Brow Lift: Stories

I try to write reviews years after the procedure, not days after.

I had my browlift two years ago, and I'm glad I did. I was tired of holding my brows up! A severe case of Bells Palsy in 1982 left me with a hanging eyebrow out of proportion with my non-damaged brow. Aging only made both brows appear lower.

Brow lifts are tricky. I read about my Atlanta PS in a national cosmetic surgery forum. The woman said he did a great brow lift on her which looked completely natural. As it turns out, he did a great browlift on me, too. It's been two years and it's still holding! He couldn't make my Bells Palsy brow completely aligned with the other brow, but he came pretty close. I'm completely satisfied with his work.

However, one word of warning to those of you with fine, thinning hair: Be sure you can afford the hair loss. I couldn't afford to lose much hair. I ended up losing hair in my bangs and sides. It's really not horrible hair loss for an average person, but I already had thin hair. My hair is now different -- not terrible, just thinner at the sides with fewer bangs -- so I had to cut it into a bob. It looks nice, actually. But it's clear to me that the hair is not coming back, either. This will probably become a greater issue as I age.

Hairloss is my only issue with this procedure (not my PS), and I've learned that it's a fairly common brow lift problem. If you have thick hair and can afford a slightly higher hairline, go for it. If you are more concerned with thinning hair than you are with your brows, you may want to step back from this procedure.

I experienced no discomfort. However, the post-operative swelling and bruising was intense for me because I had two procedures done, both involving my face. Much of the swelling and bruising pertained to the browlift, though. The mini-facelift was very easy in comparison. Had I only had the mini-facelift (which I'm also pleased with), I could have easily returned to work within a few days.

As it was, I returned to work 10 days after surgery. I should have given myself two full weeks off from work. As it was, I had to find the right pair of eyeglasses to draw attention away from the residual brow lift bruising and swelling. The glasses had no corrective lens, so I wore my contacts beneath. I felt self-conscious at work but am not sure if others noticed my issues as much as I did. I remember re-applying concealer to my eye bruises every hour that first week back to work. However, within 4 to 6 weeks, I was back to normal. I looked like myself, only quite better! It just took a little time and a little reassurance from my P.S. and his staff. Two years later, I can say it was well worth going through those 2-3 weeks of swelling/bruising, but at the time, it caused me great alarm.

I also felt the scars and two endotine knobs on my head (invisible beneath hair) for 9 months to a year. Not at all a big deal, but it feels a bit odd, so I thought I'd mention it. It was only awkward for me when I had to explain it to my hairdresser. Not a big deal.

I'm glad I did this. I hope the results last another 5-8 years. I also hope they come up with a browlift that doesn't involve hair loss during that time.