Brow Lift
in Rochester NY

Brow lift surgery is used to lift the sagging eyebrows that appear as you age, and which give you a tired, sad, or angry look. This surgical procedure gives a more youthful look to the area above your eyes.

Brow lift surgery raises the eyebrows to their normal, youthful appearance. This will also lift some of the excess skin on the upper lid that causes a tired look. At The Plastic Surgery Group of Rochester, we use minimally invasive techniques to perform an endoscopic brow lift.

Portrait of 50 year old woman looking at camera, lifting her forehead wrinkles with guidelines showing lifting direction

What Is Endoscopic Brow Lift Surgery?

Endoscopic Brow Lift Surgery only requires four small incisions, less than an inch long each. Your surgeon will insert a pencil-shaped instrument called an endoscope into one of the openings. At the end of the endoscope is a small camera connected to a television monitor. This allows your surgeon to see the underlying muscles and tissues without having to make large incisions. Working through another of the incisions, your surgeon uses a different instrument to lift the forehead skin and alter or remove muscles and tissue in much the same manner as a traditional brow lift, resulting in the same smooth, youthful appearance.

"Dr. Kubiak explains everything he will do so you will completely understand your procedure. He has a great personality and makes you feel very comfortable with him. Great Doctor."
- Cindy O

Incredible first time experience. Will be referring friends and family while returning. My doctor David Refermat, MD and his comforting nurse Maria were an amazing medical duo. Highly recommend!!!
- Derek S.

How is a brow lift different than a facelift?

Thanks to the name — facelift — people sometimes incorrectly assume the procedure addresses aging on the entire face. It does not. Facelifts address the mid-face area down to the chin. They do not improve the brows and forehead. That’s the job of a brow lift. The two procedures can be combined for full facial rejuvenation.

What age would a person typically be a candidate for a brow lift?

The age we see most of our brow lift patients is somewhere between 40 and 60. The way our brows sag and forehead lines form vary widely between people. Some of this is genetics; some is sun damage and other factors of natural aging.

The determinant, more so than age, is when the potential patient starts getting questions if he or she is tired or angry more and more often. Sagging brows can give off those impressions, whether actual or not.

Is brow lift recovery painful?

Thanks to the small incisions used with endoscopic brow lifts, these aren’t overly painful recoveries. There is little acute pain. The real changes in sensation involve numbness that evolves into itching as the tissues and nerves adapt to their relocation. Overall, the nerves in the upper third of the face are not as sensitive as those around the mid and lower face, so pain is quite manageable during your recovery.

What can I expect from my recovery after a brow lift?

Because of the adjustments with support tissues and surface skin, there will be swelling and bruising after your brow lift. This is likely to migrate down into your cheeks and around your eyes to some degree. While unpleasant, this should run its course in a week to 10 days. To mitigate some of this, we advise patients to keep their head elevated (above the level of the torso) for the first two or three days after surgery, even while sleeping. If you have a recliner, that’s a great place to sleep with your head elevated.

Endoscopic brow lifts will involve some numbness due to the tissue manipulation, but there is far less itching thanks to the limited incision lengths. This was a real side effect with the old traditional brow lift.

Most patients can return to work within 10 days, but heavy lifting and vigorous exercise will need to wait for around one month. You need to avoid increasing blood pressure in the face. In general, these are not overly difficult recoveries for our patients from Rochester and the surrounding areas.

Brow Lift Before and After

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How long will the results of my brow lift last?

The changes made by our experienced Plastic Surgery Group of Rochester surgeons are permanent. The elevation of your brows and other areas of your forehead are not fleeting changes. The goal of a brow lift is to give permanent improvement to the transverse lines and frown lines of the forehead. Aspects of a brow lift will remain. For instance, forehead lines will never again be as severe. Obviously, we can’t stop the effects of gravity and overall aging; your brows will continue to descend with time, but you’ll never have the same degree of sagging again. The average brow lift patient can expect the effects of the procedure to visibly last from 10-12 years.

What are the risks involved with a brow lift?

Brow lifts have been performed for decades, and they are safe and involve low risks. The expanding use of endoscopic methods has virtually eliminated the main risk formerly involved with brow lifts, hair loss along the incision line. Now that isn’t a problem thanks to the four, short incisions used to gain access. 

Still, this is surgery, so it entails all the risks inherent with surgery: excessive bleeding, reaction to anesthesia, infection, and the like. These are rare with this procedure. Specific to brow lifts, patients can have some difficulty moving forehead muscles or their brows, but these are rare complications. The most common side effect/complication is itching along with the incision locations. This can last for months, but eventually, it resolves when your nerves have adapted. As with hair loss, the shorter incisions used by our Plastic Surgery Group of Rochester surgeons in our endoscopic lifts create less itching. 

Schedule Your Consultation Today

If you're interested in learning more about brow lifts please contact us for a consultation at (585) 922-5840 or fill out our contact us form. We will discuss your needs and concerns, and determine your best course of action.

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  • If you have an urgent question or are experiencing an emergency, please do not use this contact form. Call our office please directly at (585) 922-5840. If this is a true medical emergency, please call 911.

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Location Map: 360 Linden Oaks Rochester, NY 14625

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