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Brow Lift or Laser/Traditional Blepharoplasty?

asked 1 year ago by Mimi1234 in Philadelphia, PA
Latest answer by William Portuese, MD
Question viewed 505 times
Tags: female, comparison, laser

I went to two different doctors to discuss my angry looking appearance. One suggested an endoscopic brow lift and the other suggested traditional eyelid surgery. Doc 1 believes I have low eyebrows so a lift would tackle the heaviness in my lids as well. Doc 2, believes that since I am still young, the heaviness in my lids will eventually return so the surgery on the upper and lower lids would suffice. I researched laser surgery is best for fat, not excess skin and Im not sure what I have.

19 answers to Brow Lift or Laser/Traditional Blepharoplasty?

Browlift not necessary in person with good brow position

Hi Mimi1234, I do not think you need a browlift. I understand what you are saying about angry look and you are looking for solutions. The brows look to be in good position and I agree with previous comments that many people have brows that are too high after surgery. In my opinion you certainly do not need brow elevation. I cannot tell from photo but it looks like you might be frowning and a neurotoxin like Botox or Dysport could help. Also, after examining... more

Tracy Pfeifer, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

I would not recommend suegery

You have very beautiful eyes and i would wait. Your picture is taken outdoor and there over activity of the frowning muscle. You may try Botox and wait on surgery. Botox is temporary and if you did not like the results,you can have surgery later.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD
New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

Subtle upper blepharoplasty works well.

Hi. 1) Judging by your picture, your eyebrows are already on the high side. You should absolutely avoid a brow lift. (Again, assuming that detailed physical examination confirms the impression I get from your photograph.) 2) You should not have lower blepharoplasty of any kind. I think laser surgery for the eyelids is largely a gimmick and I would recommend avoiding that. 3) If I understand what actually bothers you about the appearance of your eyes, then... more

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Less is more.

Lets keep this simple: You are young and your anatomy is appropriate for your age. Browlift, in my opinion, is out of the question for you. It will leave you with an unnaturally elevated brow. Your eyelids are a bit heavy, and I'm inclined to think that this is your normal anatomy, rather than aging. If you are not pleased with this heaviness, a very subtle skin excision [laser for skin removal is more of a gimmick than anything else] would expose a bit more of your eyelid platform,... more

A.J. Amadi, MD
Seattle Oculoplastic Surgeon

Surgery for you will be a big mistake.

Mimi It is critical to ask the right questions. The question is not should my surgeon use a laser or a scalpel, or should I get a forehead lift or an upper eyelid surgery. The right question is aesthetically, my upper eyelid space is crowded and my eyebrows look heavy, what are my options? There is no substitute for a personal consultation. So let me discuss this generally. In looking at your photos, I notice a pinch along the eyebrow and also the upper eyelid... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Brow lift or lid surgery for younger patients

Given your young age and photo, your brow looks quite normal. Even the lid is full but fairly youthful. Look over the hundreds of fashion magazines and you will find that your picture as best I can tell is normal and attractive. And surgery on your lower lids, really? Both surgery recommendations seem like too much too soon, and perhaps just a little Botox will relax your features and reduce the frown. My vote is a search for doctor number 3. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd more

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Browlift or blepharoplasty

Your brows are fine where they are. Some surgeons overdo the brow-forehead lift. You mainly need upper lid blepharoplasty which is a much smaller surgery and will most likely satisfy you. It really does not matter how the skin-muscle-fat is removed whether it is with a laser or with more traditional means.

Peter T. Truong, MD
Fresno Oculoplastic Surgeon

www.facialsurgerydr.com

Brow Lift or Blepharoplasty - Consider Computer Imaging

Mimi, you are young, and have beautiful eyes. As a surgeon I would be reluctant to do anything to significantly change the shape of your brows. While you may feel your eyes look "angry," the shape and height of your brows are elegant. I would personally be more inclined to address the heaviness in the upper lids - with subtlety - rather than elevate the brows, but you are one of the patients who I think might benefit from computer imaging. Using the imaging... more

Alan Brackup, MD
Philadelphia Oculoplastic Surgeon

Brow lift vs. blepharoplasty

Your photos show that the lateral 1/3 of your brow is higher than the medial 2/3. This is the aesthetic ideal. You also have good "show" of the upper lateral eye-socket bone. Also a goal in the aesthetic ideal. However, your soft tissues (upper lid skin, upper lid fat) give you a fullness that obliterates the ideal upper lid crescent, which you don't exhibit. An upper lid blepharoplasty with removal of some skin and fat will better outline your... more

Ricardo Izquierdo, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty, Botox, and Fillers - avoid brow lifting

Mimi, your brows are ideally situated. A brow lift would give you a permanent "surprised look," so my recommendation is to avoid this procedure. There is, however, slight heaviness of the upper eyelid skin, which you can consider removing with a traditional conservative blepharoplasty. Also consider Botox to the forehead and fillers for lower eyelid hollows to round-out peri-orbital contour. Lastly, looking at your photo, you may also have upper eyelid "ptosis".... more

Grigoriy Mashkevich, MD
Manhattan Facial Plastic Surgeon

Bleph or brow lift

A bit more history and a good physical exam would be helpful,. Photos are very difficult to use to make an assessment. The angle of the photos alone can distort the appearance.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Eyelid surgery will lower eyebrows further

IMHO, youir eyebrows appear low in the photo. An upper eyelid surgery will only lower these eyebrows further and should not be considered. Endoscopic Brow Lifts have a disadvantage, IMO, because they require a suture, thread, hook or screw to hold the soft tissues, of the forehead, elevated and these can and do loosen causing the brows to drop. I only use Coronal Brow Lifts that do not require fixation methods and are more reliable and long lasting IMO. more

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Brow Lift or Laser/Traditional Blepharoplasty?

There seem to be many plastic surgeons who feel that rejuvenation is achieved by elevating the eyebrows. If you look at photos of cover girls, they nearly all have relatively low brows and somewhat full upper lids. In your case I would be very conservative. I would recommend only a small amount of skin removal in your upper lids to create an attractive and slightly higher fold. I would remove little or no fat - remember, facial fullness is a sign of youth. Your job is to find a... more

Eric Pugash, MD
Vancouver Plastic Surgeon

Botox by an experienced doctor should help you

Dear Mimi, you didn't mention your age, but it looks as if what bothers you is not due to age but is your natural appearance, which certainly isn't unattractive. You look too young for eyelid surgery to me. Heavy eyelids are a feature of youth and beauty, just as the position of your eyebrows : the outer part slightly higher than the inside, with the top of the curve on the transition between the outer and middle third... just perfect! Your look is a bit worried,... more

Alexis Verpaele, MD
Belgium Plastic Surgeon

Eyebrows and Eyelids

Mimi, It would be necessary to see you in person before deciding the best procedure for you. I do think that the right brow looks slightly lower than the right, but that may be do to your expression at the time of the photograph. Either a brow lift or a blepharoplasty would have to be done very conservatively to prevent giving you an unnatural appearance. Laser surgery can be used for skin, muscle, or fat. However, laser is a cutting tool and many surgeons feel... more

Michael McCracken, MD
Boulder Oculoplastic Surgeon

Brow lift vs blepharoplasty

A brow lift is performed either endoscopically or traditionally through the coronal approach to address very low eyebrows. The surgeon makes the appropriate determination if there are low eyebrows by measuring the distance between the eyebrows and the eyelashes. If that distance is appropriate, then an upper blepharoplasty is performed, not a brow lift. The primary goal of a brow lift is to raise the eyebrows. The secondary goals of the brow lift are to soften the... more

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Upper Blepharoplasty and "Botox Brow Lift" will help your Angry Look

Botox or Dysport injected into the mid forehead frown area and into the upper Crow's Feet areas will allow your brow to elevate. An upper Blepharoplasty will remove the eyelid hooding and open the eye appearance. Laser blepharoplasty refers to using the CO2 laser to make the upper eyelid ioncision to remove skin and fat-it works very well and many prefer this technique to incisional Blepharoplasty using a scalpel. If you mean by Blepharoplasty using a resurfacing laser to... more

Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

Treatment of Angry Look

Your eyebrows are in excellent position, and, in the photograph, you do not look angry. If you do at other times, the trick is to determine what makes you look that way. Frequently it is over activity of some of the muscles around the eye. These can be treated with Botox. If that solves the problem, then a surgical solution can be devised. Perhaps, another consultation with a Plastic Surgeon who specializes in orbital rejuvenation would be reasonable.

Robert T. Buchanan, MD
Highlands Plastic Surgeon

Forehead lift, +/- laser

There is no anatomic problem. you have a mild, stressing mild, functional problem. i.e. you look angry secondary to your expression. if you have to try something, botox/dysport is a safe relatively inexpensive way to see if you prefer that look. of course a history and physcial exam, etc etc etc. but based on your age and photos surgery appears to be an overly aggressive choice. good luck.