Many people experience changes to the shape and look of their face as they age, some of which can make them appear tired, angry, or older than they are. This is often distressing, but fortunately, there is a lot you can do to rejuvenate your features. Here at Blue Illusion Beauty in Carlsbad, CA, we offer a number of treatments for all areas of your face, including the brow lift for your forehead.
What Does a Brow Lift Do?
This innovative and minimally invasive treatment can remove wrinkles, resolve sagging, and even change the location of your hairline, so it will shave years off your age. Although it is a type of surgery, we can now perform it with only two incisions, which speeds up the recovery time considerably.
What Is a Brow Lift?
As we age, the shape and look of our brow area and forehead changes. We might develop wrinkles and sagging skin, and sometimes, we are no longer satisfied with where our hairline is located in relation to the face. These are the issues addressed by a forehead lift. When you first get in touch with us, your doctor will speak to you about what you’d like to achieve and then suggest whether this type of rejuvenation is appropriate for you or not.
What Results Can You Expect?
Here at the clinic, we perform two types of forehead lifts, depending on the scale of the results you’d like. Most people who come to us would simply like to remove some excess wrinkles and sagging skin, in which case we can do a minimally invasive procedure with only two incisions. This might also apply to those who have asymmetrical brows and would like to even them out. Such a treatment offers maximum results with minimal side effects and scarring.
However, patients who are looking for a more dramatic transformation that includes moving the hairline will undergo a bigger procedure with more incisions. That way, we can augment the results and transform your face more completely. This option works well for people who not only want to have a smooth, beautiful forehead, but who are also keen to alter the size and shape of their features. Such treatments are often combined with eyelid surgery.
Keeping Your Results Fresh
Patients who have undergone a forehead lift are thrilled that they look more awake, more friendly, and have seemingly shaved years off their face. But after your surgery is complete, the aging process won’t stop. For this reason, you might need a touch-up in 10 to 12 years. To make sure you get the most out of your procedure you can, protect your skin and lead a healthy lifestyle after you have recovered.
Most crucially, keep out of the sun whenever possible and use a strong sunscreen lotion when you plan to spend some time outside. One of the primary reasons our face looks wrinkled is because of sun damage, so you can prevent the issue from recurring by exposing yourself as little as possible. Similarly, drink plenty of water to hydrate your tissues and eat a healthy and balanced diet.
The Treatment
Now that you know what a brow lift is and what results you can expect, you may wonder what the treatment process looks like. We take your health very seriously, so we will always consult with you before deciding that this is the best option for you. After your first appointment, we can then book the surgery, which is done on an outpatient basis and will take around 1-2 hours. You will need to rest for a few days after your operation is complete.
Before Your Appointment
When you first get in touch with us at the clinic, we will invite you to come for an initial consultation with one of our physicians. The aim of this is to find out more about your needs and what you hope to achieve through the surgery. You should bring all your medical records, a list of the medicines and supplements you take on a regular basis, and a record of past procedures or treatments you have tried on your forehead and brow area.
If you and your doctor decide that a forehead lift is the right way to go, they will book you in for your surgery and let you know how you can best prepare for it. The most important instruction is usually to stop taking any blood-thinning medicines such as aspirin that could interfere with the procedure. Similarly, you should stop smoking since this affects the healing process, and you will need to make arrangements for being picked up and looked after post-surgery.
The Session
Most types of forehead lifts are minimally invasive, which means that you won’t have to be fully anesthetized, and you won’t have to stay at the hospital overnight. Instead, you come for the procedure and can then leave, as long as you have a friend or family member who can stay with you overnight. When you arrive, your doctor will use a local anesthetic on your skin, so you won’t feel pain during the procedure.
This might take several minutes to start working, and your physician will test that your skin is numb before proceeding. Then, the small incisions are made and the excess skin tissue is removed. If necessary, your hairline is adjusted. The entire procedure should take around one to two hours, and then you might stay at the clinic for a while to be observed. When you’re ready to leave, you can do so, but we recommend that you don’t drive yourself home.
Recovery
After your surgery, your doctor will loosely wrap your head, and they might add a tube that can drain excess fluid. For several days post-surgery, you should stay at home and rest. During that time, you can speed up the healing process if you apply cold compresses to your incisions, sleep with your head elevated, and avoid putting pressure on the site.
You might feel itching as your wounds heal, but it shouldn’t be painful. After 7-10 days, you should be almost back to normal, and you might need to return to the clinic to have any sutures removed. At this point, it will be okay to return to daily activities such as bathing, but you might have to wait for several more weeks to do high-impact sports. Your physician will confirm this.
How Long the Results Last
As mentioned, your results are likely to last for a decade or more, particularly if you take good care of your skin and live a healthy lifestyle. Most doctors will recommend that you don’t resume smoking after your procedure because the two proteins that rejuvenate your tissue, collagen and elastin, are damaged by tobacco smoke. For this reason, you might experience superior results if you remain a nonsmoker.
Regain Your Smooth Forehead Now
The brow lift is a simple procedure that can make a huge difference to the appearance of your face. Get in touch with us today at Blue Illusion Beauty in Carlsbad, CA to find out more about it and to book your first consultation with one of our specialists. We will be more than happy to review your situation and explain all the different options to you.