Endoscopic Brow Lift Surgery

Before you undergo any plastic surgery procedure at Karidis Clinic, you will have a consultation and a pre-operative assessment with your plastic surgeon. They will listen carefully to your concerns and what you expect to achieve and discuss which procedure, or combination of procedures, is appropriate.

At this stage, they will also ensure you are fully aware of the potential risks and complications inherent in that specific procedure and explain to you what you can expect immediately after surgery, throughout the recovery process, and when you will likely see the final results.

During the pre-operative assessment, the surgeon may take measurements of the area to be operated on and assess your skin tissue quality and the degree of skin laxity. The position of the incisions will also be decided upon.

A full medical history will be taken to ensure you are fit and well and can undergo surgery at this time.

After the initial consultation, there will be a two-week ‘cooling-off’ period before you can decide to proceed with surgery. You are welcome to return for further consultations with your Karidis Clinic surgeon, free of charge, if you have more questions.

If you make the decision to proceed with surgery, you’ll be given advice on how best to prepare for your operation, and you will have a dedicated Patient Coordinator who can answer any queries you may have.

Any pre-surgery tests can occur at the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth, a leading London private hospital where Karidis Clinic is based. The hospital has recently built a new wing including a diagnostic department with the latest X-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound technology.

We advise patients to stop smoking as soon as possible as nicotine acts as a vasoconstrictor, which impedes the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the surgical site. This can slow down healing, increase the chance of infection and even cause tissue to die. Smoking also increases the risks of a general anaesthetic, and smokers are more likely to suffer ill effects from an anaesthetic.

You will also be advised when to discontinue taking aspirin or other blood-thinning medication in advance of your operation. You will be asked to fast six hours before surgery.

All Karidis Clinic procedures are performed at the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth. When you arrive, you’ll be greeted and taken to your stylish and luxurious private room with its spacious ensuite bathroom.

The nursing team will take your blood pressure and relevant vitals, and you will see your Karidis Clinic surgeon, who will make the final mark-ups. Our anaesthetist will also visit you.

Clinical photography will be taken to assist in your care and to enable clinical assessments to be made. These become part of your confidential medical record. These include photographs of the operation site and any distinguishing features and will be taken pre-op and post-op. 

Your procedure will be performed under a general anaesthetic, and once the surgeon has sutured the incision site, you will be taken to a specialist recovery room.

Once the hospital nursing team has ensured your recovery is complete, you will be taken to your hospital room for your overnight stay. The hospital nursing team will be on hand throughout the night, and you will be fitted with compression stockings and a compression device if required.

The following day, you will be visited by your Karidis Clinic surgeon or nurse and then discharged into the care of a friend or family member by the hospital nursing staff.

The pain and discomfort experienced after surgery are unique to the individual patient and the extent of their procedure. However, it should start to subside in the first week and should be easily managed with over-the-counter painkillers.

If necessary, you’ll be advised to wear a specially designed surgical support garment for approximately six weeks after surgery to support you during the healing process.

Depending on the nature of your job, you can usually expect to be able to return to work and normal activities between one to two weeks.

You’ll be given a comprehensive plan for the recovery process, including dates for your cast or suture removal and your check-ups with your Karidis Clinic surgeon. However, we are always on hand throughout this period, and you have access to our dedicated surgical nurse 24/7 if you have any concerns.

Your eyebrows are one of your most prominent features as they help to shape your face and highlight your eyes. As you age, your skin loses elasticity and lines can appear on your forehead, while your eyebrows and eyelids can begin to loosen, drop and droop.

Eyebrows can droop because of certain medical conditions, but it’s very common for your eyebrows to droop simply due to gravity as the muscle that holds them in position becomes strained over time. Wrinkles spreading across your forehead is one of the first signs of ageing.

Your eyebrows play a powerful role in your non-verbal communication and drooping eyebrows can wrongly give an appearance of tiredness, sadness or anger. Drooping eyebrows can also impede your vision, which may lead to feelings of self-consciousness, embarrassment or anxiety.

During the brow lift procedure, your surgeon will make two or three short frontal scalp incisions, each measuring less than an inch in length. Then an endoscope (a pencil-like camera device connected to a television monitor) is inserted through one of the incisions which allows your surgeon to have a clear view of the muscles and tissue.

Another instrument is then inserted through one of the other tiny incisions to lift the forehead skin and release the muscle and tissue in order to lift the forehead and brow.

Without any removal of skin, the eyebrows are then lifted and secured into a higher position using Endotine forehead devices, which act in the same way as carpet tacks. These tacks then take about six months to dissolve as your forehead heals.

Dissolvable sutures are then used to close the tiny incision sites and gauze and an elastic bandage are applied.

Your suitability for brow lift surgery will be determined during your consultation with your surgeon. Remember to write down any questions that you may have for them and bring the list to your consultation to ensure you talk about everything you wish to.
During your consultation, your surgeon will sit you in front of a mirror and gently elevate your forehead to the position they feel will be both achievable and will suit you best. A holistic approach will take into account all your facial features, considering their balance and harmony.

Women often want a higher brow than a man, situated just above the brow bone and arched – more so on the outer third of the brow. For males, the ideal brow is lower, flatter and usually desired at the level of the brow bone.

Usually, brow lift surgery is performed on males or females between the ages of 40-60 years who suffer from heavy or droopy brows. It can also help those of any age who have developed frown lines or furrows due to stress, muscle activity or the repeated action of frowning due to the lack of elasticity in ageing skin.

Sometimes furrowed lines and heavy brows are inherited and the brow lift can be performed to achieve a more energised, fresh and younger look.

Good candidates for a brow lift include those without a receding hairline. Brow lift surgery can be more difficult on those with thin hair, obvious asymmetry of the face and eyebrows or sun-damaged skin.

However, patients who have a receding hairline, who are bald or who have had previous upper-eyelid surgery may still benefit from brow lift surgery using modified techniques. Any potential limitations would be discussed during your consultation.

After your brow lift, you’ll be returned to the comfort of your private room and gently propped up in bed. You’ll notice that you have some snug bandages firmly around your forehead, with two drains in place. The drains and the bandages will be removed before your discharge. Your hair will then be washed for you and you may return home.

Over the next few days, wash your hair with a gentle shampoo, taking extra care around the suture area.

After your brow lift surgery, you will experience some swelling and sometimes some bruising to the eyes, forehead and face which can last up to three weeks. This is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about.

This swelling may produce some temporary lag in the facial muscles with this will gradually subside. The appearance of tiny thread veins on the cheeks can also occur, but this is rare.

You may also experience some numbness and tension in the forehead and scalp after your brow lift. This is due to the small sensory nerve fibres in the skin being separated during the brow lift surgery. Full sensation returns within 9 months. Some people also feel an itchy sensation, but this will settle down in a few months.

Very occasionally, tiny bald patches of hair can appear around the incisions but again hair will usually grow back within a few weeks.

After the swelling has gone down you will likely be able to feel the Endotines that have been used to support your forehead – they dissolve naturally and take around 6 months to fully disappear.

Small scars will form at the incision sites after your brow lift, but as these are hidden by your hair they will not be obvious to anyone else.

The Karidis Clinic is renowned for our ‘invisible’ scarring techniques, leaving incredibly minimal postoperative scarring following a brow lift.

We’ll be able to provide you with tips to help with your speedy recovery, including maintaining a healthy diet to promote healing.

During recovery you may need to:

Keep your head elevated while sleeping
Avoid strenuous activity while recovering
Take pain medication when needed
Apply a cold compress to reduce any post-operative swelling

You’ll be given full post-operative brow lift care instructions to follow to ensure optimum healing and comfort and minimal swelling.