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Browlifts
Reduce signs of aging
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As
we
get older, the force of gravity pulls downward
on our face and this droop can affect the
eyebrows, which in turn affect the
upper eyelids,
pulling them downward and creating a tired look to
the face, according to plastic surgeon Scott A.
Greenberg. Aging also brings crow's feet at the
corners of the eyes and of course, wrinkles.
And some of us have eyebrows that are positioned
low over the eyes, just from our genetics. A
brow lift (forehead lift) takes 1 to 2 hours to
perform and can be done in several ways.
Coronal procedure (the traditional browlifts)
From
an incision behind the hairline running over the
top of the head ("coronal" means "like a crown";
think of Coronation), the skin is gently pulled
upwards, the eyebrows along with it, and set into
a new position. At the same time, excess fat and
skin can be removed. If necessary, a corrugator
excision can be performed at the same time, where
the muscles which create frown lines can be
modified or released to smooth the forehead. Then
the incision is closed with sutures or clips and
some
cosmetic surgeons will apply a dressing and
bandage. This type of brow lift raises the
hairline and heightens the forehead.
(Related:
Eyelid surgery)
 Endoscopic browlift
An
endoscope is a very narrow, flexible, hollow tube
with a light at the end. It's connected to a
television monitor and the plastic surgeon uses
this TV picture to guide his actions. Endoscopes
are used for many surgeries now, (for instance,
endoscopic breast augmentation) but the endoscopic
brow lift was the first one to be
accepted widely. Endoscopic surgeries are much
less invasive and stressful than traditional
surgeries.
The
endoscopic brow lift calls for several small
incisions in the scalp (3 to 5, depending on what
exactly is to be done), each an inch long or less.
Through one of these, the cosmetic surgeon will
insert an endoscope. Through another of the
incisions, he inserts surgical instruments and
carefully lifts the forehead skin to a new
position. The eyebrows are lifted at the same
time, giving the eyes a wider look.
(Related:
ContourLift)
As
with the traditional brow lift, the plastic
surgeon then closes the incision and usually
dresses it, using a bandage to hold the dressings
in place. In this type of browlift, no skin
is removed. So this is not the procedure of choice
for a person with many horizontal brow wrinkles.
But the small incisions leave very small scars,
which makes it good for men whose hair is too thin
to cover scars. |
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Temporal brow lift
The temporal browlift (also called a lateral lift
or lateral brow lift) is a variation of the
endoscopic brow lift. In this procedure, the small
incisions are located a little further to the
sides, nearer the temples, and the new position of
the skin and underlying tissues has a slightly
more slanted angle. It also lifts the cheeks a
little, giving a more youthful line to the
cheekbones.
Excess skin is removed, which lifts the outer ends
of the eyebrows slightly, but doesn't lift the
center ends. Crow's feet are also removed with
this method. It can be done at the same time as an
endoscopic brow lift and/or a
facelift.
Corrugator muscle excision
The corrugator muscle is the one which squeezes
the eyebrows together, forming frown wrinkles as
we age. A corrugator excision is often performed
along with a browlift and involves modifying or
removing part of the corrugator muscle so that
frown lines will not re-develop.
Direct browlift
This is a method for raising the eyebrows without
affecting the hairline or working on frown lines
or crow's feet. The incisions are right along the
tops of the eyebrows and raise only the eyebrows
themselves. The resulting scars are barely visible
against the hair of the eyebrows. |
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