The purpose of the endoscopic brow lift is to improve the appearance of the forehead and eyebrow areas. Using an endoscope, the surgeon can perform a brow lift quickly and less invasively, making this technique one of the popular. With the ability to smooth the forehead and lift the brows in one procedure, men and women can undergo the endoscopic brow lift to achieve a more youthful appearance.
Anesthesia
After consulting the plastic surgeon and finding out if you are a good candidate for the endoscopic brow lift, a date for the surgery can be set. Upon arrival for the endoscopic brow lift surgery, the anesthesia will be administered. In most cases, general anesthesia will be used, but twilight sedation may also be used, depending on the surgeon's preferences and the patient's tolerance. General anesthesia puts the patient completely to sleep during surgery, but can result in nausea and grogginess when the patient comes out of surgery. Twilight sedation is not associated with as many side effects and risks, but patients are not completely unconscious during surgery.
Making the Incision
to the endoscopic browlift technique involves the creation of several small incisions just inside the hairline. The endoscope device is then inserted through the incisions. The endoscope has a light and a camera at the tip, which enable the surgeon to see the underlying tissues and muscles. With the endoscope, the surgeon can adjust muscle and tissues to lift the brows and minimize the appearance of forehead wrinkles.
Finishing the Surgery
Once the surgeon has finished adjusting the skin, muscles, and other tissues of the face, he will close the incision. In most cases, sutures are placed along the incision; the patient will have to return after a week or two to have the sutures removed. In other cases, medical tape or other adhesives are used in the place of stitches.
Recovery
Recovery lasts for a month to six weeks, depending on how extensive the surgery was and how closely the patient adheres to the doctor's instructions. The discomfort and bruising of the forehead area will subside in about two weeks. Swelling usually takes the longest to fade, but should subside in about six weeks.
Patients should rest and keep the head elevated, even during sleep, for about a week after surgery; this will reduce the severity of side effects. They can also take pain medication and use an ice compress on the treatment area to improve comfort.
Benefits
The endoscopic approach offers many benefits to patients, including:
- Any resulting scarring is less visible because the surgeon makes a series of small incisions instead of one large incision.
- Patients experience a lesser degree of side effects, such as discomfort, bruising, and swelling, because of the less invasive approach.
- Patients experience a quicker and more comfortable recovery period.
- Patients are able to see their results in a shorter amount of time.
To find out if you are a good candidate for an endoscopic browlift, contact the Dallas practice of Dr. Paul Pin today.