Forehead lift – how it works and what you can expect

The science behind it

Several techniques can be used to perform a forehead lift, and it’s often done alongside other cosmetic treatments such as eyelid surgery.

In most cases, a surgeon will make incisions to the skin, remove the surplus, and pull the skin upwards before securing it with stitches. The aim is to make the skin tighter and smoother – and counter the effects of ageing.

Before the treatment

At a consultation, your surgeon will discuss what you expect to achieve from the treatment. They should also take the time to cover these important areas:

• Medical history: Your doctor will need to be aware of any potential issues that could increase the risk of the procedure or disqualify you from having it, for example, ongoing health issues, past surgeries, or medications.
• Physical exam: This is needed so your doctor can establish which forehead lift technique is best for you. They will ask you to open and close your eyes as they take measurements of your face.

During the treatment

Your procedure will be performed by a cosmetic surgeon at a clinic. You’ll be placed under general anaesthetic for the duration, which you can expect to last between two and three hours.

Your doctor will choose one of a small number of forehead lift techniques. This will depend on what they learned during your consultation, from both your medical history and the measurements and movements of your face.

The main techniques are:

• Endoscopic brow lift: Incisions are made behind the hairline and a tiny camera within a tube is used to reveal which soft tissue areas require lifting. The surgeon lifts the skin and secures it with fastenings.
• Coronal brow lift: An incision is made across your forehead. The surgeon then simply lifts the skin to its new higher position and removes the overlapping scalp skin now beneath the newly stretched section.
• Hairline brow lift: Best for receding hairlines. Your doctor will make incisions at the top of your forehead and remove skin from this area rather than from the scalp to maintain the hairline’s original position.

Whichever technique is used, you’ll likely need to stay in the clinic overnight to rest and recover from the procedure. You’ll be bandaged afterwards to reduce bruising and swelling too.

Potential side-effects

Like most types of cosmetic surgery, a forehead lift brings with it potential risks and side-effects. These include:

• Scarred skin: The procedure could leave behind thick, noticeable scars on your forehead.
• Uneven brows: Uneven or asymmetrical brows are a possibility.
• Raised hairline: Lifting your skin could raise your hairline to make it look like it’s receding.
• Numb skin: In rare cases, damaged nerves could leave you with a loss of feeling in parts of your face.

Aftercare

You need to give yourself the time and space to recover after an involved cosmetic procedure. Things to consider include:

• Doctors advise that you book around one month of leave from work.
• Bandages will remain on for two to three days.
• Your face will likely be bruised for around 14 days or more.
• Don’t shower or get the area wet while the bandages are still on.
• Avoid running, swimming or hot places such as saunas for at least two weeks.

You can expect to see any bruises and scarring fade after five or six weeks. The results of the forehead lift itself will start to show fully from nine months onwards, as at this point any scalp and hairline incisions should have completely healed.