When age starts to make your eyebrows sag, you may get used to hearing that you” look angry”, “worried” or “tired”. Cindy used to always have that problem. Friends now tell her, “You look so amazing.”
Visual field loss, angry, tired, appearance.
Cindy was a widow at 70 whose drooping eyebrows caused a serious predicament. Her eyebrows had fallen and pushed her upper lids into her eyes. This actually obscured her eyesight, giving her only 30% of her natural vision. She had become afraid to drive at night. The idea of a browlift came up and she sought out Facial Plastic Surgery consultation.
I recommended a browlift to clear up these problems. Many could benefit from having that procedure done. Does this sound familiar? Over the years, gravity takes a toll on us and our features start to sag. For many people, the brow, naturally positioned at or above the eye socket, now descends over it. The eyebrow’s natural arch flattens into a straight line. Sometimes vertical lines form in the forehead. This can cause a person to start looking old.
The brow lift specifically addresses these problems. Repositioning the eyebrow to a higher location rejuvenates your forehead. Your eyes appear more open and alive. The angry, worried or sad look is softened. In many cases, it’s gone!
What does a browlift involve?
An experienced facial plastic surgeon that is well versed in the best methods can choose from several different techniques, depending on the needs of the patient. In some cases, the browlift is combined with an upper blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) to completely rejuvenate the look of the upper eyes.
This procedure is done under local anesthesia with oral sedation, the safest method to achieve the desired outcome. This allows the patient to sleep peacefully through the procedure without the risks of general anesthesia or I.V. sedation.
Correction of the age-related droopy eyebrows and remove extra skin. If an upper eyelid procedure is involved, he or she will remove excessive eyelid skin there as well.
Recovery
If you’ve had a browlift, recovery usually takes 5-7 days. You’ll be functional at home the day after the procedure. You’ll need to spend a few days with a forehead wrap in place. Most have only a limited need for pain medication. With makeup to hide any swelling and bruising, you’ll be ready to go out in public in 5-7 days and often able to return to work then. Actual downtime, of course, depends on the individual. You’ll be able to resume a normal exercise program, including jogging and aerobics, two weeks after your procedure.
The True Life Changing Impact:
Karen, Cindy’s daughter, said of her mother’s browlift: “I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time.” Her vision has cleared up. Cindy’s friends have really complimented her new look. And after years of caring for her husband through his terminal illness, it’s nice to see her doing something for herself.
If drooping eyelids are getting in the way of your vision, your career or your social life, it’s good to know that there are relatively easy ways to dramatically improve things. Like Cindy, don’t you owe it to yourself to start getting compliments again? As Karen advises, “At least get it checked out.”
People often look in your eyes to get clues about you and your disposition. So, if aging eyebrows are making you look old, tired or angry, imagine how it would be to hear friends say instead, as Cindy did, “You look so amazing.”
David Q Santos MD FACS
FacialBeauty.com
You only Younger
425-227-4000
