Did My Browpexy Work?

Question

full neck and face lift. After 5 months (post op) I wake in the morning and sometimes my brows look great (except for the wrinkling above the brow) but by mid-day the brows have descended fully and my lids are minimal. What's the scoop? I know from this site that browpexy is a poor substitute for a conventional brow lift but my plastic surgeon does them routinely. I was surprised. Does this mean my browpexy is "a bust"?

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS · Answer

Browpexy is one of those operations that work like the snake-oil cancer "cure" . . . it seems to work at first, especially if you actually paid good money for it and really, really WANT it to work! Then reality steps in and you see it for what it really is--a suboptimal result that hopefully didn't cost you very much and didn't cause any weird complications.

	Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that browpexy is a "sham" operation performed only by con artists. Rather it is a "mini" brow lift done through already-existing eyelid surgery incisions as an "add-on" operation. Done expertly, it causes no problems and can provide modest to occasionally substantial improvements in some cases. But in an all-too-frequent percentage of cases, it has the exact outcome you described: not terrible, but really lacking a true visible and effective result you and your surgeon are happy with (Maybe your surgeon is happy, depending on what you paid for this portion of your cosmetic surgery, but maybe not if he/she has the professional ethics and pride in a job well-done rather than a check well-spent!)

	Bottom line, at 5 months post-op, you're pretty well healed and done, so the degree of improvement is not going to suddenly "get wonderful." If you are unhappy, let your surgeon know. If he or she is an ethical ABPS-certified plastic surgeon without ego issues, they will want to know and will work out a minimal-cost plan for trying to achieve what you really want. A bit more cost, but everybody (especially you) wins!

	If your surgeon is unresponsive (or one of those bogus-boarded "cosmetic surgeons" who is simply chasing a buck and isn't really interested in trying to make you happy with your surgery), then take the time and effort to research one or more ABPS-certified plastic surgeons in your area and get several second opinions. You will be glad you did. Then spread the word about the "good guy!"

Lawrence Kass, MD · Answer

Your surgeon does browpexy routinely, likely because there really is not that much to the procedure and there is limited down side to doing it.  You demonstrate one down side is that the patient expects a greater result than this most limited adjunct procedure can provide!  Obviously, if you want a greater lift, you can choose to have a more extensive browlift procedure.

Toby Mayer, MD · Answer

Browpexy doesn't work as well as browlift. For 35 years I have not done this surgery since the results are not as good as a browlift. The Irregular Trichophytic Browlift was developed by us and is the best for patients with a high hairline or one that you8 don't want to raise.

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

Unfortunately regularly performing a browpexy does not mean they are effective.  Browpexy is a notoriously disappointing procedure.  It is simply not an alternative to an actual brow lift.  It is often added to an eyelid surgery when the person needs a brow lift but does not what to actually have a forehead lift.  In reconstructive situations it can help stabilize the forehead but it is a most unsatisfactory procedure and your experience is completely consistent with this.

Henri P. Gaboriau, MD, FACS · Answer

I usually reserve Browpexy for someone with little ptosis of the brows, mainly I use it to "stabilize' the lateral brows but it doesn't replace a brow lift. For what you describe, you may need a brow lift, either direct or endoscopic.

Did My Browpexy Work?

Answers (8)

Answer: You plastic surgeon may do them routinely.

Answer: You plastic surgeon may do them routinely.

Answer: Browpexy vs. brow lift.

Answer: Browpexy vs. brow lift.

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Brow Lift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

Did My Browpexy Work?

Answers (8)

Answer: You plastic surgeon may do them routinely.

Answer: You plastic surgeon may do them routinely.

Answer: Browpexy vs. brow lift.

Answer: Browpexy vs. brow lift.

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Brow Lift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.