What Is the Best Brow Lift Alternative?

   I have performed many of these browlifts in bald men with an endoscopic approach.  This can be done with 1.5 cm incisions, which are difficult to appreciate.  A direct brow lift may be appropriate as well.

Various techniques can be used to lift the brow in men. Endoscopic and caronal lifts are fairly big procedures but can be quite effective. In Men with high hairlines or complete baldness I often recomend a midforehead brow lift. The brow can be shaped acurately and the incission lines are easily camouflaged by forehead wrinkles. The procedure is quick and can be done under local anaesthetic.

You have many options available to you as a male. Being bald limits some of them however. A coronal lift would be visible as would incisions placed in the scalp for the endoscopic procedure. A pure temporal lift done endoscopically with suture plication is a great alternative in bald males as the temporal hair is almost always still intact (unless you shave the remainder or your head). Another good option is the transblepharoplasty brow-pexy which can also avoid observable scars. A good non-surgical option is Dysport or Botox to provide a chemical lift. This can alway be tried first to see if you would like the appearance of the more permanent solution. If you truly have involutional ptosis however this may need to be adressed with a ptosis surgery. I hope this helps.

A brow lift is a common procedure performed on male patients, and looks best when performed conservatively. Often, it is not lifting but volumizing the eyebrow region that really enhances appearance. In general, an endoscopic approach is a fantastic way to perform the surgery and will leave you with minimal scarring. If you did not want to go the surgical route when improving the appearance of your brow, you could always lift the brow temporarily with Botox or Dysport. Injecting a small amount of Botox or Dysport will slightly raise the lateral eyebrows. You may also use fillers such as Juvederm or Restylane at the superior area of the brow. There is no right or wrong answer, as the decision to have a brow lift is a personal preference. It is important that you and your surgeon agree on a game plan, and I would recommend choosing a surgeon who uses computer imaging software. This will allow you to get an idea of how the final result may appear, and serve as a great communication tool between you and your prospective surgeon. Thank you and I hope this helps!

There are many choices for brow lift incision. The only one you did not mention is the endoscopic approach. This approach leaves very small incisions that usually heal well. Brow lift on men can be very helpful if not overdone. Without a photo to see if there are deep forehead lines its hard to recommend one incision site. If you have very low brows you are a good candidate for one of the mentioned approaches.

Browlifting is surgery that can be done via a myriad of different techniques, and each technique is idea for a certain type of patient, male vs female, forehead wrinkles or smooth forehead, good hairline or not [and there are obviously different degrees of hairloss], and thickness of skin.

A direct or midforehead lift can achieve excellent results [long term] is it is done in the proper patient. Ideally, you should get an opinion from a surgeon that is facile and experienced using all the different techniques:

Coronal incision [middle of the scalp], trichophytic incision [hairline], endoscopic, midforehead, and suprabrow.

I use all of the above techniques depending on the individual patient.

If you post a photo, we might be able to give you a more individualized recommendation.

Browlifts in males are more challenging because the options are often limited because of current or potential future hair loss which hiding the scar an issue.  Lower brow position in a male is more acceptable and often more desirable to maintain a masculine appearance whereas too much elevation of the brow can lead to a feminized or "operated-on" appearance.  As a result, a more conservative approach is often recommended when evaluating and treating upper lid hooding as it relates to brow droop.  Options for males with thinning hair or baldness may include a modified endosopic approach using small horizontal incisions in a natural crease in the upper forehead and temple regions, a mid forehead lift with the incisions in horizontal creases of the mid forehead, the direct browlift along the natural browline and a transblepharoplasty approach using the incision in the upper lid crease.  The latter hides the incision the best but in my experience tends to give the least amount of lift which may actually be acceptable given the desire to maintain a masculine appearance.  The other three have potentially visible scars that would depend on the depth of the forehead creases or the fullness of the brow in helping to camouflage the scars.  These approaches may be indicated in a male with more significant brow droop.  Essentially, there is often a tradeoff of sorts in that you will get the most lift from those procedures that have the greatest risk of a visible scar and it is, therefore, important that you discuss this thoroughly with your surgeon to determine what you are willing to accept for the benefits you desire.  Often times, upper lid surgery alone will remove the excess eyelid skin and give a satisfactory result and it is certainly an option to start with just that if you are not sure if you are willing to accept this tradeoff.  A browlift can be done secondarily if the results are not satisfactory.  

If you are fair the direct brow  lift thru forehead wrinkles is best.  Coronal scars in bald men do not heal as well. 

The best brow lift option is different for everybody.  Some may be better off without a brow lift.  For those who would benefit from a brow lift, the incision can placed on the brow (direct technique) or forehead crease (mid-forehead lift) or at forehead/temple hairline (pretrichial forehead lift)  or behind the hairline (endoscopic).  The last two options won't be good for balding hair.  Brow lift, if performed in men, should be done more conservatively.  Brow/forehead lift can be combined with upper blepharoplasty if necessar.  See an oculoplastic or facial plastic surgeon.

There is no single right answer as to the type of brow lift you should have.  As you have already seen, different doctors are going to have different opinions and this does not necessarily mean they are all wrong or right.  It's difficult to give you specific advice without a picture, but in general, a brow lift in a man with little hair can be a challenge.  If you have virtually no hair to hide any incisions on your scalp, I would not recommend any surgical approach that would use incision on the top of your head.  So that would mean no coronal lift as well as no traditional endoscopic lift.  This would leave the option of a direct brow lift or a mid forehead lift.  The direct brow lift works best in men with thick eyebrows to hide the scar.  A mid forehead lift can work well depending on the quality of your forehead skin and the character of the lines on your forehead.  If a brow lift is done well in a man, it can look good.  What generally makes it not look good is if the brows are raised too high.  Another option you have is to not have any brow lift and only have the upper blepharoplasty.  This would improve your eye area but leave your brows in the same position as they are now.