How Invasive is a Brow Lift?
A brow lift can make you look more youthful, vibrant and help you better express your emotions. As we age, the brow area can begin to sag and appear heavy, casting a shadow over the eyes and creating the impression of anger, sadness, or exhaustion. Though bushy brows like our furry friend here is sporting can be easily tamed without being invasive at all, just how invasive is a brow lift and is it worth it?
How invasive is a brow lift?
Each person has a unique situation when it comes to their brows and around their eyes. Some brow lifts can be done endoscopically with tiny incisions and instruments. Other surgeries require traditional incisions, either behind your hairline or at the top of your forehead, depending on your aesthetic goals for the procedure.
With this procedure, sometimes called a forehead lift, the surgeon removes excess tissue from the forehead and around the eyes. Then, he or she adjusts the forehead muscles to create a smoother, more youthful profile free of deep wrinkles and loose skin. This outpatient surgery is done under either IV sedation and local anesthesia or general anesthesia. Often, clients decide to combine a forehead lift with eyelid surgery or other facial procedures.
What are the benefits of a brow lift?
One of the most common reasons people are looking to have a brow lift done, is to reduce the appearance of sagging upper eyelids. As we age and gravity gets ahold of you, the area above the eyes and blow the brow itself can begin to sag. A brow lift can help to reduce that sag creating a more open eye area, which in some cases can improve the peripheral vision as well.
This also can then restore a youthful arch to the eyebrows. By removing the excess, the brows are lifted and the arch is more pronounced. This goes along with elevating and repositioning the brow line along the natural brow ridge. Between these two benefits, the results can be a more awake, rested, and open eye.
An added benefit that most are pleasantly surprised to learn is the improvement of the appearance of “crow's feet” wrinkles at the corner of the eyes. With that gravity and excess fat and/or skin weighing on the eye, often crow’s feet appear. The brow lift will help to lift the skin and reduce the appearance of those wrinkles.
How long does it take to recover from a brow lift?
After this procedure, you may feel some tightness or discomfort, but recovery is rarely painful from a brow lift. However, you should arrange to have someone drive you home and stay with you for the first night after the surgery, as with any surgery that you may have done.
Most clients experience some bruising and swelling in the area, which should resolve within 10 days to two weeks. Applying cold compresses, elevating your head, and taking over the counter pain medication as directed can resolve your discomfort in the first few days after your brow lift. Clients can typically return to work after about a week and resume exercise and more vigorous activities within two to four weeks.
Protecting your skin from sun damage by using a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 whenever you go outside can help preserve the results of your surgery. It is important to mention that choosing the right sunscreen is important. With sunscreen, you want to make sure that the active ingredient used is either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Some sunscreens may have both, but these ingredients are naturally found minerals that actually reflect then sun off of your skin by sitting on top of your skin. Just like the surface of the ocean reflecting the light back off the water, these minerals do a similar thing.
The other active ingredients you may see are chemicals. The chemical ingredients actually get absorbed into your skin, and thus into your bloodstream. They work by absorbing and converting the sun rays once the chemicals have been absorbed into your skin. That means that those chemicals are now in your body and can be measured in your blood. With continued use, this can lead to harmful side effects. What we do know for sure, is that these chemicals are causing our coral reefs to die. If the reefs are dying, what do you think is happening inside your own body?
This is actually good information to know about any of the sunscreens you may be using. You should check your sunscreen today to make sure that they have either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as their active ingredient. Also avoid any of the spray on sunscreens as those have recently been found to have ingredients that can cause cancer. If you are interested in learning more about sunscreen and the recent recalls, click here.
Who is a candidate for a brow lift?
Some people have a naturally heavy brow that sags over the eyes as we age. Brow lifts can boost your self-confidence by creating a brighter, more alert, and more approachable appearance. This procedure can also correct an uneven brow for a more pleasing contour.
Clients should be in good health and have realistic expectations for the brow lift procedure. If you smoke, you must quit for several weeks before the procedure and during the recovery period. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor and can cause complications with the healing process after surgery. You must also avoid medications that can increase bleeding, such as aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs as well both before and after your brow lift.
Ready to learn if a brow lift could be the right answer for you? Contact us here at Perich Aesthetics today through our online consultation request form here or call us directly at (727) 777-2640. We look forward to working with you soon!