Patients have Less Scalp Numbness Early on with Endoscopic Brow Lift

Brow lift surgery can help minimize signs of aging in the forehead area of the face, correcting problems such as frown lines, creases across the forehead and a low or sagging brow.

The open brow lift and the endoscopic brow lift are two common techniques for the surgery. The open brow lift has one continuous incision from ear to ear, going up around the hair line, whereas the endoscopic brow lift has a few shorter incisions in the scalp. The endoscope, a surgical video device, is inserted into one of the incisions for viewing, and the surgeon uses another incision to make the necessary alterations.

A study published recently in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery compared postoperative numbness in the scalp and forehead for the two techniques and found that endoscopic brow lifts resulted in less numbness early on, but after 18 months, the results were about the same.

Twenty-one participants took part in the study; 11 had an endoscopic brow lift and 10 had an open brow lift. Those who had the open brow lift had significantly greater objective loss of sensation from one to two weeks to 12 to 14 weeks after surgery, and greater subjective sensory loss from four to six weeks to 12 to 14 weeks. However, the differences were no longer present at 24 to 26 weeks after surgery.

The researchers also conducted a retrospective analysis of 58 patients followed up at six months or more postoperatively. Once again, the open  group had more numbness early on, but the differences disappeared after the 18-month point.

Despite the numbness, the authors found that “almost no patients (57 of 58), irrespective of the technique used for their brow lift, viewed their experienced forehead and/or scalp numbness to have been significant enough to deter them from undergoing the surgery again.”

Dr. Will performs endoscopic brow lifts because the technique uses fewer incisions, reducing scarring and patient recovery time.