Brow Lift in Seattle and Bellevue
What is A Brow Lift?
A brow lift is a surgical procedure that improves the appearance of the eyes, forehead, and brow. With time, the eyebrows droop and make the upper eyes look tired and can create an angry or concerned appearance. A brow lift restores the eyebrows into a more youthful elevated position. Most commonly, a browlift is performed with tiny incisions hidden in the hairline. The brow is elevated and held in place during the healing phase by tiny dissolving anchors buried under the skin.
In some patients with a high hairline, a browlift can be performed with a hairline incision that allows the forehead to be reduced at the same time that the brow is elevated. A brow lift is often performed at the same time as an upper eyelid lift to treat loose upper eyelid skin. A brow lift is also commonly performed at the same time as a facelift and neck lift to treat sagging of the upper and lower face concurrently.
Dr. Brian Scott performs brow lift and eyelid lift surgery for patients from Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish, Redmond, Issaquah, Tacoma, Bellingham, Portland, and the surrounding areas in Oregon and Washington. Additional before & after photos are available for viewing in-office.
What is the recovery like after a Brow Lift?
Surgery is performed in our fully accredited surgical suite. Patients will arrive the day of surgery and leave for home a few hours later. In general, a brow lift is not very painful. Most patients use tylenol for pain control, but we also provide prescription pain medication in case something stronger is needed. Patients are able to walk around the day of surgery, but we ask them to avoid heavy exercise for two weeks.
Patients can expect mild swelling and bruising which usually peaks a few days after surgery and then rapidly improves.
Who is a good candidate for a brow lift?
A good candidate for a brow lift has heavy or low eyebrows. Patients should be overall healthy without serious heart or lung diseases. Both men and women can benefit from a brow lift. Some patients with droopy eyelid skin need an eyelid lift in addition to a brow lift. Dr. Scott will assess you to determine if a brow lift alone or in combination with another procedure will give you the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
In general, a brow lift is not very painful. Patients can expect mild bruising, swelling, and scalp numbness during the healing period. Most patients only need tylenol for pain control, but we provide prescription pain medication in case something stronger is needed.
In general, a brow lift is a safe procedure and most patients heal without issue. However no procedure is completely without risk. Some of the main risks of a brow lift include dry eye symptoms, asymmetry, and nerve injury. Overall, complications are rare and most problems typically resolve completely with time.
A brow lift can be performed under twilight anesthesia or with the patient completely asleep
Thread lifts can lead to minor improvements in facial sagging but the results last less than a year. Thread lifts have a complication rate similar to surgery but lead to much less improvement in the signs of facial aging and the results are short lived. Thread lifts may also lead to scarring which can make performing a brow lift or facelift down the road more risky. For these reasons, Dr. Scott does not recommend or offer thread lifts for his patients. Many medspas and aesthetic providers offer thread lifts because they do not have the training to perform a brow lift, not because they are actually a good replacement for one. If they worked well, Dr. Scott would offer them.
A chemical brow lift, also known as a botox brow lift, is a procedure that uses a small amount of tox (botox or dysport) to subtly raise the outer portion of the eyebrow. A chemical brow lift lasts about 3 months while a surgical browlift is a permanent improvement. Dr. Scott offers both botox brow lifts and surgical brow lifts. He can discuss the benefits and downsides to each of these procedures with you.
