Brow Lift in Mt. Vernon, WA

A brow lift (also called a forehead lift) corrects the sagging or low position of the eyebrows. The result is an overall younger look to the eyes and upper portion of the face.

At Cascade Facial Surgery, Dr. Jonathan Grant treats every patient as a unique individual. Your surgical plan is designed specifically to provide you with the result you want within the parameters of sound and safe medical practices.

Dr. Grant’s training and experience as a reconstructive facial surgeon allows him to provide you with a natural-looking result from your brow lift.

Some patients who receive a brow lift also have eyelid surgery and/or a face and neck lift at the same time to address issues such as sagging upper eyelids or sagging jowls.

Who is a Candidate for a Brow Lift?

Candidates for a brow lift are usually men and women over the age of 35 who have signs of aging on the forehead, including:

Understanding the Brow Lift Procedure

Dr. Grant will examine you during your consultation and discuss what you dislike about your eyebrows and forehead. Then, he can devise a surgical plan for you.

During the consultation, we use the Canfield Mirror imaging software to simulate how your eyebrows and forehead may benefit from surgery.

A brow lift is an outpatient procedure that is sometimes performed using IV anesthetic and sedation, but some patients may require general anesthesia. You will be able to go home on the same day as your surgery.

Today, most brow lifts are endoscopic, which means that no more than five small incisions are made within the hairline. An endoscope is inserted into the incisions with a camera on the end. Dr. Grant uses the visual images provided by the camera to direct his surgical instruments. The muscles and skin are elevated to lift and reshape the eyebrows.

A traditional brow lift is generally used on patients with more significant signs of aging. In this case, an incision is made roughly from ear to ear behind the hairline above the forehead or within deep forehead creases just above the eyebrows. The skin and underlying tissues are lifted. If necessary, excess skin is removed.

The incisions are closed with sutures or staples, which are removed in one to two weeks.

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Recovering From a Brow Lift

Your incisions will be bandaged. You can expect to need approximately a week to ten days off from work after a brow lift. Please avoid sports and exercise for about three weeks.

After all surgeries, there is some pain, tightness, and swelling. Some patients also experience some mild bruising and numbness. These symptoms are to be expected. You may also experience some hair loss or thinning around the incisions, but this typically returns to normal within a matter of weeks.

You can take pain medication to ease your discomfort as you heal. Sleeping upright or on your back with your head elevated for a couple of weeks will help to keep swelling to a minimum. We will give you instructions for showering, washing your hair, and using hair products/appliances.

Note that swelling and numbness are the last symptoms to resolve. It will take a few weeks for you to see the final results of your surgery. Your scars will evolve and mature for a full year from the time of your surgery. Most of our patient’s remark that the recovery period is easier than they expected and well worth the results.

Brow Lift FAQs

Will brow lift erase all signs of aging?

A brow lift is not permanent, but you should expect to enjoy your relaxed and refreshed appearance for many years. The procedure is ideal at turning back the clock, but it will not eliminate every line or imperfection.

Brow lifts can improve the appearance of crow’s feet, frown lines and deep lines on the forehead, but not completely erase them. Brow lifts are ideally suited for opening the eyes of patients with a heavy brow. With your brow newly elevated and the skin tightened, you will find yourself raising your brows less often, which contributes to forehead lines. Some patients continue to use Botox^® to further soften lines, but many find that a brow lift has given them a more youthful, revitalized look that can appear more natural than that achieved with routine Botox^® injections.

Is a brow lift the same as a blepharoplasty?

Blepharoplasty, or eye lift, is a procedure that targets drooping eyelids by removing excess skin, fat and sometimes muscle between the eyebrow and eyelash, but does not change the position of the eyebrow. If you are satisfied with the shape and placement of your brow, but have loose skin below the brow, an eye lift may be all you need. A brow lift is recommended when your brow is at or below the roof of your eye socket, or it has lost its natural gently curved contour.

Will I have scarring?

During an endoscopic brow lift procedure, three to five incisions are made beyond your hairline. These short incisions will heal as scar tissue and are oriented to minimize any risk for hair loss in the incision areas. If your hair is thin, experienced Mt. Vernon plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Grant can often place incisions farther from the hairline to further reduce the risk that these scars are noticeable.

Can I avoid a “pulled” or startled look?

In cases where a brow lift has given the patient a surprised or startled look, the cause is usually an extreme elevation of the brow, or a surgeon’s lack of attention to symmetry in the brow area. If the inner brow is raised more than the outer brow, the look will be unnatural.

The key to attaining the precise elevation and symmetry of the brow is the skill, artistry and judgment of your plastic surgeon. Always look for a surgeon who has performed a procedure many times, and keeps abreast of the latest techniques and medical best practices. An experienced plastic surgeon will take a comprehensive approach; not simply stretching the skin, but also paying attention to the muscles and ligaments under the skin, and how each surgical change affects overall balance and proportion.