Brow Lift: Stories

I’m 59 yrs old. I had a brow lift and upper & lower eyelid surgery 7 wks ago, and I am VERY pleased with the results! Sagging eyebrows & drooping eyelids run in my family, and a couple years ago I realized that my “neutral” expression didn’t look very pleasant. People actually commented that I looked like I needed a nap or that I didn’t look very happy when I felt perfectly fine & relaxed! I discussed brow lift options with my surgeon and decided a coronal incision was best to achieve the result I wanted. My natural hairline was rather low, so increasing the height of my forehead was actually a plus, and the scar is well hidden by my hair.

The first 24 hrs post-op were a bit rough, mostly because the anesthesia made me nauseated. I took a prescription painkiller every 4 hours, so even though I looked ghastly, I felt no pain whatsoever. After 2 days, I no longer needed anything for pain – not even aspirin! My eyelids were red & swollen, and there were bruises below my eyes. My forehead felt slightly swollen & tender, but surprisingly never had any bruising. I used ice packs religiously for 4 days following surgery: 2 gel masks with eyeholes so I could read or watch TV and 2 rectangular packs for the top of my head so there would always be one set chilling while I used the other.

I was able to shower and wash my hair the day after surgery, being careful not to disturb the 40-50 small staples across the top of my head, which looked pretty creepy but fortunately didn’t hurt at all. Stitches were removed at 5 days post-op (with some uncomfortable stinging & tugging), and staples were removed 10 days post-op. Most of the top of my head and half of my forehead was completely numb at first. Now at 7 wks post-op, the numb areas are much smaller and are expected to continue improving over the next several months.

I felt comfortable going out in public with a dab of concealer on what remained of the bruises on my cheeks after just 10 days. I took it easy for the recommended 2 wks after surgery, then gradually resumed my usual exercises & activities.

Initially, I was concerned that I might not “look like myself” after surgery. I finally concluded that I no longer looked like myself anyway, and that not looking tired or angry would be an improvement, no matter who I looked like after surgery! In the end, I think I look EXACTLY like myself again. I recently attended a family wedding, and the only comment I heard this time was “you don’t look old enough to be a grandma!” Worth every penny!

I’m now 3 months post-op and realizing that there’s still a fair amount of residual swelling in my “after” photos. Since then, my eyebrows have settled slightly lower, and the lines between my eyebrows are visible again, although not nearly as deep as before. More wrinkles than I expected are showing up below my eyes, which makes me think perhaps the skin could have been tightened a bit more after removing the excess fat. That said, my intent was to look pleasanter, not necessarily younger (although to be honest, that would have been OK, too), so I am still very satisfied with the outcome. I’ve regained all the feeling across my forehead, and the numb area on top of my head is much smaller now. I have confidence that it will eventually disappear completely. My eyelids still feel a little “stiff” where the stitches were, and my eyelashes feel kind of “wiry” when I apply mascara, but these sensations are lessening each week also.