A. Many people come to us thinking they need eyelid surgery when what they actually need is a brow lift, which smooths and suspends the forehead, greatly improving the overhang effect in the upper eye region and eliminating that "sad look". As we age, gravity causes our brows to droop and the outer sides of the upper eyelids start to sag.


The brow lift restores forehead balance, smooths skin above the brow and greatly rejuvenates and refreshes the eye region. There are two types of brow lifts. With the traditional open brow lift, incisions are made in the hair above the ears, behind the hairline across the crown of the head. A newer procedure utilizes an Endoscope, a bright light attached to a fiber optic, thin, tubular probe. The advantages to endoscopic surgery are that there are only three to five small concealed incisions behind your hairline, which means much less scarring to hide in the hair.

To see if this forehead plasty might enhance your appearance, look in a mirror and place your fingers above the outer edge of your eyes and your eyebrows. Then gently draw the skin upward to raise the whole brow area. That is the effect you can expect. People who have hooded upper eyelids or bags under the eyes, caused by baggy eyelid skin or puffy fat in the eyelids, are candidates for eyelid surgery. In some cases, a patient may need both a brow lift and eyelid surgery to achieve the desired result. A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon can best advise patients about which procedure or combination of procedures will deliver the best result.