Brow Lift Plastic Surgery Day of Surgery Beverly Hills | Los Angeles

Pre-Operative Marking

Prior to your surgery, you will have the opportunity to speak with Dr Motykie about any part of your surgical procedure and/or recovery process. You will be asked to change into a surgical gown and Dr Motykie will place surgical markings on your brow. Lastly, wear loose fitting clothing the day of your surgery that is easy to get in and out of such as sweat pants and a shirt that zippers in the front.

Anesthesia and Operating Facility

For almost all browlift techniques you most likely receive general anesthesia (you are asleep) for your own personal comfort, safety and surgical ease. It is Dr Motykie’s opinion that the safest and most effective way to perform browlift surgery is under general anesthesia. It is not in your best interest to undergo surgery using awake anesthesia. Although browlifts can be performed under sedation, most of patients prefer the comfort and safety of general anesthesia. However, the extent of your procedure and your preference can also help to determine the type of anesthesia used.

Dr. Motykie uses only Board Certified Anesthesiologists to administer anesthesia and monitor your safety during your surgery. You may be given medication before reaching the operating room so you will feel relaxed before surgery. The surgery takes approximately one hour to perform in its entirety. Every surgery is performed in a fully accredited, state of the art (AAAASF) surgical facility where your safety, comfort and privacy are of the utmost importance. Deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) precautions are taken with every patient and include a minimum of anti-embolic stockings and sequential compression devices (SCDs) on the lower extremities during the entire length of your procedure.

Surgical

After general anesthesia is administered (you are put to sleep), an incision is made along the previously made markings that were made by Dr Motykie prior to your surgery. The various techniques to rejuvenate the brow all involve incisions hidden somewhere in the scalp. The most common techniques are known as the coronal lift, the temporal lift, the pre-hairline lift and the endoscopic lift. For the Coronal lift, an incision is made behind the hairline that extends from ear to ear. The forehead muscles are weakened and the brow is raised in order to create a more rested, pleasant expression. During the temporal brow lift, the middle portion of the coronal incision is not performed and only the lateral brow (outer corners of the eyebrows) is raised. If a patient has a “long” forehead or a receded hairline prior to surgery and there is concern of raising the hairline and creating an even larger forehead after surgery, a pre-hairline incision can be utilized to perform the browlift. In this technique, an incision is placed directly in front of the hairline which allows for the forehead to be shortened and the hairline to be lowered during the procedure. Finally, correction of a low-positioned or sagging brow may be made with the use of an endoscope through small incisions located at the temples and in the scalp. This technique may be done in conjunction with incisions hidden within the natural crease of the upper eyelids to eliminate frown lines between the brows and on the bridge of the nose. There is some concern as to the longevity of this “less-invasive” technique as well as concern of palpability of anchoring devices in the scalp that are used to support the new, lifted position of the scalp.

Overall, the goal of every technique is to create a rested, more youthful appearance of the forehead and eyes without creating a surprised, “wide-eyed” unnatural appearance. This is accomplished by weakening the muscles of the forehead and above the eyes which will smooth brow lines and raise the eyebrows to create a more rested, youthful appearance. If an upper blepharoplasty is planned along with the browlift, it is essential to complete the browlift prior to performing the blepharoplasty. The browlift will always reduce the amount of hanging upper eyelid skin and may sometimes make the upper blepharoplasty unnecessary or at least minimized. All hairline incisions are typically closed with small metal staples in order to avoid tangling of sutures within the hair and to give strength to the closure during healing which helps to prevent widening of the scar and hair loss after surgery. Pre-hairline incisions are closed with dissolvable suture that do not need to be removed after surgery. Dressings and bandages are unnecessary after the procedure and during recovery except for a small amount of antibiotic ointment applied to the incision sites daily.

Recovery Room

After surgery you will be brought to the recovery area where you will be allowed to rest and completely recover from anesthesia. Nurses will be on staff by your bedside to make sure you are recovering properly as well as being able to provide you with pain medications and small amounts of water and/or ice chips while you are becoming more awake and alert. After you have fully recovered from anesthesia, you may be released to home with a responsible adult or you may choose to stay overnight in an outpatient recovery retreat where there are nurses on staff 24hrs to assist you with post-operative care and medications.

The most comfortable position to recover in after surgery is a reclining chair with your head elevated. Over the first night you will most likely find yourself having to use the bathroom frequently. This is normal and is due to the intravenous fluids you received during your surgical procedure. Leave all dressings intact until the next morning when you will return to Dr Motykie’s office to have your dressings changed and receive further instruction for the rest of the week. The night following your surgery, you may experience some pain and discomfort that can be controlled with your prescribed pain medication.

To find out more about Brow Lifts please contact us at 310-246-2355