For patients looking for a quick, technologically advanced approach to treating an aging forehead, look no further than an endoscopic brow lift from Los Angeles plastic surgeon Peter Lee, MD. “This is the most modern procedure for dealing with sagging forehead problems,” says the University of Chicago graduate, who has performed more than 30,000 plastic surgery cases during his 20-year career. “Because the incision is minimal, recovery time is very quick. What’s more, the results usually last for over 10 years.”
How do you know if it’s time for a brow lift?
“As we age, our eyelids begin to droop and this is usually a contribution of both sagging skin and brow droop. The eyebrow falls because the forehead falls and some of the characteristics of a relaxed forehead are the drooping of the upper eyelid, especially at the end, the distance between the eyebrow and the eyes becomes shorter and a line begins to develop on the bridge of the nose. The lines on our foreheads don’t appear because we’re getting older, but because we subconsciously raise our eyebrows as we get older. The way to deal with all these problems is to lift the entire forehead and temple, together with the eyebrow, also known as an endoscopic brow lift.”
What does endoscopic brow lift surgery involve?
“The most modern procedure for dealing with sagging forehead problems is the endoscopic eyebrow lifting operation. Five small injections are required behind the hairline, all 1.5 cm long. Through the incisions, we insert a very small camera to look at the tissues. Anyone who has ever heard me talk about any type of lift surgery will know that freeing the tissue from its attachments is the most important part of the lift. It’s all stuck together under the skin and you really have to release all those parts before we start lifting, so we use the tiny camera.
Once the tissues are released and everything is easy to lift, we lift the tissue and place the eyebrow at the level we want. Instead of using sutures, we use the Endotine device, which is the size of your fingernail and made of the same materials as the absorbable sutures we use during surgery, but is a temporary, solid implant. This device is inserted in three places, one in the center of the forehead and two in the center of the eyebrow arch. The direction of the lift is straight up in the middle of the forehead and more diagonally on the sides to really rejuvenate the upper third of the face. The Endotine device dissolves after six months. During this time, the entire lifted area sticks to its new location and everything settles down.”
How long will the results last?
“The results of this operation will last at least 10 years. Because the incision is minimal, the recovery time is really quick. Usually, after about seven to 10 days, 80 percent of the swelling goes down. The procedure itself takes about 35 minutes to perform and is usually done under either intravenous sedation or general anesthesia, depending on the patient’s choice. Most patients have reduced sensation in the forehead and scalp, but this is purely temporary and in about two months, sensation returns to normal.’
