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Mini-brow Lift Vs. Botox: Trying to Save Money

asked 3 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Question viewed 19,400 times
Tags: comparison

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?

15 answers to Mini-brow Lift Vs. Botox: Trying to Save Money

"Mini Brow Lift" Sounds Like A Marketing Term

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. This is very easily simulated with gentle upward traction on the skin of the lateral forehead - if you feel that this may apply to you then try it in the mirror and the improvement... more

Michael Law, MD
Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

michaellawmd.com

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. ... more

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Temporarily yes

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 temporary effect on the lines. Eventually, the muscle does typically return to function, albeit after a longer period of time than the 3 month effect of Botox. A temple lift is an... more

Min S. Ahn, MD
Westborough Facial Plastic Surgeon

Consider your options

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 local anesthesia. Another alternative is the "no-tox" procedure, which is correctly called "Relaxed Expressions." It is a minimally invasive option but not as simple as... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

How small is a mini-brow lift?

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 are well aware, Botox is not permanent and needs to be repeated every 3-4 months or more. Unfortunately, our biological clocks continue to tick and we continue to age. At some point, the aging... more

Stephen A. Goldstein, MD
Englewood Plastic Surgeon

Brow lift

A temproal brow lift or a mini- brow lift is a procedure that many board certified plastic surgeons have been doing for years. It elevate the brow tail to a higher position and does improve your eye shape and look. This is sometimes achieved with botox too. However, mini-brow lift does not help you with lines in between your brows or frown lines.

Siamak Agha, MD, PhD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

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

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... more

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Over long term Browlift cheaper

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... more

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Cut Out Botox? Endoscopic Brow Lift For the Long Run

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 stretching the intervals between treatments in an effort to save money. Are there alternatives? Endoscopic Brow Lift is done through small incisions parting the hair just behind the frontal... more

Athleo Louis Cambre, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

A brow lift may be worth the money

This depends on what exactly is meant by "mini brow lift," which is not an officially defined term. To say that a "mini" procedure is so long lasting that you will never need it again is an extraordinary claim as the aging process continues. Most of the short scar or mini brow lifts refer to the lifting of the lateral 2/3's of the brow, rather than the "11's" lines between your brow. To address that requires usually either an endoscopic approach by... more

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

drnichter.com

Look at the Long Term

Botox is an effective tool for short term results and in some people can achieve pleasant results. However, if the brow continues to fall a better choice would be a surgical correction because results can last for many years. In many patients I prefer a minimally invasive procedure which I call Modified Browlift which has a short recovery (7 days) but lasts for years. In the end this is a more cost-effective approach.

Harold J. Kaplan, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Mini-Brow Lift to Soften Lines?

I'm not certain of what the mini-brow lift is trying to offer. If you, on the other hand, are talking about softening the lines and wrinkles of the glabella and forehead, this can be done by incising the muscles responsible for the Glabellar lines and the Frontalis muscle of the forehead without a full Brow Lift. In this scenario, an incision needs to be made somewhere in the hairline and the forehead is still elevated in order to gain access to the forehead muscles that are... more

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

Brow lift

I understand the term temporal brow lift but I dont understand what exacly is mini brow lift. Botos can produce a Brow Lift by blocking the depressor muscles in the brow so the brow lift (mini) can be avoided.

Alejandro J. Quiroz, M.D.
Mexico Plastic Surgeon

Mini Brow Lift versus Botox treatment

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 laugh lines. A mini-brow lift may or may not address all such issues, and it’s possible you will still need Botox after surgery. That’s why a consult is the best course of... more

Scott W. Mosser, MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

Botox as a gateway procedure

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.... more