Erase Frown Lines With an Endoscopic Brow Lift
Recent developments in cosmetic surgery have made possible the opportunity of offering brow lifts with minimal incision, allowing patients to enjoy faster recuperation periods, and minimal pain management. The fiber optic tube (or endoscope) has been used for years in various parts of the body (such as the knees and the gall bladder), and currently, it is also employed as the main tool for performing a minimal-incision brow lift, or an endoscopic brow lift.
An endoscopic brow lift procedure aims to fulfill several objectives. It attempts to raise a low-positioned brow; it also aims to lift its outlying parts. In cases where an upper Blepharoplasty is deemed insufficient, an endoscopic brow lift is considered as a follow up treatment procedure. And for those with frown lines on the brow due to aging, the procedure can effectively remove such within a single session.
The procedure takes about forty-five minutes to complete. It is a minimally-invasive technique, but invasive nonetheless; as such, an endoscopic brow lift is normally performed with the patient either under intravenous sedation (complemented with a localized anesthetic), or with general anesthetic through tumescent technique. Slight incisions of 2-centimeter lengths are then made at areas located behind the hairline, and a fiber optic endoscope is inserted to aid in tissue release and repositioning. With the procedure, the patient’s hairline is also lifted slightly, and the eyebrows and eyelid folds are pulled up and consequently stretched. The forehead’s glabellar muscles are trimmed, resulting in a ‘happier’ look, since the folds which give the impression of fatigue and anxiety are also pulled up. A variant of this procedure may also be performed to reduce the sag on the cheeks, with an extended endoscopic brow lift.
The endoscopic alternative offers many advantages when compared to the classical brow lift. For one thing, there is less visible scarring; the incisions are slight, and these are located on well-concealed areas of the hairline – the conventional method necessitates an incision which goes across the forehead, extending from ear to ear. The use of an endoscope rather than a camera also lets the surgeon visualize the procedure more acutely, consequently minimizing the risks for injury. And since the procedure is minimally-invasive, there is less post-surgery inflammation and edema, faster recuperation periods, and less pain.
The procedure does entail several risks, so discuss your alternatives with a doctor before you choose to undergo an endoscopic brow lift. Patients may experience numbness on the surgery area after the operation, and this can either be transitory or permanent. Inflammation and premature breakdown of the sutures can also lead to an asymmetrical brow – this risk is manageable, however, and there are surgeons who are fully capable of correcting the lop-sidedness. Patients who incur an injury to the temporal branch of the brow’s frontal nerve may initially be incapable of moving their brow for a few months, and a temporary lop-sided look may be expected as well. The risk for such an injury is fortunately low; otherwise, the lopped side may be treated to balance the look.