantime, ice packs can help with the swelling and discomfort. After a week, you return to the surgeon’s office to have any sutures removed.
Make sure you find a facial plastic surgeon who has expertise in forehead lifts in patients with high hairlines. Dr. Robert Kessler uses a technique that removes skin in the area where hair does not grow, so it’s worth discussing forehead lifts with the Newport Beach facial plastic surgeon. View photos of a one of Dr. Kessler’s brow lift patients and see the natural-looking results. To schedule a consultation with the California cosmetic surgeon, call 949.644.6544.
