Houston & Pearland, TX
Brow Lift

Introduction to Brow Lift

A sagging brow can be the cause of many misunderstandings as it can cause you to look unintentionally upset and also minimize your eye contact. At Premier Plastic Surgery, Dr. Christopher Hankins offers brow lift surgery (forehead lift) to reduce wrinkles, frown lines, and sagging eyebrows to rejuvenate and enhance your entire facial appearance.

Our Houston area office is located in Pearland,TX, conveniently located to see brow lift patients in Lake Jackson, Clearlake, Friendswood, Marvel and the surrounding areas of South Houston.

What is a Brow Lift?

The position of the brow can determine how we are perceived by others. As a result of the aging process, clients often come in with sagging brows and frown lines. Lowering the brows combined with glabellar wrinkles can change our facial expressions and leave clients dreaming of a youthful appearance. A brow lift – also commonly called a forehead lift – can help restore a more youthful appearance to your eyes and face.
What is a Brow Lift? Banner

Brow Lift vs. Eyelid Lift

Brow Lift vs. Eyelid Lift

As discussed elsewhere, the brow is intimately interrelated to the upper eyelids, and both brow ptosis, as well as excess upper eyelid skin (or blepharochalasis), can result in lateral hooding of the upper eyelids. Therefore, it is incumbent on the plastic surgeon to correctly diagnose the cause of the deformity and differentiate between the two possible causes. Oftentimes, both processes are present simultaneously and both require reconstructive surgery for optimal forehead rejuvenation.

Failure to correctly diagnose brow ptosis will result in further descent of the brows following an upper blepharoplasty, as much of the apparent redundant tissue is removed, allowing the frontalis muscle to relax. In addition, the orbital skin is a very specialized area of the epidermis. Once it is gone, it is irreplaceable. For this reason, plastic surgeons leave a minimum of 20 mm of skin from the lashes to the brow so that an ample length of this precious tissue remains, even if some skin redundancy remains as the resection of too much eyelid skin is irreversible.

Types of Brow Lifts

Types of Brow Lifts

In the case that a brow lift is recommended for you by Dr. Hankins, it is important that the right brow lift option is selected. Dr. Hankins will discuss the pros and cons
The option that is selected depends on the division of facial features. Ideally, the human face is divided into thirds so that the length from the chin to the base of the nose is equal to the length of the base of the nose to the eyebrows and from the brows to the hairline. In the case that the hairline is low and the brows are redundant, a coronal lift is ideal, as this raises the hairline to the optimum level and reduces wrinkles.
In the case that the hairline is in the ideal position, either an endoscopic or a hairline brow lift may be used. If it is too high, a hairline brow lift may be utilized to lower the line to a more optimum level.
In men who have lost much of their hair and their hair is receding, an endoscopic approach is ideal, provided that the patients are willing to accept the small scars that would result from the procedure.
Lastly, in the elderly who are not candidates for a general anesthetic, an excision of skin directly above the brow can be done to elevate the brow to a more desirable level. Oftentimes, this can be done in the office with a local anesthetic. A brow lift consultation is key to understanding which cosmetic procedure best suits you.

What is an Open Hairline Brow Lift?

In the open hairline brow lift, a beveled wavy incision is made at an angle just behind the hair. This incision technique is used so that the growing hair follicles pass through the scar, making it less conspicuous. The forehead is undermined in a deep plane to the level of the brows. The procerus and the corrugators are then divided under direct vision. The forehead is then advanced. At this stage, some will resect portions of the frontalis muscle to weaken it in the areas of the forehead creases to prevent their recurrence. The excess skin is excised and the skin edges are then approximated.
In a hairline lowering procedure, the same process is used, except that the scalp is undermined for several centimeters, and several partial thickness incisions are placed thru the galea (a sheet of tough, non-elastic connective tissue) of the scalp to allow it to come forward. The excess skin of the forehead is then removed and the skin edges are approximated. In this way, the hairline is lowered.

What is a Coronal Brow Lift?

In this type of brow lift, an incision is made near the top of the head from above one ear to the other. The scalp and forehead are undermined. The procerus and corrugator muscles are divided under direct vision, the scalp is advanced, the excess scalp is excised, and the skin edges are then sewn together. The advancement of the scalp results in the elevation of the eyebrow.

What is an Endoscopic Brow Lift Method?

In this technique, four to five small incisions are placed in the scalp behind the level of the hairline. The forehead is then elevated at a plane directly above the bone at the subperiosteal level. The entire scalp is also elevated blindly to a level near the occiput or the back of the head. At a level 5 – 10 mm above the level of the brows, the periosteum is divided and the procerus and corrugator muscles are partially divided in order to weaken them, taking care to preserve the nerves that course through the corrugator. A small partial-thickness hole is drilled into the skull near one of the upper incisions and an endotine, which is an absorbable tack, is snapped into place. The forehead is lifted and pressed onto the endotine to engage it on both sides of the forehead and the incisions are closed.

What are the Benefits of a Brow Lift?

Our patients who have received a Brow Lift in Houston have discovered the following benefits from their surgery:
Better vision
Forehead lift
Less misunderstandings
Long-lasting results
Reduces the sagging in upper eyelids
Reduction in wrinkles
Removal of excess skin
Restores a youthful appearance

Who are the Best Candidates for the Brow Lift Procedure?

The best candidates for a brow lift in Houston are those who possess some of the following characteristics:
Have pressure of closing eyelids
High forehead
No underlying medical conditions
Realistic expectations
Sagging eyebrows
Wrinkles and fine lines in their forehead

IBrow Lift First Step
What’s the
first step?

If you are looking into a Brow Lift in Pearland and the surrounding Houston area, your first step is to schedule your consultation with Dr. Hankins. During the appointment, he will ask about your health history, your desires for a brow lift with your associated goals, concerns and expectations. He will then examine your face and forehead to deem if you are a suitable candidate for the procedure.
If he deems you are a suitable candidate for a brow lift, Dr. Hankins will create your surgical plan, which will include the best technique for your case. If you are satisfied with the plan, you will meet with our Patient Coordinator to schedule your surgery. You will also be provided with some pre-operative instructions to promote a higher potential of having a smooth surgery and recovery.

What to Expect on the day of Brow Lift Surgery

On the day of your surgery at Premier Plastic Surgery, Dr. Hankins and his staff will receive you and get you settled in the procedure room. After discussing the surgical plan with you once more, the anesthetist will administer general anesthesia so that you are pain-free and comfortable throughout the procedure. Sometimes, this procedure can also be performed under local anesthesia. Please discuss with your preference with Dr. Hankins at the initial consultation.
Once you are sedated, Dr. Hankins will start the incisions and the lift based on the choice of technique you both made during the consultation.
Without any complications, a Brow Lift will typically take a few hours to perform the procedure, depending on the technique being used.

Brow Lift Recovery

After the surgery, Dr. Hankins will have you monitored in the recovery room until your sedation wears off. Given that a brow lift is an outpatient procedure, you should be able to return home with the help of a family member or friend ideally driving you home.
We recommend that you take a week off from work and strenuous exercise to give the minor swelling, bruising and pain time to heal. During the first five days after your procedure, you are encouraged to have minimal activity, routinely apply ice to your forehead, and keep your head elevated to reduce the amount of swelling.

Brow Lift Cost
How Much Does a Brow Lift Cost In Houston?

The cost of a Brow Lift at Premier Plastic Surgery starts at $5,000 and may increase depending on each patient’s goals and needs.
We recommend scheduling a consultation with Houston Brow Lift expert Dr. Christopher Hankins for a personalized cost estimate and detailed information about the procedure. During your consultation, our patient coordinator will provide a customized quote and answer any questions you may have regarding a Brow Lift procedure.

Why Choose Dr. Hankins?

Dr. Christopher Hankins should be your choice for your brow lift in Pearland and the surrounding Houston area. He believes in offering patients only treatments that are in their best interests. His commitment to his patients is to always carefully evaluate the patient as a whole, not just the plastic or aesthetic surgery issue under consideration. Dr. Christopher Hankins specializes in face, breast, and body aesthetic surgery. He also has advanced training in hand surgery, breast reconstruction after cancer, and other reconstructive surgical procedures. Dr. Hankins completed five plastic surgery fellowships with highly distinguished physician mentors both in the United States and the United Kingdom, including a Plastic and Microsurgery fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine, and a Hand Surgery fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Hankins earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He completed his General Surgery training prerequisite for Plastic Surgery as established by the Residency Review Committee in Plastic Surgery, as well as Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.

In addition to his practice in plastic and aesthetic surgery, Dr. Hankins is actively involved in study and clinical application of anti-aging medicine. He is a Diplomate of the American Association of Anti-Aging Medicine. Dr. Hankins is also a member of the American Board of Pathology (ABP), American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS), American Association of Anti-Aging Medicine (AAAAM) and the Texas Medical Association (TMA).

Brow Lift FAQ’S

Since surgery is under anesthesia, you will be pain free. Post-surgery, however, it is common to feel slight discomfort, swelling and bruising as well as tightness. They will take a week or so to resolve.
Over-the-counter medication should be enough to provide you with relief.
You will return within a few days for Dr. Hankins to monitor recovery as well as remove any drain. Then, you will be asked to return after a week to remove the sutures.
Over the next six months, you can expect a few more appointments for follow-ups to monitor the progress of recovery and the satisfaction level of your Brow Lift.
The results of your Brow Lift are immediately visible. However, it will take around six months for the final brow line to settle and for the incision scars to fade.
Absolutely, you can! Many of our Brow Lift patients in Houston have combined their procedure with an eyelid surgery or a facelift. We encourage our patients to discuss these goals with Dr. Hankins at the initial consultation so that he can devise the best-combined procedure plan for them.
Even though a Brow Lift in Houston is a minor procedure, it is still a surgery and carries some risks. Below are some of the potential complications associated with a Brow Lift:
If you experience any concerning or any long-lasting and unexpected side effects, please contact our office immediately.
Premier Plastic Surgery uses up-to-date, advanced procedures, along with cutting-edge technology, to help you achieve your aesthetic goals. Contact our friendly, professional staff today to find out more about a forehead lift or to schedule your personal complimentary consultation. Our service area includes Houston, Pearland, Lake Jackson, and the communities in and around South Houston.