A brow lift is a minimally invasive procedure that helps restore your brow position giving your eye an open and bright appearance. It also serves to create a smoother forehead without lax skin. Over time, the level of the eyebrows can descend due to the relaxation of the forehead skin and gravity. A drooping brow may be the cause of excess skin in the upper eyelid region and cause your eyes to look older and more tired. If you find yourself elevating your eyebrows using your forehead muscles, you could be further contributing to this aged look. 

To combat this, Dr. Joseph Michaels at Michaels Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery can pair your brow lift with an eyelid lift to promote more comprehensive results that rejuvenate the entire upper portion of the face. Alternatively, a standalone brow lift can offer incredible results and provide subtle, natural-looking changes. 

As a plastic and reconstructive surgeon on the front lines of residency training at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown University Hospital, Dr. Michaels is adept at staying up-to-date with the latest and safest techniques. To get in touch to schedule your consultation, please call (301) 468-5991 for our Rockville, MD location or (703) 957-8610 for our Fairfax, VA office. For your convenience, we also offer virtual consultations. We can’t wait to help bring back the confidence and aesthetics of your younger self. 

About the Brow Lift 

As you age, the skin of your entire face and body can experience ptosis, or sagging- a completely normal process that has been researched and treated for decades. In fact, the first performed brow lift occurred roughly 100 years ago with the surgical findings of Dr. Raymond Passot. In 1919, he was able to eliminate the appearance of crow’s feet next to the eyes by removing small, elliptical-shaped portions of skin and suturing the incisions. (1) Techniques have since improved significantly. Surgeons can now create even more enhanced results with less invasive techniques. If you have any of the following cosmetic concerns, a brow lift can transform your entire look with just tiny incisions to the upper hairline and/or scalp: 

  • Eyelid drooping 
  • Skin folding on the forehead 
  • Sagging skin restricting your vision 
  • Excess tissue under the brows- eyelid “hoods” 

Candidates for a Brow Lift 

You may be a good candidate for this type of procedure if you have sagging tissue around the eyes and forehead and are in decent overall health without any major underlying conditions. Ideally, you should be between the ages of 40 and 60, but Dr. Michaels will consider your case if you are older and healthy. If you have realistic expectations for your procedure and are seeking a lasting solution that will provide results for years to come, a brow lift could be the right course of action. 

Personal Consultation

Under the expertise of Dr. Michaels, we can help you achieve your aesthetic goals and restore a more youthful, spry appearance to your brow area, complementing your face as a whole. Our practices offer advanced techniques and personalized care to ensure outstanding results that enhance your natural beauty. 

During your consultation with Dr. Michaels, he will closely evaluate your specific signs of aging and determine the best approach that will facilitate harmony between your facial features. He will also thoroughly listen to the results you would like to see, ensuring that you receive proper education on what a brow lift can and cannot accomplish. He may suggest another procedure or treatment, depending on your expectations. 

To get started today, contact our Rockville, MD office at (301) 468-5991 or our practice in Fairfax, VA at (703) 957-8610. Please feel free to reach out using our contact form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Preparation

In preparation for a brow lift, Dr. Michaels will order various blood tests to evaluate your health as a whole and ensure that you are ready for surgery. Though he can perform brow lifts with only local anesthesia, there are still some risks associated with it. To help prevent any complications, you should stop taking anti-inflammatories and blood thinners that can cause more bleeding and/or bruising. The safest course of action is to refrain from them about 2 weeks before your scheduled procedure date. Dr. Michaels will assist you with understanding which supplements and medications to avoid. 

Procedure Options

At the time of your consultation, Dr. Michaels will select 1 of 3 brow lift variations that will best meet your needs: 

Coronal Brow Lift 

As the oldest technique that dates back to the 1980s, it is also called the traditional brow lift. Firstly, Dr. Michaels will make one incision just above your hairline that travels from ear to ear. Next, he will tighten the forehead muscle, also called the frontalis, to eliminate the overlying wrinkles and folds. The skin is redraped at the incision line and the excess is trimmed off before reattaching with sutures. Those with significant laxity may want to consider a coronal brow lift before the other techniques that utilize shorter incisions. 

Endoscopic Brow Lift 

For this technique, Dr. Michaels will make tiny incisions on the scalp (less than 2 centimeters) in order to insert a minimally invasive camera attached to a tube, a device called an endoscope. (2) With an accurate viewing of the subcutaneous muscles and other tissues, he can perform the necessary changes without making a large skin flap that needs to be reattached. This method promotes a shorter recovery time and does not alter the placement of the hairline. 

Lateral Brow Lift 

This type of brow lift, also called a limited incision brow lift, corrects upper eyelid sagging from brow ptosis. The surgical methods utilized enhance the shape of the eyebrow arch and lift the area of skin between the eyebrows, reducing frown/glabellar lines. Dr. Michaels will make 2 incisions of about 4 centimeters hidden behind the hairline, allowing him to lift the outer parts of your brows. It is often paired with an eyelid lift, or blepharoplasty, to reduce the extra tissue under the eyebrows characteristic of “hooded” eyes. In one study, about 87% of lateral brow lift patients underwent a blepharoplasty at the same time. (3)

Dr. Michaels often performs his brow lift surgeries using local anesthesia in his office, but you can receive general anesthesia if preferred. Depending on the extent of the procedure, it takes a total of 1 to 3 hours. This has the added benefits of no additional anesthesia or hospital costs and a quicker recovery. 

Recovery and Results

In the first few days post-surgery, you may experience numbness, temporary swelling, bruising, and some pain, but Dr. Michaels will prescribe you medications to help you recover as comfortably as possible. Depending on your needs, you may find that taking doctor-approved over-the-counter medications is all that you need to mitigate discomfort. 

Though the procedure only involves local anesthesia with sedation, you will still need someone to take you home the same day. Although swelling could take 4 to 8 weeks to fully subside, you will feel well enough to go back to your job within 1 week. After 2 to 3 weeks, you will be able to resume your gym workouts and other strenuous activities. Keep in mind that endoscopic and lateral brow lifts promote shorter recovery times since the incisions are smaller than those of the coronal brow lift. After you are fully healed, you should expect your results to remain for 3 to 5 years. Even as the results begin to fade, you should expect to age slower over the next few years. The scars are not visible since they are hidden behind the hairline. 

Corresponding & Complementary Procedures 

Eyelid Lift 

A blepharoplasty can correct lower eyelid puffiness and/or upper eyelid droopiness to highlight the natural beauty of your eyes and promote a more youthful gaze. For the upper blepharoplasty, Dr. Michaels will make a discreet incision on the top crease of each eye, modify the surrounding orbicularis oculi muscle, remove a small structure called the nasal fat pad, and tighten the skin. If eyelid bags are of concern, he can make internal incisions within the lower eyelid and tighten the tarsoligamentous complex (connective tissue), remove fat, and tighten the skin. (4)

Cost of a Brow Lift in Rockville, MD 

The cost of your brow lift will depend on anesthesia costs, surgical fees, follow-up appointments, medications, and other fees that will support the best results possible. However, Dr. Michaels strives to be understanding and sensitive to your needs, which is why Michaels Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery offers several financing options such as Alphaeon Credit, Prosper Healthcare Lending, Lending USA, and CareCredit. 

To get an idea of the total cost of your treatment plan, Dr. Michaels will speak with you about the most optimal brow lift/ eyelid lift techniques and provide you with an accurate estimate at the time of consultation. To find out more, we invite you to call our offices in Rockville, MD at (301) 468-5991 or Fairfax, VA at (703) 957-8610. You can also submit your questions for Dr. Michaels online or seek out a virtual consultation if you are not in the DC area. 

Find out more about our procedures by visiting our blog. 

References

  1. de Jongh FW, Sanches EE, Pouwels S, et al. An overview of surgical techniques and non-surgical treatments in lifting the eyebrow including current treatments available. European Journal of Plastic Surgery. 2022;46(1):1-8. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-021-01911-4 
  2. Raggio BS, Winters R. Endoscopic Brow Lift. PubMed. Published 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545220/ 
  3. Turin SY, Vaca EE, Cheesborough JE, Sinno S, Mustoe TA. Simplified Lateral Brow Lift under Local Anesthesia for Correction of Lateral Hooding. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open. 2019;7(6):e2098. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/gox.0000000000002098 
  4. Rebowe RE, Runyan C. Blepharoplasty. PubMed. Published 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482381/