Introduction to Forehead Lift

A forehead lift, or browlift, is a procedure which raises and reshapes low, sagging eyebrows, improves the appearance to the upper eyelids, softens creases and worry lines seen across the forehead and generally restores a more rested and youthful appearance.

Best Candidates for Forehead Lift

Men and women, 40’s to 60’s or early 70’s, with sagging eyebrows;
Younger individuals who have an inherited, family appearance of drooping eyebrows;
Non-smokers with good to excellent health and good skin tone have the greatest possibility for an excellent surgical outcome.

What to Expect at Your Consultation

Dr. James Matas, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Orlando, Florida, has extensive experience performing facial plastic surgery. He will discuss your goals and motivations for surgery, along with assessing your physical and emotional health and reviewing information you provide about previous surgeries, past and current medical conditions, as well as nutritional supplements, herbal remedies and pharmaceutical medications you take.

He will examine the structures of your face and eyebrows, assessing the quality of your skin tone and bone structure. He may also review photographs of you at an earlier age to determine how the aging process has affected this area.

He will recommend the exact procedure, or procedures, needed to bring about the desired result, outlining the techniques and incisions needed, the type of anesthesia, where the surgery will be performed and the risks and possibility of complications. He may also recommend non-surgical treatments like Botox® and/or Restylane® to enhance the surgical outcome.

He will advise you to avoid taking aspirin, ibuprofen products, Vitamin E and certain herbal medications before surgery, as these can cause increased bleeding or have undesirable effects with anesthesia.

A staff member may take photographs of you, and using computer imaging technology, provide you with a before/after comparison for discussion purposes. You will also be provided with the financial details, along with a suggested plan of action should you decide to take the next step towards forehead lift surgery.

How a Forehead Lift is Performed

The most common technique for browlift is the coronal incision technique, where an incision is made just above the ears and extends across the top of the scalp to the other ear. Through this incision, Dr. Matas will remove excess skin, lift your eyebrows to a higher, shapelier position and work on the muscle that causes wrinkling and frown lines if needed. The incision is concealed within the hairline, and is not visible to you or anyone else. The procedure is performed outpatient and usually takes about 1 ½” hours to complete.

Recovery from a Forehead Lift

You will be discharged with a supportive head garment that will be worn for the first week. There is very little pain associated with a browlift, but any discomfort can be lessened with prescribed medication. Bruising and swelling over the eyelid and cheek areas may be noticed, and should resolve over the first two weeks.

You will be given guidelines to keep your head elevated, to avoid strenuous activity, alcohol, steam baths, saunas and sun exposure. After a few days, the surgical staples will be removed, along with your garment, and you will see your brow in its new position.
You, or your hairstylist, will be able to wash your hair, taking special care around the incision area.

You’ll be back to work within a week to 10 days. If you need it, special camouflage makeup can be applied to cover any bruising that remains. You will still have numbness of the scalp around the incision, and this will diminish over time as the nerves begin to heal. While your scar is permanent, it will be hidden in your hairline and will not be visible.

Your New Look

We expect that you’ll be quite satisfied with your refreshed and youthful appearance, no longer having that tired, worried appearance when you look in the mirror! Friends, family and associates may comment that you look different, but they may often think you’ve been on vacation or have a new hairstyle. As you gain confidence, you may find yourself joining a new club, beginning a new hobby or enjoying more rewarding relationships with those around you.