Mini Brow Lift will not achieve the same results as Botox

MissMe,

Do not expect a mini brow lift to have the same effects as Botox. Botox is very effective at paralyzing the muscles between the eyebrows (corrugators and procerus), the forehead muscle (frontalis) and crow's feet (orbicularis). A mini brow lift will not address all of these areas as effectively as Botox. My guess is that you would still end up needing some Botox to achieve the results that you were expecting. A mini brow lift does have some benefits, but is not without risk. You have an incision in your hairline and the surgeon must dissect around the nerves that control the muscles in your forehead. If you are in the right hands, you will likely have a nice result, but the result will most likely be different than what you are achieving with Botox.

I hope this is helpful.

David Shafer, MD

A mini-browlift is good for raising the outer part of your eyebrows. It will do nothing for the frown lines between your eyebrows.

To improve these frown lines with surgery, you need an endoscopic brow lift, or an open brow lift. The muscles that cause the frown lines can also be tackled through the upper eyelids.

But there is nothing "mini" about these operations. Also, many patients still need some Botox even after surgery for full correction of the frown lines.

So if you are happy with your Botox results, stick with that. In Manhattan, a treatment of 25 units of Botox should cost you $400 and should last 4 months.

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Over the long run a brow lift is cheaper than Botox.  However, the upfront cost for the browlift will be more expensive than the Botox.  The choice is up to the patient. Most of the patients I use Botox on can put off a browlift for several years, and the downtime from Botox is next to nothing ( maybe some mild bruising).  But, the browlift results are usually permanent and will last a lifetime.  Patients who put off a browlift are usually afraid to have surgery, but when they do have it done, they are usually very happy.

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Botox is not ideal to treat excess skin and eyebrow sagging. Botox is great to combat the repetitive motion of muscles and the wrinkles that it forms. As one ages, the first thing to happen is the formation of repetitive wrinkles around the eyebrows. The only way to treat this is with Botox or surgically removing the muscles. Endoscopic browlifts or removal of the muscle from the upper eyelids during a blepharoplasty is routine. The idea of calling something a mini-lift is a bit of hype. In my hands most lifts are mini. The incisions are small and the recovery is much better than for other facial procedures. As for the cost, the browlift procedure is permanent and probably costs anywhere from 3-5,000 dollars. Botox routinely costs $450 to $600 to get rid of these lines and must be done 2-4 times per year. With that math, the surgery should pay for itself in 2-4 years. Best of luck.

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