Raise Drooping Eyebrows with a Laser Eye Lift

We’re in the age of the selfie. Those up-close photos often reveal every sign of aging. If you’ve noticed that your eyebrows seem to be drooping, getting closer to your eyes, it’s probably not an optical illusion, but the reality of time marching on, leaving its imprint on your face. 

Why are my eyebrows drooping closer to my eyes?

As you age, your skin loses some of its collagen and elastin, important proteins that keep it firm and supple when you’re young. Your skin doesn’t snap back when it’s stretched, for example, when you’re putting on makeup. Your eyebrows can start to sag and lose that natural arch that gives them structure. This droop creates less space between your brows and your eyelashes. Your eye sockets may have been well defined when you were younger, but now they may have disappeared as your brows slump. 

Sagging brows that cover the top of your eye sockets make you look older than you are. They can create a “hangdog” look that makes you appear tired all the time. 

You may have also developed furrows between your brows that look like railroad tracks — “frown lines” that can make you appear angry.  A brow lift can smooth those grooves and raise your eyebrows so you can see your upper eyelids again. You want to look as good as you feel. 

Your eyebrows, forehead, and eyelids are interconnected. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Hensel, Jr. with Lowcountry Plastic Surgery Center in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, performs brow lifts regularly, sometimes as part of a face-lift or a forehead lift, and often at the same time as surgery to remove excess skin on the eyelids, called blepharoplasty. If your eyelids are drooping and partially blocking your vision, your health insurance usually pays for the eyelid portion of an eyebrow and eyelid lift because unobstructed vision is medically necessary. 

Your initial consultation 

At your consultation, Dr. Hensel reviews your medical history and asks about your current and past medications. You’ll need to talk about your goals and expectations for your appearance. 

Dr. Hensel examines your facial structure and how your face moves. He shows you before and after photos to give you an idea of how a brow lift will alter your appearance. He’ll perform measurements around your forehead and eyebrows with your eyes open and closed. His staff also takes a set of “before” pictures for comparison purposes with pictures after the laser procedure. 

During and after the laser eyebrow lift

Dr. Hensel uses sedation or local anesthesia to perform a laser brow lift. The brow lift tightens the skin just as other laser skin-tightening procedures do. 

The laser’s heat energy stimulates production of new collagen and elastin around the forehead and brows while causing the old tissue with worn collagen and elastin to disintegrate. The heat also makes the muscles around the eyebrow contract, which causes the skin on the upper eyelids to move upward. You’ll notice immediate results, but improvement continues over several months. 

What is recovery like? 

Follow Dr. Hensel’s instructions. You may experience swelling and/or bruising for about a week. You might also have some itching or numbness. You can resume putting on makeup after the third day. 

Raising the eyebrows can make your eyes appear more prominent and take years off your appearance. You’ll look refreshed and alive rather than worn-down and tired. 

Call or book an appointment online with Lowcountry Plastic Surgery Center today for a laser brow lift or any of your plastic surgery needs.