Options After Bad Browlift & Facelift?

Usually the final results of a facial surgery require a period of time, somewhere between 4-8 months depending on how aggressive or what type of procedure was preformed. Scars are initially red are more visible and usually they look much better around six months to 1 year out of surgery. In your case there has been only six weeks since surgery, so it is very early to make any decisions about revision or the visibility of scars or the result itself. I think the best advice in your case, is to wait six months and reevaluate your result and the scar.

Brows will not raise after the surgery.  They either are set in place or more likely will drop further over time as the tissues relax.  The scar is quite noticeable but will fade with time.  With out seeing you in person, it is difficult to assess your situation.  If you are unhappy in a few more months, then I would suggest consulting with a few very experienced surgeons to see if there are any other options to help you out.  By experienced I mean facial specialists who perform more than 100 facelifts and browlifts every year.  Good luck.

The prominent temple incision will improve for up to 12 months on its own. In the meantime not wearing your hair pulled back will help camouflage this area. If you were to consider revision surgery, I would recommend a total of 6-12 months before proceeding. The type of browlift would need to be assessed by your surgeon in the office as it's impossible to make this assessment by looking at photos. In the meantime, Botulinum toxin treatment to the lateral brow can give you a couple of millimeters of lateral brow lift and reduce hooding of the lateral brow slightly. This might be an option for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

It is very difficult to comment on your problem without having a chnace at feeling the tissue laxity around your brow.  I would encourage you to discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon.  If he fails to address your problems, then you need to be seen at around 6 months for a possible revision.  Best of luck.

The skin will not get tighter! I don't know why he put the scar in the hairline at the temple since this is almost impossible to hide. This can be revised and closed the way we described in our book 30 years ago! Go to our website for a description of the Irregular Trichophytic Forehead Lift and video from TV show. The temporary shock may recover in 6 weeks and if it has not started to grow by that time it probably won't.

Personally, I am not super excited about the location of your temple incisions but some surgeons feel they get very good results placing incisions along the hairline.  The photo you show here demonstrates patch hair loss along the incision.  Typically this hair does grow back and the redness does fade.  I would recommend restyling your hair to high these incisions until the hair regrows.  I would not encourage you to rush to have more surgery at this time with this surgeon or anyone else for that matter.  Give yourself time to heal.  Six weeks out from surgery is generally a good time frame to know what direction you are headed in.  However, there is not emergency here.  Consider getting some second opinions.  Try to maintain your relationship with your current surgeon but don't feel compelled to have more surgery with this surgeon.

Brow lift and face lifts don't really get tighter after the surgery. Typically they only get looser with time. You may need a brow lift / face lift again and pulled tighter this time. The other option includes fillers and fat injections. The Young Volumizer is an alternative to your rejuvenation. The scarring can be improved for you as well if you go through a revision of your browlift.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Most importantly it is imperative to look at the time course after the procedure.  Six weeks is a long time on the one hand, but more often three months and six months is needed to really get an assessment of the final result.  Before and after pictures are viewed at these time periods and get a better sense of what really has taken place, what improvements or lack of improvements have really transpired.  This is important for the incision site as well. 

As far as “tightness” and “lax skin” issues or concern, the laxity itself is generally slightly improved and overall tissue should be tighter after a lift.  However the focus is not so much how things feel (with one’s own hand) but more how things look.  The best way to assess how things appear is really to look at the before and after pictures generally at the three and six month time period.  Minimal, mild, moderate or significant improvement can be easily assessed with expert before and after pictures and this is the gold standard of assessing the success of the procedure.

Generally in terms of improvement with time, this is not something of improving the tightness but on the other hand there is an aspect of further diminishing of swelling that can lead to better appearance. 

Unfortunately, there is probably no chance that your brows will lift anymore at this point nor will the skin get tighter.  In fact it may loosen over time.  The positive news is that the scar will probably get less red and visible and perhaps more of your hair will grow in that area, diminishing its appearance.  I would wait 6 months before I would do anything and at that point you could consider revision.  Your surgeon should recommend gels to diminish the scars and that will help.

I think you should give the incisions time to heal further. Certainly, if the scar is unsatisfactory in 6 months, you may consider a scar revision. 

I do wonder though, what kind of laxity you had to warrant a facelift at age 30!