A forehead lift is done to tighten the skin of the forehead. This serves to reduce lines and raise the brows. It does not remove fine wrinkle lines, these require resurfacing the skin. The face and eyelids are not tightened by a forehead lift, although the upper lid skin may be stretched.
Method: the method is to tighten the skin and the underlying muscle of the forehead. Sometimes part of the muscle of the forehead is removed or divided to make it less strong. The incision is usually placed in the hairline or an inch(2.5 cm) or so back in the scalp. It extends from one side to the other. The operation is done under either local anesthetic (you are awake) or general anesthetic (you are asleep). You can often choose. Most of the time this is an outpatient operation and a stay in the hospital is not needed. In younger patients, the operation may be done using the endoscopic or keyhole approach so that there is less scarring but the result may be less long lasting.
Problems: All operations have some risk. We can divide the risks of surgery into two groups. First those that are seen in all operations and second those that are unique or special for this operation. In the first group, the main risks are swelling, bruising, bleeding, infection, a scar and numbness or change in feeling. The main problem which is special for this operation is damage to the nerves of feeling of the scalp which causes numbness behind the incision, this risk is reduced but not eliminated with endoscopic forehead lifting. Also, the scar can stretch and because scar does not grow hair this may be noticeable in those with thin hair.
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It is important to remember that no surgeon can give a guarantee about the final outcome, including appearance, shape, size and so on. You should have a realistic attitude about the outcome, and remember that all surgery has good and bad aspects. That there is no such thing as ‘perfect surgery’.
The satisfaction rate for cosmetic surgery is around 90% and although a satisfactory outcome is anticipated this means that 10% of people do not achieve the result that either the patient or the surgeon would like.
If things do not go well you may need revision or secondary surgery. Although many surgeons do not charge for this, there is often a charge for anesthesia and operating room costs.
Postoperative care: The recovery takes one to two weeks. Most people are back to work within a week or two.
For more information see the FAQs (most frequently asked questions) or check with your doctor.