My eyebrows (especially lateral parts) have dropped after blepharoplasty, ptosis repair. Will this improve?

Question

I underwent a upper eye lid lift and ptosis repair a week ago.Stitches were removed today exceprt for the lateral parts of eyelids.My eyebrows went down somewhat ( I was elevating them to compensate for ptosis), but now lateral parts of eyebrows are down more then they were in correlation to the eyebrows before the surgery. My surgeon said that that lateral part of my eye lid will open more after sutures are removed. I wonder if the lateral part of the eyebrows will go little up as well.

John J. Martin, Jr., MD · Answer

You are correct that the brow can drop after the eyelids are lifted. When you have a ptosis the brow works harder to help elevate the lids.  When the lids are lifted surgically, the brow can relax, and may fall.  At this point you still have some edema which can also pull the brow down.  So wait for this to resolve.  If the brow is still low, you can do some Botox to elevate it, or do a surgery to lift the lateral brow.

Mehryar (Ray) Taban, MD, FACS · Answer

It is unlikely for the eyebrow to go up by themselves. You are correct as to why have fallen.  Lateral brow lift can be considered at this point. See link below.

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

It will be about 8 weeks before the eyelid swelling has resolved from much of the surgery.  A lot of the lateral fullness immediately after blepharoplasty is generally from swelling.  Do not make decision based on early swelling.  Many individuals need both stabilization of the forehead with the blepharoplasty.  Many only need the blepharoplasty.  For now, let yourself heal.

Stephen Weber MD, FACS · Answer

Your brow position might improve slightly as you heal. However, you correctly assessed that your brows have dropped because you no longer need to compensate for the heavy lids and eyelid droop. If your brows continue to trouble you they can be lifted once you've healed from your blepharoplasty - typically 3-6 months. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

Gustavo A. Diaz, MD · Answer

Hi cococat8'You still have swelling on the surgical area, so give yourself some time before you make a judgment and decision about your brows. During the time that you had your eyelid ptosis, you were engaging a reflex that brought your brows up in order to compensate for the eyelid ptosis and be able to see better. now that the eyelid ptosis was repaired, that reflex is gone and the brows could fall into a lower position as you are not bringing them up and is possible brow ptosis could be showing. In the next weeks you will ne able to start evaluating if the brows are also too low. let the swelling go down for at least 2-3 months before you judge your brow position.Hope this helps,Dr. Gus Diaz

Samuel Baharestani, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for sharing your case.  One week is too early to judge any post-operative results.  You are likely still too swollen to see the final appearance of your eyelids and brows.  Make sure that your surgeon is aware of your concerns to see if you would be a good candidate for browlifting in the future.  Good luck!

Michael Elam, MD (retired) · Answer

Dear Cococat8, You are still very early in the recovery phase and your eye muscles may make some adjustments over the coming weeks. Many times when patients have upper lid blepharoplasty I combine the procedure with an endoscopic brow lift which avoids the brows from pulling down. If you are still unhappy with your brow placement in several months then you can consider optional treatments. Best regards, michael V. Elam, M.D.

Sheldon S. Kabaker, MD FACS (retired) · Answer

Give yourself 3 months for the adjustments of healing and the change in your use of the eyebrows. You likely will hav a better overall appearance than before surgery. If not, a browlift could be considered.

My eyebrows (especially lateral parts) have dropped after blepharoplasty, ptosis repair. Will this improve?

Answers (8)

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