You are about to consider surgery on the upper third of your face, i.e., your forehead. When evaluating this area, one should consider the height of your forehead, hairline and level of the eyebrows. There are multiple surgical procedures available to alter this area.

A forehead lift can treat heavy or fallen eye brows, rid the forehead of excess horizontal lines and the vertical lines between the eyebrows. The surgery can be done five different ways, depending on the specific needs of the patient. A personal evaluation is needed in order to assess your specific problem. It has been recently reported that 60% of patients suffering with migraines are improved following the corrigator muscle resection, which is part of a face-lift.

1. Endoscopic surgery: This procedure is performed through five small incisions in the hairline and is designed to treat young individuals without excessive sag or skin of the forehead. This method will also remove the majority of the horizontal lines of the forehead.
2. Coronal incision: This procedure is performed by making an incision over the top of the head and lifting the forehead and eyebrows in a vertical direction. This is the most commonly used procedure and gives good permanent results. The eyebrows are raised, the vertical and horizontal lines between the eyebrows are improved and the excess skin of the forehead is removed forever. There is less bruising and healing is faster with this technique.
3. Anterior forehead incision: This incision is reserved for women who have large foreheads (greater than two inches) and wear bangs. An incision is made just anterior to the hairline. It prevents the hairline from moving backwards which occurs with the two above techniques and it allows the surgeon to reduce the size of the forehead. The eyebrows will be lifted and the forehead wrinkles will be removed. The resulting scar is covered by your bangs during the first month, but quickly becomes imperceptible in two to three months.
4. Midline forehead reduction: This procedure is reserved only for balding men with a very large forehead. There is no place to put a scar. This technique is done when there is no other alternative. The patient must have fallen eyebrows and deep horizontal lines of the forehead. The space between two horizontal lines is removed, thus converting two lines into one.
5. Eyebrow elevation with Coapt system®: Recently a company has developed a suspension system to return eyebrows to their correct position. With aging, the forehead sags and the eyebrows move lower off of the orbital rim. This new technique is designed to be done through a standard eyelid incision which is performed with a facelift or eye surgery. The device is absorbable and attaches to the upper potion of the orbit. The eyebrows are attached to the device. In three months, the eyebrows attach themselves to their new position and at the end of six months, the Coapt system® is completely absorbed by the body.

The surgery for all of the above procedures is done either under I.V. sedation or general anesthesia. The patient may choose which method they desire. Following the procedure, the head is wrapped in cotton for compression and to prevent bleeding and swelling. All bandages are removed in forty-eight (48) hours. Sutures are removed in six (6) days.

This procedure can be performed by its self or added to a standard facelift. Ask my staff for more information.

Corrigator muscle resection is a relatively new procedure by itself. In the past, it was done with a forehead lift that took weeks to heal. The Corrigator muscles are responsible for the two vertical lines that develop between the eyebrows as we age.  Recently, reports have shown that this muscle may responsible for the majority of migraine headaches.  German surgeons have reported that 60% of their patients received complete relief after surgical removal with an additional 25 % experiencing significant improvement of symptoms and frequency of occurrences.

Now, this operation can be performed with a small incision in both upper eyelids.  It can be done by itself or in conjunction with upper eyelid surgery.  Recovery is quick and much less extensive than a brow lift.  Our clinic has performed over 60 of these procedures over the past two years.

Click here to see this procedure on Channel 10 News