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Brow lift

What is it?
Operation to lift forehead and raise upper eyelids, reducing creases and frown lines.

Timings
Operation takes 1-2 hours. Can return to work after 7-10 days, or sooner with endoscopic treatment. Lasts 5-10 years.

Cost
£2,000-£4,000+.

What is a brow lift?
A brow lift reduces or releases the underlying muscles of the forehead and raises the tissues of the brow. There are two types: open and endoscopic.

What a brow lift can do.
Creases on the forehead, frown lines and sagging eyebrows are caused by the effects of sun and wind, and general ageing. A brow lift reduces forehead furrows, raises the eyebrows and lessens hooding over the eyes. It can make the face look more wide-awake and younger. If sagging skin on the upper eyelid is your main concern, consider eyelid surgery in addition to, or instead of, a brow lift.

What a brow lift can't do.
The skin's surface isn't changed by a brow lift, so fine lines and creases, scars and age spots will still be visible.

What happens during treatment?
As with any cosmetic treatment, you should consult a qualified practitioner before deciding to go ahead.

You may be offered a general anaesthetic for either type of brow lift, but the operation is more usually done under local anaesthetic, when you will be sedated, but conscious. You might be treated as an outpatient, or spend one night in hospital. The technique used depends on your facial structure and skin condition and also on the hairline, as this determines where the incisions will be made.

After surgery you'll feel some pain and discomfort for a few days. Stitches or clips come out after about a week, but bruising can last for up to a fortnight. The face swells in the first 48 hours following surgery, and puffiness and partial numbness may last for several weeks.

Open brow lift
An incision is made from ear to ear, either along or slightly behind the natural hairline. If the hairline is very high, for instance in men with receding hair, the incision can be hidden within the forehead creases.
The forehead skin is teased away from the underlying tissues and the muscles reduced or released. Eyebrows are lifted. The incision is then stitched or clipped.

Endoscopic brow lift
Between three and five small incisions, less than 2.5cm long, are made in the scalp. The surgeon inspects the underlying tissues using an endoscope – a small flexible tube with a tiny camera at one end – inserted into one of the incisions. Muscles are removed or loosened and the eyebrows are lifted and held in place with stitches, or temporary screws behind the hairline. The incisions are stitched or clipped.

Results
The full effect appears as the swelling and bruising subside. It can last 5-10 years.

Risks
There are risks attached to any invasive surgery, such as reactions to anaesthetic, bleeding, nerve damage or haematoma (blood collecting under the skin).
Eyes or eyebrows may not be symmetrical. It is possible, though unlikely, that nerves controlling facial muscles or eyebrow movement could be damaged, either temporarily or permanently. If damaged permanently, you might need further surgery to correct the problem. Hair sometimes comes out around the incisions, but usually grows back. Scars should fade until they're scarcely visible, and be hidden by hair, but occasionally wider, thicker scar tissue develops.

Where to get treatment
A brow lift must be performed by a qualified surgeon.

Cost
Expect to pay from £2,000 to over £4,000.

Alternatives to a brow lift
Facial exercises are a non-invasive alternative, which can improve muscle tone and circulation. See also Improving lines and wrinkles without Botox.

Brow lift help and info
Channel 4 Television takes no responsibility for the content of any third-party sites.

Organisation
British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS)
c/o The Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2A 3PE
Advice Line: 020 7405 2234
E-mail: info@baaps.org.uk
Website: www.baaps.org.uk

Offers information about aesthetic plastic surgery; its website features a search facility for accredited surgeons.

Links
Browlift – Foreheadlift
www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/procedures/Browlift.cfm
This is the website of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. It offers information on who would be the best candidates for this procedure and exactly how it is carried out.

The Consulting Room
www.consultingroom.org
Good UK site that provides a wide range of impartial and independent cosmetic and medical information, and demystifies the world of cosmetic treatments.

Frownies
www.frownies.co.uk
Based in Leeds, this company sells cosmetic pads which, it claims, can promote facial fitness when applied for several hours a day on facial lines.

Books
Eva Fraser's Facial Workout by Eva Fraser (Penguin, 1992)
As we grow older our facial muscles slacken through under use and the skin droops, forming pouches, bags under the eyes and wrinkles. The facial muscles need exercises in the same way the rest of the body does. Supporting this theory, the author offers a step-by-step programme towards a firmer, fitter face.
Get this book from Amazon

The New Facercise: Give yourself a natural facelift by Carole Maggio (Pan Macmillan, 2002)
Offers a programme of facial exercises and claims that, if done on a daily basis, they should make you look 10 years younger.
Get this book from Amazon

Plastic Fantastic: A complete guide to safe cosmetic surgery by Dai Davies FRCS and Judy Sadgrove (Metro Publishing, 2002)
Discusses different types of cosmetic surgery and considers both the desired outcome, and the risks involved, in undergoing the various operations. It also features interviews with people who have undergone surgery.
Get this book from Amazon

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