Have you had the depressing experience of friends remarking you look tired, angry or sad when you're actually feeling none of those things?
Normal aging processes cause our facial skin to loosen and sag. The skin on our foreheads and around our eyebrows is, unfortunately, no exception. The southward migration pushes the eyebrow skin down and into the eyelids. The overall effect, while it takes place gradually, is to change the look of your eyes and upper face. No matter how positive and energetic you feel, your appearance may be indicating otherwise. If you're unhappy with the look your forehead and eyebrow area, you're certainly in good company. That's why injectibles like BOTOX® Cosmetic are so popular today. BOTOX® Cosmetic is a very effective treatment for forehead wrinkles, and it may be one to explore. But if your skin is loose and drooping, you'll want to consider a brow lift.
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Before & After
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Considering a Brow Lift?
Specializing in facial plastic surgery in San Francisco, Dr. David Mabrie can take years off your face with a brow lift, also known as a forehead lift. Start reversing the aging process today - click for a consultation.
Am I a Good Candidate?
If the skin on the upper part of your face has sagged, but you're in overall good health and you have realistic expectations for the outcome of a forehead lift, you're probably a good candidate. You should know that a forehead lift won't change the basic look of your face. It will, however, have you looking refreshed, relaxed and years younger.
Want to Brighten Your Eyes?
Many of our patients are considering a brow lift because they feel their eyebrows or upper eyelids look too heavy. In many cases, combining an upper blepharoplasty procedure with a brow lift will create a more comprehensive upper face rejuvenation, taking years off your appearance.
Why Choose Dr. Mabrie for My Brow Lift?
Excellent Training, Double-Board Certification, Specialization in the Face and Neck
Dr. Mabrie specializes in facial cosmetic surgery for his San Francisco area patients. Completing medical school at the University of California at San Francisco with honors, his residency at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and a fellowship in Facial Plastic Surgery at Stanford University, Dr. Mabrie has focused all his time and talents on plastic surgery for the face, head and neck. He has a thorough understanding of the anatomy of this complex area and has helped thousands of people feel much better about their appearance through facial cosmetic surgery and anti-aging treatments.
Dr. Mabrie follows in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Herman J. Mabrie III, a well-respected head and neck surgeon in Houston, Texas. After a distinguishing himself during his years of medical school and residency at Johns Hopkins, UCSF and Stanford, Dr. Mabrie received double-board certification from the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology, (ear, nose, and throat).
Click to see Dr. Mabrie's full curriculum vitae.
How Will I Look?
When you choose Dr. Mabrie for cosmetic surgery in San Francisco, you can be assured that your results will be completely natural. You don't have to worry about your skin looking too tightly pulled, your hairline ending up too high on your head or your eyebrows looking strange. You won't end up with an artificial, "startled" appearance. With his focused training and experience, Dr. Mabrie knows how to create a smooth, youthful forehead for you that leaves you looking like yourself, only better.
How Is Brow Lift Surgery Performed?
There are several different approaches to use for brow lift surgery. You and Dr. Mabrie will choose the right one during your consultation based on the amount of lift needed, your skin condition, your hairline and other factors. Generally speaking, an incision is made in the scalp or on the forehead, excess skin is removed, the muscles underneath the forehead skin are cut or weakened and the brow is elevated and secured in a more aesthetically pleasing position. The incision may be hidden in the scalp, hairline, or in natural skin folds on the forehead. With an endoscopic brow lift, minimal skin is excised. Instead the brow is repositioned through small incisions hidden in the scalp.
Your surgery will be performed in an accredited hospital or surgery center under general anesthesia. Depending on its complexity, the procedure will take an hour and a half or more.
Brow lift/forehead lift surgery entails risks common to most surgeries. They occur rarely, but Dr. Mabrie will discuss them with you prior to your procedure.
Learn more about brow lift procedures on our brow lift options page.
How Much Pain Is Involved?
You'll be happy to know that not only will you experience no pain at all during surgery, while you're under general anesthesia, you'll also experience minimal discomfort following your procedure. Most people can control any residual pain they have with over-the-counter medication such as acetaminophen.
How do I Prepare for Surgery?
To get ready for your procedure, make sure your home is ready to welcome you back. Have food in the kitchen and pain relievers in the medicine cabinet so you can stay home and rest for a few days. You'll need to find a friend or loved one to pick you up after surgery, since general anesthesia can have you feeling woozy for several hours or even a few days and Dr. Mabrie will caution you against driving too soon. You'll also be asked to arrange for someone to stay with you the night following surgery.
Brow Lift Recovery
| Bandages | Suture Removal | Restaurant Ready* | 75% | 100% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-4 days | 4-7 days | 4-10 days | 3-4 weeks | 2-3 months |
*Restaurant ready means you are ready to debut the new you! |
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What Is the Recovery Like?
When your surgery is complete, you will have a soft wrap around your head to wear for two to four days. Dr. Mabrie will remove your sutures or surgical staples during the week following surgery. You can expect to experience some swelling and brusing, and you'll be advised to keep your head elevated to minimize this. Although the swelling and bruising won't disappear entirely for a few weeks, you can be "restaurant ready" with the help of makeup in several days.
Generally speaking, facial surgery patients recover much more quickly than those who have surgery elsewhere on the body. You should be able to resume exercising in two to three weeks. You may experience some hair loss near a scar within your hairline, but if this happens it's easy for most patients to conceal.
What Are the Next Steps?
If you still have questions or want help determining if you're a candidate for a brow lift/forehead lift, we invite you to call our patient coordinator, Susan Cole, at 415-445-9513. Susan can help answer your questions and she'll assist you in scheduling a consultation with Dr. Mabrie.
If you're interested in reading about payment options, visit our Fees & Financing page.
You can view more Before and After results and click to learn more about brow lift options. The best way to get started is to arrange an appointment to come in and meet Dr. Mabrie. Send us an e-mail or call 415-445-9513.
You'll soon be on your way to a new look and a new outlook!
