Brow Lift

This sagging of the eyebrows leads to facial asymmetry and can also cause trouble with vision when patients look up and/or are reading. Patients often note that their affected side eyebrow feels heavy, especially at the end of the day. At the Facial Nerve Center, we have a minimally-invasive method to correct brow ptosis, leading to improved facial symmetry and vision in patients with facial palsy. If patients have sagging of the eyebrow on their healthy side too, we can correct this at the same time.

              We typically perform brow lifting procedures in the office under local anesthesia. Patients arrive to our clinic and careful markings are made to identify the ideal position of the eyebrow(s). The forehead region is anesthetized on the affected side(s). Small incisions are then made within hair-bearing skin to camouflage the scars. The skin and soft tissue of the forehead are then dissected to the eyebrow, elevated, and suspended to the bone using resorbable plates high in the forehead. The incisions are then closed with sutures which will be removed 10-14 days after the procedure. Patients leave the clinic with a dressing wrapped around the head to minimize bruising and swelling. Due to the minimally-invasive nature of the procedure, the swelling and bruising are largely gone within a week after surgery.

Sometimes, during our initial evaluation with patients, we decide that the best way to elevate the eyebrow is with permanent sutures below the skin. When this is the case, a small incision is made within the hair-bearing skin high on the forehead and small nicks are made within the eyebrow. The sutures are then passed below the skin from the eyebrows to high on the forehead and secured to the bone. The incision is then closed with permanent sutures which come out 10-14 days after the procedure, and a steri-strip is placed over the eyebrow.