Browlift or Upper Eyelids?

Posted on Friday, January 4th, 2013 by Dr. Babak Dadvand

Some patients who see me for upper eyelid surgery really need a browlift (or forehead lift). For the average person it’s sometimes hard to tell whether they need their upper eyes done, or their brow lift, or a combination. The position of our eyebrows is important in what kind of expression we show. If the inner part of our eyebrows goes downward, it gives us an angry look, if the outer part goes down it gives us a sad or worried look. If our entire brow is low it makes us seem tired.

The position of the eyebrows is also different in men and women. In women the eyebrow should start just above the bony ridge (called the superorbital rim) and gently arch up and the n back down. The outer part of the eyebrow should be level with the inner part. In men, the eyebrow should be at the level of the bony ridge and should be horizontal with no arch in it. The reason why all of this is important is that sometimes when the eyebrows lower, they can cause there to be excess skin in the upper eyelid area as well. In these patients, if only upper eyelid surgery is done, it will actually pull the eyebrow down even more and not result in a refreshed look. These patients would benefit more from a brow lift and possibly in addition, an upper eyelid surgery.

The moral of this story is that the operation needs to be tailored to the patients needs and this can be done after a careful examination and discussion.

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