Forehead Lift: Treatment, Effect & Risks

Those who notice the first wrinkles on the forehead will not worry yet. However, if the wrinkles become intense and already resemble “furrows”, many affected people resort to Botox. However, there are long-lasting successes only with a forehead lift.

What is the forehead lift?

There are numerous different types of lifts. The forehead lift, a facelift option, is designed to remove wrinkles – as the name implies – from the forehead. There are numerous different types of lifts. The forehead lift, a facelift option, is designed to remove wrinkles – as the name suggests – on the forehead. The “upper facelift“, as the forehead lift is also popularly called, reduces wrinkles on the forehead and subsequently wrinkle formations on the temples as well as eyebrows. The forehead lift is performed surgically. As an alternative to inpatient treatment, laser therapies or Botox treatments are popular; those can be done on an outpatient basis.

Function, effect and goals

There are two options for a forehead lift: Medical professionals perform forehead lifts using either endoscopic procedures or an open method. If the medical professional opts for an endoscopic forehead lift, he or she makes two to a maximum of four incisions at the hairline. The incisions are relatively small and serve mainly to open the endoscope. The attending physician can obtain an image of the forehead via a monitor. In the second incision, the physician inserts an instrument with which the skin can be lifted from the tissue as well as from the muscles. The instrument is inserted up to the eyebrows. This method allows the surgeon to smooth the patient’s tissue. He can also remove or grind it. If it is necessary to lift the eyebrows, the surgeon inserts fine threads so that the brows can be lifted and then anchored. The “inserted” thread dissolves itself – within several months. Some surgeons also choose to anchor the thread behind the ear so that the treatment results remain “stabilized”. However, the thread, which is attached behind the ear, must be removed again by the physician – as part of a follow-up check. If there are already pronounced wrinkles or if the physician determines that excess skin must also be removed, he or she opts for the open procedure. In the open procedure, the physician can either make lateral incisions (so-called temporal forehead lift) or cut in the area of the hairline and then remove the skin up to the brows. Temporal forehead lifting – i.e. making lateral incisions – is recommended if problems with the brows have already occurred. Drooping eyebrows also cause wrinkles as well as puckers, which – if the medical professional lifts those – can also be treated. However, if the physician opens the skin at the hairline, he can prepare it in such a way that he gets a direct view of the muscles and subcutaneous tissue. In this way, the attending physician not only detects dimples, but can remove the excessive growth. After that, the doctor folds up the skin and pulls those taut. The excess skin that appears as a result of the tightening is removed. The wound is closed by means of fine sutures. After the procedures, patients are provided with a pressure dressing of wraps and compresses. In addition, patients receive a “Stülper”, a tubular bandage made of mesh, which is pulled over the head – comparable to a cap – so that the pressure bandage cannot slip. Those who opt for a forehead lift can minimize the transverse wrinkles on the forehead as well as between the eyes. A reduction of vertical frown lines as well as those wrinkles that appear between the eyebrows can also be removed. Eyebrows can be raised as part of the lift, making the face look more youthful. Also, the eyelid positions can be positively changed if the eyebrows were already low or sagging.

Risks, side effects and dangers

Today, brow lift is one of the routine procedures. There are hardly any complications or risks. Especially if the patient has a normal wound healing, inconspicuous scars are to be expected; in many cases, no traces of a forehead lift remain. Occasionally, however, there may be some unsightly scarring.Especially when inexperienced doctors perform the forehead lift, nerve damage can occur, which subsequently leads to paralysis. If the hair root is injured during the procedure, hair cannot grow back in that place. One of the greatest risks, however, in terms of aesthetics, is the unnatural, almost mask-like results, also known as “rigid face”. After the procedure, the eyebrows look asymmetrical, and the face looks petrified and “alien”. This is due to the fact that the physician has tightened the skin too much. As a further consequence, the eyebrows can be “too high”, so that an unnatural face is the result here as well. Even though the forehead lift is a routine procedure, there are general surgical risks to consider. These include post-operative bleeding, wound healing problems, swelling, infection, bruising or even the risk of thrombosis (blood clots). Thrombosis can sometimes also lead to embolism (blockage of the blood vessel). The physician must inform the patient about possible complications as well as risks before the procedure; even if – as already mentioned – it is a routine procedure and complications are the exception, they must still be mentioned in a consultation that takes place beforehand.