Do I Need to Have a Forehead Lift with My Eyelid Surgery?

Some patients may ask themselves a question when they are thinking of eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), whether they have to combine this surgery with the forehead lift (also known as a brow lift). Both facial surgeries are aimed at the top part of the face; however, they do not resolve the same issue. It will be useful to learn how these processes are supplementary to each other and, therefore, decide more wisely whether you require one or the other or both.

Understanding Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Eyelid surgery is cosmetic or functional surgery that aims at making the upper and/or lower eyelids look better.

• The surgery of upper eyelids involves the removal of excess skin, muscles and in certain cases fat, which leads to drooping eyelids or hooding of the eyes.

• Lower eyelid surgery will deal with eyelid puffiness, eyelid bags or eyelid wrinkles.

The primary objective is to make one look more refreshed, alert and younger, and in other instances, enhance vision if excess skin may be a hindrance to sight lines.

What a Forehead (Brow) Lift Does

A forehead lift or a brow lift surgery is a cosmetic procedure that restores the upper portion of the face by lifting the hanging eyebrows and removing wrinkles on the forehead.

• Repairs drooping eyebrows that will make the eyes appear weighty or weary.

• Removes lines and wrinkles upon the forehead and between the brows.

• Surgery lifts the eyelids by lifting the brow, lessening the weighted appearance.

Whereas eyelid surgery is used for excess eyelid skin, a forehead lift is used on the location of eyebrows and the upper face.

When a Forehead Lift May Be Needed Alongside Eyelid Surgery

At other times, drooping eyebrows cause the upper eyelid to sag rather than the eyelids. In this situation, eyelid surgery will not yield the highest results.

You can use a forehead lift and eyelid lift together because:

• The eyebrows are low, and they bulge up against the upper part of the eyelids.

• You may be blinking your eyebrows to see better, leaving forehead lines.

• You desire a Maxima Flat, or rather, a younger forehead with brighter eyes.

• Your surgeon discovers that the overhang of skin of the eyelid's higher portion is partly attributed to the lowering of the brows.

Lifting the brow and tightening the forehead make the eyes look more open and young to complement the effects of eyelid surgery.

Benefits of Combining Both Procedures

• Balanced results: When you do both the brows and the eyelids, they must be treated similarly to create harmony in the upper part of your face.

• Longer-lasting rejuvenation: An eyelid lift will also reduce future surgeries on the eyelids.

• One recovery period: Carrying out both operations prevents two distinct operations and recovery periods.

• Comprehensive correction: Sagging eyebrows and surplus eyelid skin are treated, ensuring that there are no incomplete and lopsided effects.

What to Expect from Recovery

• Eyelid surgery alone: It requires 1-2 weeks to heal, and swelling and bruising slowly resolve.

• Forehead lift: The duration may need to heal its swelling is 2-3 weeks, with tightness or numbness on the forehead.

• Combined procedures: The recovery is also a bit longer, but not twice. The majority of patients recover in 23 weeks and return to normal, with the outcome still improving in a few months.

Questions to Ask Your Surgeon

• Does my eyelid start to be heavy because of the excess eyelid skin or because of drooping brows, or both?

• Will eyelid surgery be enough to provide me with the fresh appearance that I desire?

• Will a brow lift make me look good, or shall I be too aggressive?

• Are the two procedures, which are to be conducted simultaneously, safe in my case?

• Which kind of brow lift surgery (endoscopic, temporal, classic) would you suggest to me?

Conclusion

Whether to lift the forehead and do eyelid surgery is not always necessary. Blepharoplasty can also be used alone to produce a fresh look for some patients. But, in case low-set brows or forehead wrinkles are adding to your weary appearance, a juxtaposition of the two surgeries can provide better natural and long-term effects.

Only by having a one-on-one consultation with a qualified cosmetic surgeon can you know whether or not you need a nose job as well. The surgeon should advise you on the proper method by closely examining your anatomy and objectives. That way, you will have a balanced, younger-looking, and natural-appearing upper face rejuvenation.

Welcome to our Los Angeles-based certified Aesthetic & Cosmetic Surgeons. We are a group of highly qualified and experienced aesthetic and cosmetic surgeons committed to offering the best cosmetic procedures to accentuate your inherent beauty.