Introduction
The following is a presentation to explain the endoscopic forehead lift, which describes how you can best prepare for your procedure, how it may be performed, and your recovery process along with before and after photos of some of our patients. An interesting question and answer section can also be viewed. This presentation is not intended to take the place of a physician’s consultation.
The endoscopic forehead lift, also known as endoscopic coronal plasty, is often performed in conjunction with a face lift and/or eye surgery. Your skin will be tightened, but a forehead lift will not change the texture of your skin or remove any previous scars or age spots. It can give you a more youthful appearance. Though you may consider other treatments (peel or laser) to improve the texture of your skin.
Procedure
What happens during the procedure?
This procedure takes between one and two hours. To begin, your hair will be tied back in sections. It will not be shaved but hair along the incision lines may need to be trimmed. Three to six incisions will be made of less than one inch in length each. An endoscope will be inserted through one of the incisions. Another instrument is then inserted in another incision. The forehead skin is lifted (not removed) and the muscles underlying tissue are released. The excess skin is pulled back and secured. Your eyebrows may also be lifted and secured into their higher positions by sutures beneath the surface of the skin or by temporary (absorbable) suspension devices placed beneath the skin. In addition, frowning muscles can be relaxed during the procedure as an alternative to Botox and is customized for each patient. Finally, incisions are closed with stitches or clips and the hair and forehead are washed. A small plastic tube (also called a drain) is sometimes placed to decrease swelling after surgery and is removed the following day. Gauze and/or elastic bandages may also be used to wrap and protect the incision area.
Preparation
Preparing for surgery.
Your initial consultation is extremely important. The surgeon will evaluate your skin elasticity to verify if you are a good candidate for endoscopic forehead lift. You should be able to speak freely with your surgeon about your goals and desired outcomes. Be prepared to provide your complete medical history and inform the surgeon of any vitamins and medications (including over-the-counter) that you are taking. Make sure to tell your surgeon if you smoke, have uncontrolled high blood pressure, allergies, blood clotting problems, or tendency to form excessive scars because these problems can effect the outcome of your surgery.
Review With Your Surgeon:
- Do Not Take Aspirin® Or Products Containing Ibuprofen for two weeks before or after your procedure. These medications thin the blood, interfere with normal blood clotting and increase the risk of bleeding and bruising. Instead, use medications containing acetaminophen, such as Tylenol®.
- Discontinue Smoking for two weeks before and after surgery. Smoking constricts small blood vessels and inhibits the healing process.
- Avoid Alcohol for two weeks before and after surgery.
- Decreasing Salt intake will help diminish swelling after surgery.
- Drink Plenty Of Water to help flush toxins from your body.
- Stop Taking All Vitamins And Herbs two weeks prior to surgery.
- Fill Your Prescriptions before your surgery date, especially any pain medication your doctor has prescribed for this procedure.
- Arrange For Someone To Take You Home and to assist you for 24 hours after surgery.
- One Week Before Surgery Stop sun bathing (including tanning booths), facials, steaming masks, and other skin irritants.
Post Surgery
What to expect post surgery.
- Work: You may feel well enough to return to work after three days but decide to wait a few more days due to swelling and bruising. Within ten days, most patients are back to their normal activities but wait a few weeks before resuming strenuous activity.
- Swelling And Brusing: Keep your head elevated for two or three days following surgery while applying cold compresses or small ice packs to help reduce swelling. It is not unusual to experience a headache for 24 – 48 hours after surgery. Most visible signs of surgery should disappear after three weeks. Normal hair growth will resume in the months following.
- Contact Lenses: Contact lenses may be worn one week after surgery.
- Showering: You may shower on the second or third day following surgery.
- Make-up: You may begin wearing make-up after several days and hide bruising with common make-up techniques.
- Discomfort: The amount experienced varies from person to person. After surgery, you will experience numbness and discomfort around the incisions. This can be controlled by the medication prescribed to you by your doctor.
- Recovery: Although you should be up and about following the procedure, plan on taking it easy for at least the first week after surgery. Avoid bending and lifting after surgery. Numbness will be replaced by itching as the nerves heal. If a small plastic tube or drain was placed at the time of the surgery, it will be removed the following day. Stitches or clips will be removed within two weeks. In some cases, endoscopic surgery leaves minimal scarring, does not cause temporary numbness to the head, and may require less recovery time than is usually required for the coronal lift. The hair around your incisions may fall out or be thinner, but normal growth will resume in the following months. Most visible signs of the surgery should fade completely within three weeks. Avoid direct sunlight and make sure to put on sunscreen in the following years.
- Results: Final results should be seen within two weeks. Endoscopic lifts have been performed since 1995 and is a preferred method of treatment for mild to moderate cases of the aging forehead.
- Hide Scars: By allowing your hair to grow out before surgery.