Does lateral brow lift typically carry less risk of nerve injury since it is less invasive?

Hello, hope you are well. Generally speaking, there is a very low risk of nerve injury of any kind. Motor nerve injuries are avoided because the depth of dissection is outside of the plane of the facial nerve. Sensory nerve injuries are avoided because the supraorbital nerve is left undisturbed and the scalp incisions are relatively short. Forehead rhytids (lines) can be addressed laterally to some extent, but not the central forehead.
Best,Dr. Tower

I have performed a lateral brow lift exclusively for the last ten years because it results in a natural shape to the brow avoiding the surprised look of standard brow lifts that often raise the medial brow to an unnatural position. If the approach incorporates dissection from an upper blepharoplasty incision the dissection can be done very precisely with virtually no risk of a nerve injury, and Incorporate a temporal browlift with most upper blepharoplasties because it is the optimal way to correct lateral hooding. The lateral brow drops with age, and usually the medial brow changes minimally with age. The lateral browlift has many advantages including minimal risk of nerve injury when combined with an upper blepharoplasty and dissection through both incisions.

In the forehead, the facial nerve lies in a layer below the skin and muscle but above the bone. So any dissection above or below this layer is safe and protective of the nerve.

Droopiness of the outer eyebrows renders a “sad” or “puppy dog” look that can easily be corrected with a lateral brow lift. The technique to accomplish that varies from surgeon to surgeon. Some surgeons prefer a subperiosteal dissection others do a subcutaneous dissection. I feel the subcutaneous approach may be better at addressing superficial forehead lines. Both protect the facial nerve. Consult with an experienced plastic surgeon to discuss your options. All the best!

A lateral brow lift does have less risk of nerve injury, but also accomplishes much less lift because it is minimally invasive. It Cannot address forehead lines. A traditional coronal forehead lift can address lifting the entire forehead, making the eyebrows more symmetrical, softening the corrugator and frontalis muscles creating the vertical and horizontal lines in the fore head, and adjusting the hairline upwards or downwards.

Lateral simply means to decide. I don’t know what nerves you are referring to, or the approach of the procedure.
Brow lift are generally done with an incision through the hair baring scalp, at the hairline or endoscopically.
Open incision brow lifts will leave some loss of sensation posterior to the incision.
Typical brow lift have a low incidence of facial nerve injury unless a mid facelift is incorporated.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD