What is the recovery time for a brow lift for an older woman?

Question:

My mother has decided that she wants a brow lift. She typically jumps into things without ever thinking them through so I’d like to get some research together for her. Can you tell me what sort of recovery she’d be facing, and also any precautions that we’d need to take to ensure that she doesn’t get an overdone or surprised look.

Answer:

I have several patients who come to see me who sound very much like your mother. A brow lift is a very good procedure when the eyebrows have descended to a point that you appear angry or tired all the time. The recovery for a brow lift will depend in large part on the approach that is used to elevate the brow. If it is an open approach, it can take a little while for the incision to heal in the scalp. An endoscopic brow lift requires smaller incisions but in both the endoscopic and open brow lift approaches you can expect forehead swelling and tenderness for about a week. The best way to avoid an overdone or surprised look after your brow lift is to make sure that your surgeon understands the look that you are trying to achieve. I would expect a bit of over correction of your eyebrows immediately following surgery, but, your brow will likely descend a few millimeters in a short period of time.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld