Sometimes, it can be hard to tell if puffiness around your eyes is due to a downward shifting brow or excess skin of your upper eyelid. The cosmetic surgery experts at Longwood Plastic Surgery can assess your unique facial anatomy and help you determine if your appearance would benefit more from a forehead lift or an eyelid lift.
*individual results may vary.
How Does Blepharoplasty Work?
Upper blepharoplasty uses an incision in the crease of the eyelid through which fatty tissues and excess skin are removed for patients who feel their eyes look tired or droopy even when they’re rested. Underlying tissues can shift downward with age, putting pressure on delicate skin and causing it to sag. In severe cases, excess skin can even impede vision. Blepharoplasty lifts and tightens tissues around the eye for a more youthful, refreshed appearance.
How Does a Brow Lift Work?
Gravity also impacts the forehead, causing eyelid puffiness, sagging brows, and wrinkles. A forehead lift aims at lifting and tightening tissues to raise the brows, thereby smoothing the skin around the eyes, reducing broody brows, and minimizing wrinkles. Your LPS surgeon repositions muscles and fatty tissue around the brow through incisions made in the hairline or over the eyebrow to lift the brow structure. Excess skin is removed, relieving weight bearing down on the eyes.
Am I a Good Candidate?
Candidates for both procedures are healthy men and women who are unhappy with the puffiness around their eyes, skin laxity, and wrinkles in the treatment area. While these procedures can improve the appearance, they will not change the shape of the eyes. Some patients who have thyroid hormone imbalances, Grave’s disease, circulation concerns, tear duct disorders, and cardiovascular issues may not be candidates for blepharoplasty. Please check with your primary doctor if you suffer from these.
Is a Brow Lift or Blepharoplasty Right for Me?
The only way to know for sure which procedure may be right for you is to schedule a comprehensive in-person consultation with one of the highly-skilled surgeons at Longwood Plastic Surgery. They can assess your specific facial anatomy and listen to your concerns to determine if you’d benefit most from a forehead lift or eyelid lift. In some cases, patients may benefit from both procedures at the same time.
If the skin around your eyes is sagging to the point of disrupting your vision, a blepharoplasty may be the best treatment to alleviate this concern. Blepharoplasty can also resolve under-eye puffiness in a way a forehead lift cannot.
If your concerns center around a lowered brow, deep furrows between your brows, brow asymmetry, and upper eyelid puffiness, a forehead lift may be more beneficial. A forehead lift might also address wrinkles between the brows and hairline in a way an eyelid lift can’t.
What Results Can I Expect?
As with any surgical procedure, results depend on your personal healing abilities. Both procedures have relatively fast recovery times of about 1 week. Afterward, you’ll see smoother, tighter skin around the eyes with fewer wrinkles and less puffiness. It may take 2-3 months for tissues to fully settle after a forehead lift. Both treatments have brought LPS patients satisfaction in their appearance for years.
Take the Next Step
Interested in learning about a brow lift or blepharoplasty? Schedule your consultation with Longwood Plastic Surgery today by calling our Brookline office at (617) 383-6250. We serve the Brookline and Greater Boston area with distinction.