Brow Lift After Upper Eyelid Surgery?

Question

I'm aware it's commonly done in reverse, but when can I have Brow Lift after upper Eyelid Surgery, considering scar healing?

Rian A. Maercks, MD · Answer

Be very careful when asking for a brow lift, you might get it.  If you look up brow lift results in published papers and before and afters you will see that many surgeons successfully lift the brow.  Unfortunately a true brow lift makes patients look scared or surprised!  It is almost never necessary to elevate the medial third of the brow.  Many women actually benefit aesthetically from a slight lowering of the medial third.  On the contrary, there are few women even at your age that would not benefit from elevation of their lateral brow.  The reason for this is probably not what you think.  Much more important than the brow positionand shape is the infra brow skin.  If you look at yourself in the mirror you will see some bunching of skin under the brow next to your eye and a flat shape.  I call this the lateral hood.  The only kind of brow lift that I typically perform  I call a lateral hood lift.  If you gently pull up on your forehead skin above the lateral brow, you will see that a very subtle elevation makes you look younger.  This is mostly because it cleans up the lateral hood.  It is usually necessary to also restore brow volume at the same time as a lateral hood lift to create a beautiful rejuvenated shape.  I hope this helps!

	All the best,

	Rian A. Maercks M.D.

Leila Kasrai, MD, FRCSC · Answer

I would suggest you wait at least 6 months or so, once the swelling has subsided and your tissues are strong enough to withstand another surgery.  However, before you consider having a brow lift, please wait to see how your results progress. You may be pleasantly surprised and not want to do anything else.

Sam Jejurikar, MD · Answer

Dear IzzyNou,
It would be prudent to wait at least 6 months after your eyelid surgery before proceeding with a brow lift.  As you know, minute amounts of swelling persist for many months after any type of eyelid surgery.  Allowing this to resolve completely will allow your surgeon to optimize the results of your browlift.
Best of luck.

Mohsen Tavoussi, MD, DO · Answer

Endoscopic Brow Lift can be done after upper eyelid surgery once the swelling has subsided. The reason the browlift is done before is majority of upper eyelid droopiness is the result of forehead ptosis or laxity and more often endoscopic browlift will correct both problems.

Robert M. Freund, MD · Answer

You are talking about a very common issue in plastic surgery.

	Anatomically, as the eye lids and eyebrows sag, your brain sends signals to lift the excess skin and weight off of the eyelids. One way to do this is to lift the forehead, sometimes imperceptibly. However, after the excess eyelid skin is removed, the brain stops sending the message and the eyebrow/forehead falls. Thus, 6 weeks after an eyelid lift, you look saggy again.

	The proper way to treat this problem is with diagnosis from the outset. But in your case, a browlift at this time sounds appropriate.

	How would you know if you need a browlift? I tell my patients to close there eyes for a couple of minutes, this relaxes the forehead muscles. Then put your finger on the eyebrow and open your eyes. If the eyebrow tries to lift up without conscious effort, then a browlift is warranted.

Edmon Pierre Khoury, MD · Answer

It is not common to stage these procedures, but these days, finances are playing a major role into a patient's decision making. Even if both procedures are recommended, some patients may elect to first address the area that is more problematic. Sometimes, they realize that the improvement was enough for them for the time being. More often they elect to address both at the same time.
I usually wait at least 6 months before considering the brow lift. I have found that the result improves with every passing month. Minute swelling continues to dissipate, and my patients report continued contracture of the skin for months after.

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

I would wait about three months after the upper eyelid blepharoplasty to do a brow lift, if it is even possible to have a browlift at this time. I always recommend doing the browlift first. Unfortunatey, I frequently see patients after their upper lid surgery who want a browlift but don't have enough excess skin of their upper lids. If the browlift is done they could have serious complications because they won't be able to close their eyes. First determine if you are a candidate for this operation.

George J. Beraka, MD (retired) · Answer

Hi!
I am assuming the sagging of your eyebrows was not recognized when the upper lids were done?
Three months after the upper eyelid plasty, you will see the final result.  At that time, you can have a brow lift.  But the kind of brow lift is very important.  In many women, we are now doing a lateral subcutaneous browlift, which shapes the brows nicely, and has a quick recovery.
It's alright to do the brow lift after the eyelid plasty except in one rare circumstance.  If too much skin was removed from the upper lids, and the the brows are lifted, you might have difficulty closing your eyes.  Unlikely.

Brow Lift After Upper Eyelid Surgery?

Answers (8)

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