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Forehead lift

• Overview
• Recovery
• Risks

Definition:

A forehead lift is a surgical procedure to correct sagging of the forehead skin, eyebrows, and upper eyelids. The procedure removes or alters the muscles and skin that cause such visible signs of aging as drooping eyebrows, "hooding" eyelids, forehead furrows, and frown lines.

Alternative Names:

Endobrow lift; Open browlift; Temporal lift

Description:

A surgical procedure which may be done alone or in conjunction with other procedures such as facelift , eyelid surgery, or nose reshaping . The surgery can be done in a surgeon's office-based facility, an outpatient surgery center, or a hospital. It's usually done on an outpatient basis, without an overnight stay.

PROCEDURE:

Local infiltration anesthesia combined with a sedative to eliminate apprehension is commonly used. The patient is awake, but insensitive to pain. There is some stretching of the forehead skin and possibly occasional discomfort. Some patients request a general anesthesia so they will sleep through the operation.

Sections of hair will be held away from the operative area. Hair immediately in front of the incision line may need to be trimmed, but the head will not be shaved. The incision is made at the level of the ears and is continued across the top of the forehead at the hairline to avoid making the forehead appear too high.

If the patient is bald or balding, the surgeon may utilize a mid-scalp incision, eliminating a visible scar.

The forehead skin is elevated and measured for removal of excess tissue, skin, and muscle. The incision is closed with stitches or staples. Before dressings are applied, the hair and face are washed free of blood and debris to prevent irritation to the scalp skin.

Indications:

This procedure is most commonly done on people in their 40's to 60's to slow the visible effects of aging. It can also help people with inherited conditions, such as furrowed lines above the nose or a droopy eyebrow.

In younger people, a forehead lift can raise congenitally low eyebrows that give the face a "sad" expression. In people whose brows are so low that they interfere with the upper field of vision, the forehead lift can be performed as a reconstructive procedure.

A good candidate is a person who has one or more of these facial characteristics -- sagging brows, tissue that hangs down at the outer part of the eyelids, horizontal wrinkling on the forehead, or a dysfunctional nose. Deep furrows between the eyes also can be reduced through a forehead lift.

• Review Date: 11/10/2005
• Reviewed By: Edward W. Chang, MD, DDS, Director of Facial Plastics Surgery Education, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Columbia University-College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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