Modern medical advances have made it possible for patients to have endoscopic (minimal incision) surgery and be back to routine activities in two to three days. With a quicker recovery time and only minimal pain, endoscopic forehead lift surgery allows patients to return to their normal lifestyle with less discomfort than is usually associated with a classic forehead lift.

The eyes affect the expression of the face more than any other of the facial structures. We notice the eyes first when we engage another person in conversation and other social activities. Consequently, the effects of both aging and environment first reveal themselves in the eyes. There are three aspects that will influence the appearance of the eyes:

The position of the brows
The upper eyelids
The lower eyelids

When the eyebrows have lowered, you have a closed eyed, concerned, appearance. Excess skin on the upper eyelids gives the appearance of being tired and makes you look older. The lower eyelids, when "baggy", give the appearance of a poor night's sleep and can make your look old, tired, and sometimes angry.

Fortunately, all three of these structures can be surgically treated to improve the eyes and restore that rested, youthful appearance.

Frequently, people are told that they need upper eyelid surgery. They will have droopy skin at the outer aspect of the eye with a fold in the crows feet area. At casual observation, the patient will agree. Unfortunately, the wrong operation is often performed. A browlift would have been the appropriate procedure and upper eyelid surgery done if there were excess skin following the browlift.

If you look carefully at the skin between your eyebrow and your upper eyelid, you will note that the skin immediately below the brow is thick and of a different color and texture than the skin covering the eyelid. The eyelid skin is usually darker and thinner and much more supple. It is inappropriate to resect this upper eyelid skin resulting in placement of the brow skin on the upper eyelid.

The eyebrow position acts as the scaffold on which the upper eyelid is based. The brow should be placed in its proper position first. Then if extra skin or bulging of the upper eyelid fat is apparent, upper eyelid surgery can be performed safely.

I am frequently consulted by patients for improvement of their upper eyelid appearance after they have had upper eyelid surgery, they realize that they need a browlift; however, a browlift cannot be performed as skin removed from the previous upper eyelid surgery prevents them from being able to close their eye when the brow is elevated to the proper position.

In the past, to improve the appearance of the eyebrows and forehead, a traditional browlift was performed. It was done by making a large incision from ear to ear across the top of the scalp, and removing a section of scalp. Although the cosmetic appearance was favorable, the procedure often left a person with a numb spot on the top of their head and a large scar across the top of the head which was sometimes visible, especially in men with short hair and women who had a short hairstyle.

A new surgical technique, called an endoscopic browlift, was developed to minimize the large scar of the traditional browlift. This new, endoscopic procedure involves a much smaller incision and no removal of scalp or hair. The incision is approximately 1 to 1½ cm in length. There is one incision in each temple and 2 incisions at the top of the scalp, behind the hairline. Using a fiber optic camera, which is approximately the size of a pencil, the brows are elevated along with the forehead. The muscles between the brows at the top of the nose are weakened. This prevents the deep furrows in that area that give a person a stern angry appearance.

In addition to raising the central aspect of the brows, the endoscopic browlift also elevates the brows at the outer corner of the eyes.

This surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis and is frequently combined with other procedures, such as lower eyelid surgery and facelift surgery.

Dr. William R Burden, MD, FACS and Dr. L. Scott Ennis, MD, FACS are known for their experience and dedication to staying in the forefront of leading technology in plastic surgery.   Drs Burden and Ennis not only treat many patients from Panama City, Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach, Tallahassee, Dothan, Atlanta, and Birmingham but also from around the world.  Many people travel from Europe, South America and Asia to Destin to seek out their services.

Before and After Photos

For more Browlift images visit our image gallery here.