Endoscopic Forehead Lift
The cause of heavy-looking eyes
may be drooping eyebrows, not the eyelids
If your forehead strains when you open your eyes, or your eyebrows have descended and press on the upper eyelids, it may not be a problem of the eyelids alone.
An endoscopic forehead lift adjusts the position of a sagging forehead and eyebrows, improving heavy-looking eyes so they appear more comfortable and natural.
TOV Plastic Surgery does not look at the eyelids in isolation;
we examine the position and movement of the forehead, eyebrows and eyelids together
and first identify where your current discomfort began.
What Is an Endoscopic Forehead Lift?
'After making three small incisions inside the scalp,
and while checking the major nerves and tissues with an endoscope,
the sagging forehead and eyebrows are moved to the appropriate position.
As the eyebrows rise, the weight pressing on the upper eyelids is reduced,
so eyes that looked heavy and tired can feel much more comfortable.
Because the incisions are made inside the hairline,
it has the advantage of reducing the burden of visible scars compared with the typical long-incision method.
Could a forehead lift help me?
Check in front of the mirror
1. First, fully relax your forehead
Looking straight ahead, close your eyes and then slowly open them.
Do not try to open your eyes wide; relax your forehead and eyebrows.
If, when your forehead is relaxed, your eyebrows move down
and your upper eyelids are covered more or your eyes look smaller,
you may usually be compensating for drooping eyebrows with your forehead muscle.
2. Gently lift your eyebrows
Hold the area just above your eyebrows with your fingers
and lift them upward just a little, without overdoing it.
If the heaviness of your upper eyelids decreases
and your eyes look more comfortable, not only the eyelid skin
but drooping eyebrows may also be contributing.
3. Check whether wrinkles form on your forehead when you open your eyes
If, even when looking ahead as usual,
horizontal wrinkles keep forming on your forehead or your eyebrows are raised,
you may be repeatedly using your forehead muscle to open your eyes.
4. Compare your eyebrow position with old photos
Compare a frontal photo from 5–10 years ago with a current one
and look at the distance between your eyebrows and pupils, the position of the brow tails, and how much of the upper eyelids is visible.
If your eyebrows have come down and your upper eyelids look more covered than before, eyebrow drooping may have progressed along with changes in the eyelid skin.
What matters for a natural forehead lift
Raising the eyebrows a lot does not mean a good result.
If the eyebrows are raised too much, you may look surprised,
or the balance between the inner and outer eyebrow can become awkward.
For a natural result, the following three things are important.
-
Eyebrow height and direction
After accurately identifying the areas with severe sagging,
we decide whether to raise the entire eyebrow or move specific parts in the appropriate direction.
-
Balance with the eyelids
The amount of upper eyelid skin remaining after the eyebrows are raised must also be considered
to reduce excessive change to the eyes.
-
Harmony with the whole face
Considering forehead height, hairline, eyebrow shape and face shape together,
we should aim for a comfortable, natural look rather than an obviously operated one.
Recovery After Surgery
Right after surgery, swelling and bruising may appear on the forehead and around the eyes,
and you may feel scalp tightness or temporary reduced sensation.
Major swelling and bruising generally decrease gradually during the first 1–2 weeks after surgery,
but recovery speed varies with individual constitution and the extent of surgery.
Early after surgery, the eyebrows may look somewhat higher than planned
or uneven between sides, but this changes as swelling subsides and the tissue stabilizes.
The final eyebrow position and natural movement
settle gradually over weeks to months.
Endoscopic Forehead Lift Q&A
Q. If I have forehead wrinkles, do I need a forehead lift?
Whether surgery is needed is not decided by forehead wrinkles alone.
If the wrinkles formed from heavily using the forehead muscle to compensate for drooping eyebrows,
they can be eased by adjusting the eyebrow position.
However, wrinkles that are deeply set in the skin itself may remain after surgery,
so Botox or skin treatment may be needed separately.
Q. Is my double eyelid repeatedly being covered also caused by drooping eyebrows?
It is possible.
When the eyebrows descend, the skin below them presses on the upper eyelid,
and the double eyelid can narrow or become hidden.
However, stretched eyelid skin or reduced strength in lifting the eyelid
can cause similar symptoms, so an accurate examination is needed.
Q. Does it help if only the outer part of the eyebrow droops?
If drooping of the brow tail is the main problem,
surgery can be planned focusing on the position and direction of movement of the outer eyebrow.
However, raising only the outer part excessively while leaving the front of the eyebrow as it is
can make the eyebrow shape look unnatural, so the overall balance must be considered as well.
Q. How is it different from Botox?
Botox temporarily reduces the movement of specific muscles
and can be used to ease expression wrinkles or slightly adjust the eyebrow position.
An endoscopic forehead lift is surgery that directly adjusts the position of the sagging forehead and eyebrow tissue,
so the suitable candidates and the changes you can expect are different.
Q. Can it be done at the same time as upper blepharoplasty?
If drooping eyebrows and stretched upper eyelid skin are both present,
the two surgeries can be considered at the same time.
However, it is important to predict the amount of skin that will remain after the eyebrows are raised by the forehead lift
and plan so that eyelid skin is not removed excessively.
Q. Will surgery make my expressions look unnatural?
If the eyebrow position and direction of movement are set excessively,
a surprised expression or artificial look may appear.
Considering your face shape, existing eyebrow shape and the distance between the eyebrows and eyes,
adjusting only as much as needed is the key to a natural result.