BROWLIFT SURGERY PROCEDURE OVERVIEW
Palm Beach Institute of Cosmetic Surgery
Plastic Surgery for the Face and Body
Early signs of aging can begin as early as the late 20's when the lines of expression persist after the patient is in a relaxed repose.
WHY DOES THIS OCCUR?
As part of the aging process that can be accelerated by sun exposure, the elastic fibers in the skin become dry and crack. The loss of elasticity results in persistent lines in the skin. To reduce the formation of these lines, one can have an injection of BOTOX® Cosmetic which will keep the muscles from contracting thereby wrinkling the skin and causing the lines of aging. Unfortunately, BOTOX® Cosmetic lasts only about 3 months and must be repeated. For those people who have persistent lines that are deep and do not disappear in repose, an early treatment is to fill these lines with Restylane. Restylane is a natural occurring compound that is found in all cells. It does not require a skin test and lasts approximately twice as long as collagen (6 months+). Obviously, a combination of Restylane and BOTOX® Cosmetic will reduce the formation of lines and fill them out to give a more youthful appearance.
As we approach our midlife crisis in the 40's and 50's, we actually absorb our skull (this is analogous to letting air out of a football). As the skull is absorbed and the muscles and contiguous structures are replaced with fat, we develop brow ptosis or brows that fall down into our orbits. The youthful eyebrow should sit above the bony orbital rim framing the eyes. The solution to the ptotic foreheads is a forehead lift. Various modifications of the forehead lift which is basically an incision across the top of the head to elevate the eyebrows.
WHAT DOES A FOREHEAD LIFT CORRECT?
The forehead lift enables the facial plastic surgeon to elevate the eyebrows above the orbital rim giving a pleasing contour to the eyes. At the same time, the muscles that furrow the eyebrow and wrinkle the forehead are weakened thereby eliminating the annoying aging lines of the forehead. This does not immobilize the forehead but it still allows a natural looking motion and expression. The incision can be made in front of the hair or behind the hair. If one has a high forehead, the incision is made back approximately 4 hairs in the middle of the forehead thereby actually lowering the hairline! If there is a low hairline, the incision is made back behind the hairline. These incisions most of the time are non-visible and give a very excellent result.
WHAT ABOUT AN ENDO BROW LIFT?
The endo brow lift was developed in the late 90's to address the forehead. It involves approximately 5 small incisions and the use of endoscopes to achieve the same affect as the open incision coronal brow lift. Unfortunately, the endo brow lifts do not last. Frequently within 6 weeks of surgery, they have fallen down and the patient is most unhappy and frustrated. As a result, Dr. Dedo does not believe in endoscopic forehead lifts because they do not last nor do they give a predictable result like the standard coronal brow lift.
SPECIAL MODIFICATIONS AND PROBLEMS OF THE AGING FOREHEAD:
Due to the natural aging process which causes the muscles to atrophy and shrink, one will sometimes develop hollow temples. To correct this hollow temple area, Dr. Dedo can use a synthetic or bio-manufactured implant to fill out the area that has sunken in.
WHAT ABOUT THE DIRECT BROW LIFT?
The direct brow lift involves an incision in a wrinkle of the forehead or just within the eyebrow. Dr. Dedo does not believe in this technique as the scar is unpredictable. No matter how carefully you close the incision, scarring is unpredictable and as a result, most patients will not tolerate an unsightly scar that draws attention to their forehead and away from their beautiful eyes.
