Brow Lift vs. Eyelid Lift: What to Know

The eyes are one of the first areas of your face to show visible signs of aging. Even if you continue to feel youthful and vibrant as you get older, your eyes may start to tell a different story.

Fortunately, procedures like brow lift and eyelid lift can reverse these signs of aging, giving you a more youthful and pleasant expression. The way that the procedures work is very different.

Take a moment to learn more about the key differences between brow lift and eyelid lift from San Diego plastic surgeon Abhay Gupta.

Brow Lift Overview

Brow lift is intended to elevate a drooping or heavy eyebrow to a more youthful and alert position, opening up the eye area. The procedure can also minimize wrinkles on the forehead and in between the brows.

There are a few different ways to perform brow lift. With a coronal brow lift, the incisions are created behind the hairline across the top of the head. With an endoscopic brow lift, several small incisions are made behind the hairline and tiny instruments (including an endoscope, which has a tiny camera at the end) are used to make the necessary modifications. The brows are raised, excess skin is trimmed and the remaining skin is smoothed to soften creases.

Is Brow Lift Right for You?

You could benefit from brow lift you:

• Have a low or sagging brow
• Find that your sagging brow creates hooding over your eyes or contributes to sagging upper eyelids
• Have noticeable creases or wrinkles on your forehead or in between your eyebrows

Eyelid Lift Overview

Eyelid lift (blepharoplasty) improves the appearance of drooping, sagging, puffy or wrinkled eyelids. It can be performed on the upper eyelids, the lower eyelids or both.

For upper eyelid surgery, the incisions are created in the natural creases and folds of eyelid skin. For lower eyelid surgery, the incisions can be made below the lower lash line or on the inside of the eyelids. Excess skin is removed, fat is removed or repositioned and the remaining skin is smoothed out to rejuvenate the lids.

Is Eyelid Lift Right for You?

You could benefit from eyelid lift if you:

• Have sagging or drooping upper eyelids
• Find that the loose skin of your upper eyelids obstructs your visual field
• Have sagging lower eyelids that reveal the whites below your irises
• Have fine wrinkles in your lower lids

To discuss your treatment options with a qualified, board-certified plastic surgeon, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Gupta today.

Fun Eyebrow Fact of the Month: Speaking of the brows, the average person has about 250 hairs per eyebrow — except for the Mona Lisa. You may have never noticed it, but she doesn’t have any! A report from a Parisian engineer in 2007 who studied the portrait for 3,000 hours suggests that the famous face originally had eyebrows and eyelashes, but they gradually eroded to the point they are no longer visible.