Lidlift Kenneth D. Steinsapir, M.D.
Cosmetic, Facial & Eye Plastic Surgery

Brow Ptosis

Laxity in the forehead allows the eyebrows to fall. With this the skin below the eyebrow also falls into the upper eyelid space making the upper eyelid fold heavy. This encroachment of tissue onto the upper eyelid platform stimulates the brain to send a signal to the frontalis muscle of the forehead to lift accounting for the forehead lines associated with eyebrow ptosis. Treatments like BOTOX® can be used to relax the muscles that pull the eyebrows down and create a forehead lift effect. Alternatively, an actual forehead lift surgery can be performed to reposition the forehead tissues higher. When eyelid surgery is performed in this setting without controlling the position of the eyebrow, typically, skin is removed in the upper eyelid. This reduces the amount of encroachment of the upper eyelid fold onto the eyelid platform. The result is that there is less stimulation of the frontalis muscle to lift the eyebrows and they tend to relax after eyelid surgery. This affect needs to be anticipated before surgery so that relaxation of the eyebrow ptosis does not lead to post-operative disappointment.