Have you ever caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and felt that your eyes look more tired than you feel?
You’re not imagining things. The delicate skin around your eyelids and the position of your brows are often the first to show signs of aging, and it's a common concern among our clients at Impressions Face + Body in Chicago, IL. This can leave you looking worn out and older, even on your best days. But here’s the good news: a brow lift can make a world of difference.
A brow lift, also known as a forehead lift, is a procedure designed to rejuvenate the face above the eyes. This results in a more aesthetically appealing appearance. Clients who seek a brow lift are concerned about the appearance of drooping eyebrows, excess skin, and bored, sad, tired, or angry eyes.
Understanding the different types of brow lift procedures can help you decide which option is best for you. Here’s a review of the main types offered by the team at Impressions Face + Body.
An endoscopic brow lift is almost always used when clients do not currently need an upper eyelid lift. This technique involves several tiny incisions made just behind the hairline so they cannot be seen.
Using a tiny camera and cannula, Dr. Steven Dayan or Dr. Caughlin repositions the muscles and skin underlying your eyebrows. This allows him to remove enough excess fat and skin and muscle tissue to create a youthful, natural-looking brow.
A temporal brow lift, also known as a limited incision brow lift, requires a slightly longer incision than an endoscopic brow lift. However, it makes perfect sense when combined with an eyelid lift, and only those two incisions will be used.
The incisions are roughly an inch long and are made behind the hairline just above the temple. These incisions allow your doctor to lift and reposition the tissues around your outer brow. Then, using the incisions made for the upper eyelid lift, he will lift the area between the eyebrows to smooth out frown lines.
The coronal brow lift used to be the most commonly used technique. However, incredible advances in medical research have been made since then. This technique must be used in rare cases to achieve a client's desired results. Less invasive techniques are often more than adequate to achieve the desired enhanced aesthetic.
With a coronal brow lift, a long incision is made behind the hairline so it is not visible. This incision runs from ear to ear. Your doctor will remove excess skin, fat, and tissue through this incision. The remaining skin and brow muscles are repositioned to give you a much more youthful aesthetic.
The Pantyhose Brow Lift, designed by world-renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Caughlin, is a groundbreaking procedure that combines the minimally invasive Gliding Brow Lift with the innovative use of pantyhose. This unique approach ensures a subtle, natural-looking lift to your brows, enhancing your overall facial appearance without any scarring. By utilizing dissolvable threads and pantyhose, the procedure secures the brows in their desired position, allowing the skin to contract naturally and achieve a rejuvenated, youthful look that lasts for 5-7 years.
Several steps are taken to achieve a rejuvenated appearance during a brow lift. The process varies slightly depending on the type of brow lift being performed. Here's a detailed look at what happens:
|
Step |
Endoscopic Brow Lift |
Temporal (Limited Incision) Brow Lift |
Coronal (Classic) Brow Lift |
|
Anesthesia |
Local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia |
Local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia |
General anesthesia |
|
Incision Placement |
Several tiny incisions just behind the hairline |
Incisions about an inch long above the temples, behind the hairline |
Long incision from ear to ear behind the hairline |
|
Lifting and Adjusting |
Using a tiny camera and cannula, muscles and skin are repositioned to remove excess tissue |
Tissues around the outer brow are lifted and repositioned; frown lines are smoothed through eyelid lift incisions |
Skin and brow muscles are lifted and adjusted through the long incision; excess tissue is removed |
|
Closing the Incisions |
Fine sutures or staples to close tiny incisions, ensuring minimal scarring |
Sutures or staples to close the incisions, with a focus on minimal scarring |
Sutures or staples to close the long incision, ensuring it blends with the hairline |
Dr. Steven Dayan or Dr. Caughlin will provide detailed aftercare instructions to support your recovery and ensure the best possible results.
Depending on your unique case, the results of your forehead lift may last between 10 to 12 years. However, if you take care of your skin and overall health, you may see results lasting up to 15 years. The earlier you receive a forehead lift, the longer the results will last, and they will be virtually indefinite if you take proactive steps to keep youthful, healthy skin.
Drink Plenty of Water: Healthy skin and hydration go hand in hand. We strongly recommend that our clients aim to drink between 64 and 128 ounces of water per day. Your unique water requirements will depend on several factors, including your weight, activity level and how much water-dense food you eat, like cucumbers and tomatoes.
Don't wait until you feel thirsty to drink. By that time, you are already dehydrated, and it is too late. When your urine is anywhere between translucent and very pale yellow, you are hydrated. If it helps, download an app on your phone to remind you to drink.
Eat Plenty of Protein: Collagen and elastin are the two most important chemical compounds (besides H2O) for tight, youthful skin. Collagen is a protein, and your body starts to produce 1% less collagen per year starting in your 20s.
To help your body produce collagen, eat plenty of bioavailable protein from sources high in collagen, like fish, eggs, and shellfish. Other great sources of bioavailable protein include nuts, legumes, and seeds.
Don't Forget the Other Nutrients: Protein is just one of the essential nutrients to keep your skin looking tight, young, and aesthetically appealing for years to come. Don't forget to make sure you have enough vitamin E, biotin, iodine, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc in your diet.
You can get these nutrients from lots of low-calorie, nutrient-dense sources. Some of our favorites are citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, and dark, leafy greens.
Protect Your Skin From the Sun: Sunlight is made up of harmful UVA and UVB rays. These rays destroy your body's existing collagen and elastin, leading to wrinkles and sagging skin. They even slow your body's production of collagen further than the aging process!
To keep your skin looking young and healthy, protect it from the sun's harmful rays. When you go outside during the day, wear a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen and reapply every four hours. Even overcast weather or sitting in a sunny window won't protect your skin from sun damage.
Stop Smoking: To be a good candidate for this procedure, you must be able and willing to go six weeks without nicotine leading up to your procedure. You must also abstain from nicotine in the six weeks following your procedure. And if you're going to go for three months without smoking, why not quit permanently?
People smoke to stay awake, curb their appetite, socialize, take a break from work, or unwind after a long day. But nicotine is terrible for your body's existing collagen and collagen production rate. If you stop smoking permanently, your skin will thank you in 15 years.
Have you had a forehead lift in the past? Are you starting to notice your results fading? If so, a Botox forehead lift is perfect for you. In minutes, you can shave two to five years off of your face. It will take a day or two to see the initial results and only 10 to 14 days to see the full results. Then, the results last for up to four months!
Several factors determine whether you are a good candidate for a brow lift. During your initial consultation, Dr. Steven Dayan or Dr. Caughlin will review all of these with you to determine if these procedures are a good fit for you given your aesthetic goals and current health. Here's what you need to know:
If you have several procedures performed simultaneously, you will be put under general anesthesia or intravenous or oral sedation and local anesthesia. A healthy heart and lungs are crucial. Smoking wreaks havoc on your heart, lungs, and blood pressure. It is also important for your blood pressure to be within a healthy range.
Moreover, nicotine is one of over 100 chemical compounds found in cigarettes. It is highly addictive and found in smoking cessation products, like gum and patches. It is also found in tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco, cigars and e-liquid for vaping devices. To be a good candidate for these procedures, you must quit nicotine for 12 weeks.
Your wellness and aesthetic are our top two priorities. We want you to be satisfied with the results of your procedure. That's why it's critical for us that you have realistic expectations about the results of any procedure you undergo.
During your initial consultation, Dr. Steven Dayan or Dr. Caughlin will review your aesthetic goals and facial structure carefully to develop a tailored plan to suit your needs. They will also clearly articulate to you the results you can realistically expect, the techniques they need to use to achieve your desired results and what you should expect before and during your procedures.
Impressions Face + Body in Chicago is home to two world-renowned facial plastic surgeons, Dr. Steven Dayan and Dr. Caughlin. Our state-of-the-art facility and personalized treatment plans ensure exceptional results. With cutting-edge technology and comprehensive care, we provide natural, long-lasting outcomes that enhance your confidence. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.