Brow Lifts

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Options

Brow lifts help make a person look more relaxed, less angry or stern and more youthful. Dr. Barber uses several criteria to determine whether a brow lift would benefit you, as well as what type of procedure should be used.

Determining If a Lift is Needed

Low Brows – When the eyebrows are below the orbital rim of the eye socket, this causes a scowling look, even when the person is not angry. Sometimes the brows have drooped so low, they actually obscure the vision. When Dr. Barber is evaluating your eyebrows, it’s important that the muscles in that area are relaxed. People have a tendency to raise their eyebrows subconsciously when they are very interested in something. Closing the eyes and massaging the area gently helps to relax the muscles surrounding this area and to give a more accurate determination.

Low Hairline – Sometimes people are born with a lower-than-average hairline. The brows themselves may not be affected in any way, but the low hairline may be unattractive. A low hairline often forces a person to wear their hair in only one particular way or to feel self-conscious no matter how it’s worn. A brow lift can raise the hairline and give a fuller forehead feature. As a secondary benefit, the eyes are also opened up, giving a more wide-awake and refreshed look. Wrinkles in the forehead or between the brows may also be softened and sometimes nearly completely eliminated.

Deciding on a Procedure

Several different incision techniques are used to perform a brow lift. Determining which method is most appropriate for you depends on several criteria such as:

• Your expectations
• The existing hairline
• The shape and size of your forehead

The most commonly used incisions are:

• Coronal – This technique involves altering the skin across the head just above the hairline. After removal of a tiny part of the scalp, the incision is sewn back together. Numbness may occur with this type of lift.
• Endoscopic – An endoscope is inserted after several small incisions are made. The tiny camera of the endoscope is used to view and work in the area. Rather than the skin being removed, it is shifted toward the back of the head, softening deep, horizontal wrinkles.
• Subcutaneous - A hairline incision is made like the coronal method, but a scar may be visible unless the hair is purposefully worn forward over it. This brow lift is not commonly performed.

These incisions all require different techniques and are often used along with variations and combinations of them. There may be other deciding factors on the method used by Dr. Barber, which is why it is important you communicate frankly during the consultation time.

If you are interested in how a brow lift can revitalize your appearance, please contact Dr. Barber to set up an initial consultation.