Brow Lift – The healing process is going to be a bit uncomfortable. Common conditions that may occur during the initial healing process include: swelling, numbness and discomfort. These feelings can be mitigated with proper medication. It’s also common for you to feel itchy in the scalp, especially where the incisions were made. You may also be limited in your facial expressions and possibly even temporarily impaired.
Your plastic surgeon will tell you to keep your head elevated at all times until the initial swelling has settled. You will also be given very detailed instructions to follow after the surgery including how to cleanse your face and hair. These instructions are not to be taken as just recommendations, but as very specific duties to follow, as they are essential to the success of your surgery results. Usually within a few days of surgery you should feel a bit more comfortable and be able to resume normal activity.
Your initial healing process may take 5 to 10 days. During this time, your physician will remove any clips or sutures as necessary. After this initial healing process, you can return to work and other daily activities as usual. Any bruising that still should be light and easily covered up with cosmetics.
The entire healing process will take several weeks. The swelling of your wounds will continue to disappear and incision lines will improve and fade. While you’re healing, results will appear gradually. Until you’re completely healed, your surgeon recommends that you use sun block meticulously. This will prevent your wounds from turning discolored. You should continue to follow your doctor’s directions and go to follow-up visits as scheduled.
Brow Lift – Results and Outlook
Bare in mind that although the final results will be drastic compared to non-surgical procedures, it will take time for you to completely heal. It can take up to several months, for the swelling to completely disappear. Expect incision lines to take up to a year to completely fade. While the brow lift is a permanent surgical procedure, your face will continue to age after the process is complete. In order to allow the results of your brow lift surgery to last longer, letting you maintain a lively, more youthful look, it is recommended that you maintain a healthy lifestyle and continue to use sun block as part of your lifelong rituals. If you set reasonable expectations and follow your plastic surgeon’s instructions, the results of your brow lift will make you happy for years to come.
Brow Lift – Choosing the Right Surgeon
Electing to have plastic surgery, whether it’s for a brow lift, or any other procedure, is a very important decision. This is a huge commitment so it’s important to select the right plastic surgeon. You want to find one that you’re comfortable with, but you also want to make sure he/she is qualified to do the surgery you’re paying him/her to do. Two key things to look for in a plastic surgeon are board certification and privileges.
As strange as this may sound, not all physicians who perform reconstructive plastic surgery or who call themselves plastic surgeons are board certified to perform plastic surgery. Board certification is granted by one of two organizations: The American Board of Plastic Surgery and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Only these two organizations can certify physicians to perform plastic surgery of the face and entire body. In order to be certified, doctors must:
- Graduate from an accredited medical school
- Complete five years minimum of surgical training after medical school. This includes an accredited plastic surgery residency program.
- Pass all-inclusive written and oral exams
It requires about 14 years of specialized training in order for a plastic surgeon to be certified. Aside from being certified, your plastic surgeon should also have operating privileges at an accredited local hospital specifically for the procedure you plan on undergoing. This is highly recommended even if your surgeon can complete your brow lift or other surgical procedure at an ambulatory surgery center or an accredited office-based surgical facility. Dr. Kinney is a board certified plastic surgeon that has privileges at many of the major hospitals in West Los Angeles. Schedule a consultation today so he can help you determine if a brow lift is right for you.