Forehead & Brow Lift in Fort Wayne

Knowing what to do and what to expect before your surgery will make for the best possible outcome.

If you’re a smoker, you will be asked to stop smoking well before surgery. You may need to get lab testing or a medical evaluation, to take certain medications or adjust your current medications. You will need to avoid aspirin and certain anti-inflammatory drugs before surgery, because they can cause increased bleeding. Dr. Lee will provide additional preoperative instructions.

Your surgery will be performed at the fully accredited Southwest Surgical Suites. Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery and to stay with you at least the first night following surgery.

Your surgery likely will be performed with general anesthesia; local anesthesia and intravenous sedation might be an option as well. Dr. Lee will recommend the right anesthesia for you.

You will not be able to undergo any chemical hair processes while your incisions heal, so you should schedule any visits to the salon before your surgery. You may want to grow out your hair before surgery to hide your incisions as they heal.

Where your incisions are placed and the size of your incisions will depend on the type of lines to be reduced, but typically they are made in the scalp within the hairline, where they can be hidden. Dr. Lee may modify or remove parts of the muscles that are causing your wrinkling, if necessary. Your skin and the underlying tissues are then tightened and affixed in place with permanent sutures or small surgical screws.

If the area to be treated is limited, such as with vertical frown lines between the eyebrows, the procedure may be done using an endoscope, a long, thin tube attached to a video camera that allows Dr. Lee to work through small incisions.

When your surgery is complete, you’ll be taken into a recovery area where you will be closely monitored. Your forehead will be bandaged, and you may have small tubes under your skin to drain excess fluid.

You’ll receive detailed instructions for your post-surgical care. In most cases, you’ll go home in just a few hours. You will need a caregiver to drive you home and to stay with you for the first 24 hours to watch for signs of complications.

You will need to keep your head elevated for a few days after your forehead lift, and you may be instructed to use cold compresses to relieve swelling. You’ll experience some uneven swelling and discoloration once the bandages are removed. Most of the swelling will dissipate within 48 hours, and most bruising will be gone within two weeks. You may notice some numbness for the first few months after your forehead lift.

Your stitches will be removed approximately a week after surgery. You should avoid bending, lifting and excessive activity during this time. You should avoid prolonged sun exposure and cigarette smoke to protect the results of your forehead lift.

You will likely be able to return to work within a week to 10 days after your surgery.

Major complications are rare with a forehead lift. And Dr. Lee is a board-certified surgeon with decades of experience. But every surgery comes with risk. The risks associated with a forehead lift include:

• Unattractive scarring
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Poor wound healing
• Anesthesia risks
• Blood clots
• Correctable hair loss at the incisions
• Elevated hairline
• Facial nerve injury with weakness or paralysis
• Facial asymmetry
• Skin loss
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation or intense itching
• Eye irritation or dryness
• Eyelid disorders that involve abnormal position of the upper eyelids, loose eyelid skin or abnormal laxness of the lower eyelid.
• Additional surgery may be required.
• Fluid accumulation
• Pain, which may persist
• Skin contour irregularities
• Skin discoloration and swelling
• Sutures may spontaneously surface through the skin, become visible or produce irritation and require removal
• Possibility of revisional surgery

Dr. Lee will discuss these risks with you during your consultation. Please be sure to ask him about any questions or concerns that you might have.

The results of your forehead lift will be subtle at first; as time goes by and the swelling completely subsides, you’ll enjoy a refreshed, younger and more pleasant appearance. You can greet the world with a smile that lights up your whole face.

To protect and sustain your fresh new look, Dr. Lee can recommend several remarkable products from the Aspire skin care line. Avoiding sun exposure and cigarette smoke and eating a skin-friendly diet will also allow you to enjoy the results of your forehead lift for years to come.

The key to a truly successful forehead lift is maintaining an open line of communication with Dr. Lee and adhering to his recommendations. He and his team are eager to respond to your questions—they are your partners in achieving the results that you seek.

Sources: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons; The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery