Endoscopic Browlift Versus Hairline Browlift?

Both types of browlifts, if done well should last long periods if not permanently.  Each type of lift must be applied to the correct patient.  An endoscopic browlift may increase the height of the forehead so is avoided in patients with high foreheads to begin with.  A hairline browlift can be done simply, with the patient awake, under local anesthesia and hides the scar at the hair junction.  I've found this simple procedure to be very effective, long lasting and very well tolerated by my patients.

It depends who you ask.  I try to discuss different options with my patients and discuss that different physicians may approach any problem in various ways.  There are plenty of doctors who do hairline brow lifts and swear that their results are superior to and last longer than doctors (like myself) who try to steer patients to small incision lifts.  Personally, if it was me, I would prefer having a brow lift with the smaller incisions.  I personally do not believe that one approach lasts longer than the other.

both procedures can last a lifetime if the release of the muscles and ligaments that alter the forehead are complete.  the endoscopic brow treatment, if fixed from the side only will lift the hairline only one to two millimeters.  The anterior hairline incision can be visible, even with "trichophytic closure" and require hair grafts to conceal. the anterior hairline incision can also increase the temple recession as it comes back into the hairline at that location.

There are many methods for performing a browlift or forehead lift including an endoscopic browlift (through tiny incisions with the assistance of telescopes) , bicoronal forehead lift (extensive incision from ear to ear across the top of the head) and a tricophytic or hairline browlift. (hidden along the hairline. Each of these techniques achieves a similar result through the brow and the forehead in terms of smoothing of lines and gentle elevation of the brows.

The key difference is in how they affect your hairline. The Bicoronal (ear to ear) browlift elevates or pulls your hairline back, raising the frontal hairline by up to one inch. The Endoscopic lift has minimal effect of the position of the hairline. The tricophytic or hairline browlift can be used to adjust the hairline, usually lowering it to address a receding hairline or widow's peaks in the temporal hairline.
 

I always caution my patients that they continue to age and that no procedure is permanent, however, if performed by a board certified, facial plastic surgeon, your results should be very long lasting.

Best of luck!

Dr. Clevens

Both the endoscopic and the hairline browlifts are excellent procedures.  If you have a large forehead then a hairline lift may be best for you since it will help reduce the space between your hairline and your eyebrows.  If you have an average sized forehead, then the endoscopic lift may be a better chose.  As with any surgery, the procedure will not prevent you from aging, but it will put you back several years.  Good luck with your procedure.

Both endoscopic and hairline browlifts should last for many years. As a matter of fact, very few patients ever need repeat browlifts, even years later. The key to an endoscopic browlift is a good release of the brow around the upper eye socket. The actual incision placement or method of fixation is secondary to a good dissection. My reasons for choosing one over the other is better camouflage of the incisions for endoscopic surgery but I do use the hairline incision for patients with very high foreheads.

While I used endoscopic browlift techniques for several years to treat brow descent, more recently I have transitioned to performing a limited incision lateral browlift that does not require the use of an endoscope. The relatively short incision is hidden behind the temporal hairline, and no incisions are required in the scalp directly above the eyes. The advantage is as follows: this approach allows me to not only redrape the lateral brow (conservatively!) in a higher position, but it also allows me to reposition the skin and soft tissues of the lateral periorbital area in an upward direction, producing a more complete rejuvenation of the periorbital area. Additionally, through this same incision I can perform suspension of the midface (cheek) if that is part of the surgical plan.

Rejuvenation of the brow by means of a lateral browlift will also, in most cases, improve the appearance of the upper eyelids. When the lateral brow is repositioned above the orbital rim, the vertical elevation may eliminate the appearance of wrinkled or 'crepey' upper eyelid skin. If the lateral upper lid skin is 'hooded' over the lateral corner of the eye, this improves as well. While upper blepharoplasty (upper lid skin excision) is often performed in concert with a lateral browlift, for many patients the upward positioning of the brow eliminates the need for skin excision.

In my opinion, the hairline brow lift has more lasting results than the endoscopic method. I cannot recall a patient seeking reoperation after hairline brow lift in my years of practice and there is a high satisfaction rate from this procedure.

I believe that with good release and elevation that an endoscopic browplasty will last as long as a "hairline" browlift.  Either technique should yield nice, long lasting results.  It is rare that I have to redo a browlift, even a decade later, and the majority of mine are performed endscopically.  I will use the hairline incision for those with a high forehead.

A hairline lift will prettty much last a lifetime, but the endoscopic brow lift may not.  The hairline lift will leave a scar at the border of the hairline.