What is a forehead lift? Is that the same as a brow lift?
These terms are equivalent. A brow lift is designed to smooth the forehead wrinkles and elevate the eyebrow position to an appropriate level (but not too much!)

How do you do it?
There’s been a lot of evolution of brow lifting techniques over the last 20 years. Dr. Fiala is familiar with all of these techniques. Options vary from the traditional approach with an incision hidden in the hair at the top of the head (“coronal lift”), to incisions just at the sides of the head (“temporal brow lift”), to small mini-incisions in 4 or 5 separate locations (“endo-brow”). Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses, so Dr. Fiala assesses what’s best for each particular patient.

Couldn’t I just have a Botox treatment instead?
While Botox Cosmetic is a marvelous treatment for wrinkles that occur with facial expression, if the wrinkles are very deep, or the patient is looking for a more permanent treatment, or the eyebrow position is low – surgery may be a better answer.

I’m mostly concerned about my upper eyelids – they’re baggy. Should I have the eyelids done or should I have a brow lift?
Great question. If you look at yourself in the mirror, and use your hands to gently elevate your eyebrows, you will notice that the appearance of the loose skin on the eyelids often improves. Sometimes people come to see us, thinking they need an eyelid operation (“blepharoplasty”) when they would actually get more benefit from a forehead lift, or a combination forehead – eyelid procedure. We’ll have to see you and evaluate which option would be best for you.

I don’t want to have that startled or surprised look.
Good point. Technically speaking, a surgeon can indeed over-elevate the brow position – so this is one of those situations where “more is not better”! In a lady, the normal, attractive brow position is just above the rim of the bony eye socket, with a pleasant curve to it. We aim to achieve this – rather than trying to tighten things excessively. In men, we position the brows slightly lower than in women, for a more masculine look.

Can you do the brow lift with a facelift, or does it have to be done separately?
It can be performed either way – depending on what is best for the individual patient’s needs.