The forehead lift, also called the browlift, is a surgical procedure aimed at correcting drooping eyebrows and reducing forehead wrinkles. This type of surgery is often performed in conjunction with a facelift so as to harmonize the overall appearance of the face. The forehead lift can be carried out using conventional technique or the endoscopic-assisted technique.
An ageing forehead causes reduction and slackening of the cutaneous, subcutaneous, muscular, fibrous and adipose tissues of the forehead. This inevitably results in horizontal wrinkle lines across the forehead, vertical lines between the eyebrows and a drooping of the eyebrows, creating an impression of excess skin on the upper eyelids.
This is part of a normal ageing process that can result in a permanent look of fatigue, sadness or even anger.
Some younger adults display a naturally low eyebrow, or premature horizontal forehead wrinkles due to muscular overactivity. Now they can make the most of a browlift and, more particularly, from modern endoscopic technology.
The forehead lift can be performed under local anaesthetic with sedation or under general anaesthesia. In both cases, the patient remains under the medical surveillance of the anaesthetist and the inhalation therapist, while Dr. Bernier, assisted by his trained nurses, concentrates on the surgery.
A conventional forehead lift consists of making an incision that extends from ear to ear in order to re-drape the forehead skin and reposition the eyebrows. The most frequent is the precapillary incision. This type of incision does not push back the hairline, so the forehead is not bared or lengthened.
Endoscopic technology was first used in 1992 in plastic facial surgery. Nowadays, it is offered by plastic surgeons who want to provide their patients with optimal and durable results using the best technology available.
The endoscopic forehead lift consists in making incisions of a few millimetres long, through which an instrument with a minuscule optical fibre camera is inserted. The camera projects onto a monitor an enlarged image of the body's internal structures. The surgeon can have a clear view of his work without having to make a lengthy incision. Compared to the traditional browlift that requires an incision from ear to ear, the endoscope-assisted procedure only requires three or five tiny incisions at the hairline.
The operation lasts about 1 hour and a half. A forehead lift may often be complemented by other types of surgery like a facelift (rhytidectomy), or the treatment of wrinkles by dermabrasion.
