Brow Lift

What is a brow lift?

Dr. Steven Dominguez performs the brow lift surgical procedure to correct the normal effects of periorbital aging by stretching and removing excess frontalis muscle and forehead or temple skin to reposition the brow to a more youthful position. The term brow lift or forehead lift is used interchangeably, but in reality a forehead lift will achieve a brow lift but a brow lift may not result in a forehead lift.

Dr. Steven Dominguez believes the goal of aesthetic plastic surgery should be to make a person look better and more youthful, not merely different, and certainly not as though one is perpetually surprised. Dr. Steven Dominguez goal is to provide aesthetic brow lift patients with results which appear natural, and an unnatural-appearing brow (deer in the headlights) is a dead giveaway that a person has had a traditional forehead lift or plastic surgery.

What are the different types of brow lift?

Dr. Steven Dominguez offers four standard approaches for performing a brow lift surgery. These include: Trichial, Pretrichial, Ciliary, and Rhytidectomy.

The Trichial approach involves making an incision behind the temple hairline, and lifting and pulling the forehead muscle and scalp posteriorly results in lifting of the brows and smoothing of the crows feet. The muscle is tied and excess scalp is removed. A scar will result which usually is hairless, but can be covered with hair combed back.  Numbess of the scalp is typical.

The Pretrichial approach (referred to as Minimally Invasive Brow Lift or Lateral brow lift) involves making a small incision immediately in front of the temple hair line, and lifting and pulling the frontalis muscle and temple skin posteriorly results in a smooth crows feet area and lifting of the lateral brows.  The muscle is tied and excess temple skin is removed. The resulting scar is minimal and easily covered with hair.

The Ciliary approach involves making an incision immediately above the brow and removing excess forehead skin resulting in a lifting and repositioning of the brow. The resulting scar is minimal and easily covered with make-up.

The Rhytide approach involves making an incision within an established forehead wrinkle and removing excess forehead skin resulting in a lifting and repositioning of the brow. The resulting scar is minimal, typically looks like a wrinkle, and may be covered with make-up.  This approach is usually reserved for men.

Who gets a brow lift?

The brow lift surgery is customized by Dr. Steven Dominguez for every patient, depending on his or her particular facial correction needs.  

Dr. Steven Dominguez believes a conservative elevation of the lateral brow produces a more rested, bright, and even elegant appearance. This is very easily simulated with gentle upward traction on the skin of the lateral forehead. If you feel that this may apply to you then try it in the mirror and the improvement will be quite obvious.

Facial aging correction can be performed by Dr. Steven Dominguez alone involving upper, mid, lower, or neck regions, or in conjunction with other surgical procedures of the face, eye, or skin. 

Will I look younger?

A brow lift surgery cannot stop the aging process.  However, Dr. Steven Dominguez can make you look younger, alert, and vibrant. 

A youthful brow rests above the level of the orbital rim, which is the upper margin of the bony socket in which the eye resides. An aesthetically pleasing brow is somewhat arched laterally, and the lateral end or tail of the brow is higher than the medial end. It is quite common for both the male and female brow to assume an essentially flat or horizontal orientation as a person ages.

If the skin and soft tissues lose enough elasticity with age and sun exposure, the lateral brow may even descend to a level below the orbital rim, producing a tired or even surly appearance. The medial brow is relatively fixed in position and in most cases does not descend much, if any in most women. Some patients (men) will develop a “boxer brow” which is mostly due to a hypertrophied corregator muscle.  

A brow lift by Dr. Steven Dominguez can dramatically improve drooping brows, and crows feet wrinkles resulting in a more youthful and alert appearance.

Is there bruising and swelling?

 Dr. Steven Dominguez uses a blood-less technique, so pain, bruising and swelling is very minimal.  Most patients return to work in 1 week.

Will I be scarred?

Scars are inevitable whenever the skin is cut.  Scarring is minimal with the Pretrichial approach, and may be significant with the other approaches. 

Do I need to be put to sleep for the brow lift?

Depending on the approach, you may require general anesthesia, or local anesthesia with or without narcotics. 

The Pretrichial approach termed the "Lunchtime Brow Lift" because it can be accomplished by Dr. Steven Dominguez quickly with local anesthetic and without mind altering narcotics.

What won't a brow lift do?

A brow lift it will not erase evidence of one’s racial or ethnic heritage.  A brow lift will not eliminate dark spots, facial blood vessels, or other skin related issues. 

An Erbium laser may be indicated in addition to other non-surgical procedures such as “fillers” to ameliorate these conditions.

“Beauty is Art and Science”®