Mini-brow lift vs. Botox: trying to save money

would love to cut down my botox cost but i like the results to stick around. today i saw an article on msnbc that said a doctor (Dr. Gerut) offers a mini-brow lift to get permanent botox like results. Here's what the doctor said: "people have Botox to avoid surgery and here's surgery to avoid Botox but it is effective and it's a heck of a lot cheaper in the long run. It costs about as much as two years of Botox and you never need it again," Do you think a mini brow lift will achieve same results as botox for between the eyebrows? Does every plastic surgeon offer this procedure or is it a special technique?

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10 answers to “Mini-brow lift vs. Botox: trying to...”

A: Mini Brow Lift versus Botox treatment

By Scott W. Mosser, MD - San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

Whether or not a mini-brow lift versus Botox would benefit you is a question best asked directly to a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. A mini-brow lift may not have the same outcome as Botox treatments. Botox works by paralyzing forehead muscles, muscles between the eyebrows, and the muscles that create... more

A: "Mini Brow Lift" Sounds Like A Marketing Term

By Michael Law, MD - Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

Lateral Brow Lift vs. Endoscopic Browlift I rarely see a patient that has such significant brow descent that I recommend elevation of the entire brow. However, I frequently see browlift patients for whom conservative elevation of the lateral brow produces a more rested, bright, and even elegant appearance.... more

A: Mini Brow Lift will not achieve the same results as Botox

By David Shafer, MD - Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

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... more

A: It is very difficult to eliminate the lines between your eyebrows with surgery

By George J. Beraka, MD - Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

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... more

A: Botox as a gateway procedure

By Robert M. Freund, MD - New York City Plastic Surgeon

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... more

A: Temporarily yes

By Min S. Ahn, MD - Westborough Facial Plastic Surgeon

As the primary author of the first publication on the Botox browlift in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, I have performed thousands of Botox treatments for both frown lines and to lift the outer portion of the eyebrows. A minibrowlift that targets the frown lines will cut the muscle (corrugator) and have a... more

A: consider your options

By Richard Baxter, MD - Seattle Plastic Surgeon

There are a number of ways to do a browlift, and without knowing specifics it is hard to say what your doctor means by mini brow lift. Using the endoscopic technique, the recovery from a brow lift is pretty quick. Sometimes a mini lift can be accomplished with incisions in the temple area, possibly under... more

A: Over long term Browlift cheaper

By Steven Wallach, MD - Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

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... more

A: Cut Out Botox? Endoscopic Brow Lift For the Long Run

By Athleo Louis Cambre, MD - Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Botox treatments for the frown lines of the central forehead area ("11-lines") has become the most popular cosmetic procedure across the board. However, for some patients, the ongoing cost of multiple treatments every year can add up. In these difficult economic times, some patients are... more

A: How small is a mini-brow lift?

By Stephen A. Goldstein, MD - Denver Plastic Surgeon

MissMe: Here are some general tips: Botox is a great way to soften wrinkles and lines of the forehead between the medial head of the eyebrows (glabella), and the crow's feet of the lateral eyes. We are able to achieve 1-2 mm elevation of the eyebrows with selective injection of Botox. As you... more

Comments (2)

mommyinhous
5 posts
1 Jan 2009

I just had browlift so I could stop getting Botox. They are not the same thing. The Botox corrected exactly what was wrong, but it didn't change how I looked. The Browlift gave me a larger forehead, which I don't like. My husband calls me five-head now (he actually thinks it looks good, which is why I don't kill when he says that). Anyway, I wish I would have just continued to do Botox.

Raisa Howard CNP
11 posts
22 Nov 2008

The problems with having surgery vs. Botox are the risks of surgery and anesthesia and the fact that if you don't like the results , you are permanently effected. It is usually best to avoid surgery if you found a treatment or the procedure that delivers desired results to you.