Home
Contact Us
About Us
Testimonials
In the Media - Videos

 

Before & After Gallery
Procedures at a Glance
      Face
      Breast
      Body
      Other
Skin Care
3D Animation

 

FAQ
Out-of-Town
Financing

 

 


Procedures Performed
  • Abdominoplasty
  • Breast Augmentation
  • Breast Lift
  • Breast Reduction
  • Liposuction
  • Face Lift
  • Neck Lift
  • Chemical Peel
  • Dermabrasion
  • Eyelid Surgery
  • Male Breast Reduction
  • Gynecomastia

 

Dr. Cruise serves the following areas:

  • Orange County,
  • Irvine,
  • Newport Beach,
  • San Diego,
  • Los Angeles,
  • Beverly Hills,
  • Southern California.

 

Brow Lift (Forehead Lift)

 

 

Consultation for Brow Lift

 

Outlined below is what you can expect from your brow lift consultation. Read carefully, as there are many suggestions that will save you time,

answer your questions, and help you to convey to your plastic surgeon what you want to accomplish.

 

Health History

 

All cosmetic surgery consultations begin with a thorough health history. This is especially true if general anesthesia is being used but also applies to local anesthesia. Prior to meeting with the plastic surgeon you will be given a health history questionnaire. You will be asked about five areas of your health. Be sure to answer questions in detail so that your surgery and anesthesia can be optimized for you.

 

General Health

 

General health problems are important to discuss so that your surgery is as safe as possible. Be sure to mention any chronic illness. Of particular concern are high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, liver and kidney disease, stroke, cancer, bleeding problems, and wound healing problems.

 

If you have medical problems, your plastic surgeon will make sure your health is optimized as much as possible to ensure your safety. This may mean referring you to your private physician.

 

If you have a health problem or are over 50 years of age, you can often save time by bringing to your consultation a letter from your private physician stating what the problem is, how it is being treated, and whether you are able to tolerate general anesthesia safely.

 

If you are seeing any specialist (cardiologist, kidney doctor, psychiatrist, etc. ) be sure to bring a letter from them stating that you are able to tolerate surgery.

 

If you are not able to tolerate general anesthesia, it may be possible to perform your procedure under local anesthesia. This must be discussed with your plastic surgeon.

 

Past Surgical History

 

Your questionnaire asks about previous surgeries. Be sure to identify any problems you may have had with anesthesia. Of particular concern are previous cosmetic surgeries, especially if you do not like the result and are interested in revision.

 

Medications

 

Be sure to list all medications including aspirin and over-the-counter medications. These are important as they may increase bleeding and affect your surgery. It is extremely important to stop taking aspirin and aspirin- containing products at least 10 days before surgery. Tylenol is a good alternative.

 

Allergies to Medications

 

Information about medications that cause allergic reactions is very important so that these medications can be avoided. Of particular importance is the type of reaction you had, especially if you had trouble breathing. Be sure to include this information! Nausea is not an allergic reaction, but it is important to mention as well.

 

Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use

 

These will certainly affect your surgery and must be mentioned so that your surgery can be optimized. Smoking causes a profound decrease in wound healing and will lead to worse scarring and a less favorable result. With large procedures such as a face lift, neck lift, tummy tuck, and breast lift, smoking must be stopped at least 2 to 3 weeks before and after surgery. Otherwise, the results could be disastrous, including non-healing wounds, poor scarring, and/or infection. With smaller procedures such as eyelid surgery, nose surgery, breast augmentation, and liposuction, smoking will hurt the overall result but this may or may not be noticeable. In this case, smoking cessation is strongly advised but is not mandatory.

 

What Do You Want To Change?

 

It is important that you have a clear idea of what you want changed when you go for a consultation. A plastic surgeon never wants to hear, "What do you think I need done?"

 

Look in a mirror and identify what bothers you. Be specific. It is helpful to divide the forehead region into 4 parts: forehead,  lateral (outside) brow, medial (inside) brow, upper eyelid. Evaluate each one of these areas individually, as this is what the plastic surgeon will do in his/her exam.

 

Common complaints

 

  • Forehead: Wrinkles (especially with animation)
  • Lateral Brow: Droopy
  • Medial Brow: Droopy, wrinkles between the brows
  • Upper Eyelid: Droopy, excess skin, excess fat

 

Ideal Brow Shape

 

  • Forehead
    • Smooth, few wrinkles with animation and no wrinkles at rest.
  • Lateral Brow
    • The lateral brow should be 2 to 3 mm higher than the medial brow in women and at least the same height or higher in men.
    • There should be no crow's feet at rest and only a minimal amount with animation.
  • Medial Brow
    • Should be higher than the bony rim that surrounds the eye.
    • The bridge of the nose should be smooth.

 

Physical Exam

 

The goal of the physical exam of the face is to determine exactly what is causing the problem. Below is a typical sequence that an experienced plastic surgeon uses to evaluate the brow and determine what can be done to correct problems.

 

Forehead

 

Wrinkles of the forehead are caused by overactive frontalis muscles. Often, these are best treated with BOTOX® Cosmetic injections. The most significant drawback is that these injections must be repeated. Click here to get more information on BOTOX® Cosmetic. A brow lift can diminish these wrinkles if the plastic surgeon removes part of the frontalis muscle, but results are not predicable.

 

Lateral Brow

 

During your consultation, your plastic surgeon will evaluate the position of your lateral brow in relation to your medial brow and to the bony rim below. He/she will then elevate your lateral brow with his/her finger to determine where it should be repositioned. You can do this yourself at home in the mirror. Often, elevating the lateral brow gives a more youthful appearance to the brow and eye region. Also, this elevation tightens some of the wrinkled, excess skin within the crow's feet area.

 

Medial Brow

 

The medial brow should be at or above the level of the bony rim below. Elevating the medial brow is not nearly as common as the lateral brow because it is less likely to descend. Elevating the lateral brow creates an elegant, youthful appearance. Elevating only the medial brow is rare as it can cause an unnatural, surprised look.

 

Wrinkles between the brows can be treated during a brow lift or an upper blepharoplasty by removing the muscles that cause them. Treatment in this fashion is permanent. Sometimes, with this technique, it is necessary to fill the void where the muscle was removed with transplanted fat.

 

Upper Eyelid

 

When your plastic surgeon elevates your brow with his fingers, he/she will also determine its effect on the upper eyelid. If, by elevating the brow, the desired result is obtained, then it is clear that only a brow lift is necessary. If, however, excess skin and/or fat persists in the upper eyelid, then an upper blepharoplasty is also required. Click here for further information on Upper Eyelid Surgery

 

Procedures

 

There are three common ways to perform a brow lift.

 

Endoscopic Brow Lift

 

An endoscopic brow lift has the advantage of leaving only small scars in the hair-bearing scalp. Usually 3 or 5 of these short incisions are used to elevate the brow. Another advantage is that the muscles that cause wrinkles between the 2 brows can be removed with this technique. This can significantly improve these wrinkles permanently. Endoscopic browlifting first became popular in the early 1990s. Some plastic surgeons feel that some skin excision is necessary to maintain a brow lift in its elevated position; therefore, they have switched to the short scar technique.

 

Short Scar Brow Lift

 

The short scar technique is the most common. It utilizes 2 incisions on both sides of the scalp. Each incision is 1 to 2 inches in length and is placed either at the hairline or within the hair-bearing scalp. The hairline incision has the advantage of lowering the hairline slightly. The incision within the scalp has the advantage of hiding the scar. It must be pointed out, however, that the hairline incision becomes almost undetectable.

 

Coronal Brow Lift

 

The most aggressive brow lift is the coronal incision. The incision extends all the way across the scalp from one side to the other. This is the most effective way of correcting severe brow sag, especially within the medial brow. Effective removal of wrinkle-causing muscles can be performed. The obvious downside is the long incision. Another complication is the loss of sensation to the scalp posterior to the incision. This is why this technique is done only when there is severe brow descent.

 

All three methods involve repositioning of the brow superiorly. As with all of plastic surgery procedures, excellent results can be achieved with each method. The results depend on the experience and technical abilities of the plastic surgeon, not the technique used.