A forhead lift (also known as a brow lift or browplasty) is similar to a face lift but instead concentrates on tightening the forehead area in a bid to eliminate wrinkles and drooping skin usually associated with old age. It is therefore a cosmetic procedure although occasionally the operation is performed to eliminate a drooping eye brow which may be impairing the patient's vision. This form of plastic surgery is often combined with other procedures such as a full face lift and eyelid surgery.

Procedure information
Brow lifts can take many different forms, but always involve making small incisions to allow for the tightening of the brow area, usually around the eyebrow itself, above the hairline or behind the ears. When surgery is focused exclusively on the brow, incisions made within the strip of eyebrow hair allow for the removal of excess skin and sometimes muscle. All such operations require a general anesthetic.

A mid brow lift is different in that incisions are made within the wrinkles themselves and fat removed, compared to a complete forehead and brow lift where the incision cuts are made behind the ears and the whole area is tightened. The most common technique used nowadays is an endoscopic forehead lift, which sees the incisions made above the hairline so that the area below can be elevated and the skin flattened.

Recovery time
Numbness and swelling are normal after all types of brow lifts. The classic procedures usually see longer-lasting effects than the newer endoscopic methods, with numbness now replaced by itchiness which can last for up to 6 months. Stitches are usually removed after 2 weeks regardless of the type of surgery.

Classic brow lifts may also result in a thinning of the hair where incisions are made above the hairline, although hair loss is rarely permanent with normal growth most often returning after a month. A normal routine can usually be resumed 10 days after surgery.