Brow Lifts; Evolving With Time
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The first documented medical discussion about a Brow lift was written around the 1900s by German cosmetic surgeon Erich Lexer. The main surgical method of lifting the forehead during Lexers time up until the 1950s was then known as an open, forehead lift. While this procedure is currently used far less frequently, the surgeon began the procedure by making one, long incision running from ear to ear over the top of the head through the hairline. The surgeon then lifts the skin and muscles upwards and free from the bone, pulling the tissues up toward the top of the head, trims the excess and closes the incision. The incision was initially made well into the hairline so the surgical scar could not later be seen.
During some cases the upper eyelids are elevated during the operation. Most times this procedure provides this smoother, unwrinkled skin which many patients desire, to help look younger and refreshed. In the 1950s, some surgeons also achieved the desired youthful appearance by removing some of the small forehead muscles which causes frowning and grimacing.
The discovery of Botox revolutionized the field of cosmetic surgery in terms of the Brow Lift. Since the creation of the ever popular Botox many consumers have taken measures to avoid invasive surgery altogether, opting for Botox injections every four to six months to get the same results. Botox is also used for post-brow lift procedures to increase the effects of the surgeries.
Advancement to Brow lift surgery was found with a device called Endotine. The Endotine is essentially a hanger with five small tines, Affixed by inserting a flanged post into a drill hole in the skull. Endoscopic surgery is usually used in forehead lifts. An endoscope is a surgical device with thin, pencil-sized arms that are inserted through three to five incisions above the hairline. The machines possess an arm with a lighted camera that displays the muscular tissue under the patients skin on a television. Other arms on the Endoscope carry actual surgical tools that perform cutting, or grasping functions. The cosmetic surgeon views the television n monitor to guide his movements.
First, the surgeon frees the tissues of the forehead from the skull, then lifts them upwards and engages them onto the implant tines which hold them in place. The upside is the surgeon can readjust the height of the lift by simply moving the tissues up on the Endotine. If left undisturbed for 30 to 60 days, the forehead tissues heal to the bone at the higher point on the skull. The body adapts to the Endotine treatment in about four to seven months.
The advancement of technology has dramatically changed the abilities of a plastic surgeon to provide their clients with a refreshed, youthful appearance.