In a brow lift procedure, the surgeon rearranges or removes some of the musclesand tissue in the forehead, pulls up the skin a bit and, after cutting off theexcess, refastens it with sutures or clips, usually behind the hairline.

There are two way of doing the cutting for a brow lift procedure. One is thetraditional way of making an incision all the across the head near the hairlineand peeling back the skin to reach the site of the surgery. The other is amethod called endoscopy, which has long been used in abdominal surgery, but isa fairly new in the cosmetic field.

Making use of an endoscope, a long, flexible fiber optic tube attached to atiny camera, and inserted just under the skin, the surgeon can see the area heor she wants to excise before he or she uses any other tools. Instead of makinga long incision and exposing the entire region, he or she makes a few smallincisions, just big enough to insert his or her instruments. Guided by theendoscopic picture, he or she can manipulate the scalpel and other toolswithout a lot of bleeding and sutures.

The brow lift procedure may be done by itself, or along with a face or . Talk to your doctor about what combination is right for you.

While the endoscopic method leaves almost no permanent marks, the conventionalmethod does leave some scars. They are usually hidden behind the hairline (forwomen) or right at it (for men). However, even people who don't have hair canhave a brow lift procedure. The doctor may be able to hide to scars by makingthe incisions along the natural ridges of the skull.

A simple brow lift is one of the easiest and safest ways to take years off yourappearance through surgery. It is most often done on an outpatient basis andstitches or staples come out within two weeks. You will probably be back atwork within ten days, and you can resume most normal activities within a fewweeks. The only long-term symptom may be an itchy scalp. This subsides afterabout six months, and is much less bothersome to endoscopy patients.