Frozen Eyebrow After Facelift 18 Mths Ago! What Can I Do?

Well, at 18 months, this seems like this is a permanent problem. The best thing to do is to have botox placed on the other side. I am sorry this happened to you.

  A frozen eyebrow after injury to the frontal branch after facelift surgery can be fixed with a modified asymmetric brow lift if you do want something for permanent.  Find the board certified plastic surgeon with the BEST credentials for help in evaluation of this problem.

Thank you for your question and sorry to hear of your problem. While it is impossible to give definitive advice without an actual examination, it sounds like you have had a nerve injury to the brow elevators. Given that it is 18 months since your facelift and you have no movement as described, it is likely that this is a permanent injury at this point. 

The best treatment may be to treat the opposite brow and forehead with Botox to improve your symmetry. This can be a relatively simple solution though is not permanent. I would not expect any further changes in your face over time. I would suggest, however, a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. They could discuss the specific alternatives after a complete exam.

Best of luck with your face.

Jeff Rockmore

I agree with the other opinions about the permanence of the problem and that botox to weaken the opposite side would make sense, but I would add that a browlift on the side that is frozen would be a much more long term way to help the situation.

If you do not have movement in your eyebrow 18 months after surgery, it is likely going to be permanent.  In this situation, the asymmetry between the forhead and eyebrows at rest and during animation is typically the greatest aesthetic concern.  In this situation, I would recommend using Botox on the "good" side to weaken the muscles to help increase your facial symmetry.  Unfortunately, there are no good procedures at this time to get your eyebrow moving again.

 

I hope this helps.  

I am assuming when you say frozen, that one of your eyebrows does not move.  If that is the case, I doubt that there would be any improvement 18 months after your surgery.  It's difficult to say what may have led to this problem in your particular case, but there must have been some irritation or injury to the nerve which supplies the movement to your eyebrow.  Unfortunately, it most likely will be permanent.  It's possible that using Botox on the other eyebrow could make your appearance more symmetric, but it's impossible to know if you would be a candidate for such a treatment without seeing you or seeing pictures of you.  

Facial nerve paralysis is very rare in experienced hands.  After this amount of time there is nothing that can be done except to botox the opposite side so that they match when you attempt to raise your eyebrows

I'm sorry that you've experienced this complication.  It is most likely that the nerve that controls the forehead and brow muscle, the frontalis muscle, has been damaged.  This nerve is called the frontal branch of the facial nerve and can be damaged when work around the cheekbone is performed- certain maneuvers are utilized to avoid the nerve, but damage here is a rare but known risk.

As others have indicated, utilizing Botox on the other side will help provide some symmetry for you.  I do understand your reluctance to go back to see your previous surgeon, but evaluation by another experienced board certified plastic surgeon will help get you a proper evaluation and provide you with treatment options.

Unfortunatelly, if you are 18 month out from your browlift, I am not optomistic that you will see a return to function.  Here are some suggestions. The goal is symmetry, and the options are temporary weakening of the opposite brow with Botox, or  a direct suspension browlift could be performed through an upper lid blepharoplasty incision on the effected side. This does not create animation, but can raise a static brow. It is a procedure often used in situations when a brow needs to be elevated for reconstructive purposes.