The lateral brow lift is a new version of brow lift based on the anatomy of the brow area. Traditional brow lift approaches utilized a large incision across the entire scalp called the coronal approach. The issue with this approach is surgeons needed to remove large amounts of hair bearing skin and could potentially create the look of a larger forehead. Endoscopic approaches released the brows from a deeper periosteal approach and still play an important role in brow reshaping. There are some patients who are solely seeking a lateral lift along the brow area, particularly along the lateral brow. For these patients, a lateral brow lift can be an ideal component to their facial-aging recipe.
A lateral brow lift involves an incision along the temple of the skin. The brow and forehead skin is lifted in a more superficial plane, allowing for removal of forehead skin. Tension is placed on the sub-cutaneous component of the skin allowing for the superficial component to remain tension free. Since the dissection is limited, patients often have quicker recoveries with less bruising than endoscopic approaches. The hair along the temporal region can take a few weeks to “flatten” out, however, most hairstyles will easily camouflage this area during the healing process.