When it comes to your eyebrows and the brow area, there is so much that we do to keep them on fleek and perfectly arched. Sometimes we like to fill them in with a darker eyebrow pencil, have them Microbladed for a more permanent look, or even go all out and live our Audrey Hepburn fantasy with those well-defined brows! However we maintain and groom our brows, it is all to provide that rejuvenated, crisp look that brings out our eyes and makes it seem as if we have just come from a refreshing day at the spa.
With advancements in make-up and treatments such as Microblading, there are many more options available to have the eyebrows that you have always dreamed of. The popular and incredibly talented team at Studio Sashiko are revolutionizing Microblading and medical tattooing to provide permanent, striking eyebrows. While as amazing as the Studio Sashiko team are, there does come a point though when when age and gravity may limit the results that can be achieved with such treatments, and perhaps combining this with other facial rejuvenation is the way to go. We aren't talking only about the eyebrows here, but the entire brow region; an area that controls a large amount of our expression, elevates our eyebrows, brings out our eyes, and works to portray our overall mood or sense of self to those around us.
Thanks to the combined efforts of genetics, aging, sun exposure, and good old gravity (*shakes fist at the Earth's combined mass*) the brow area tends to soften and lose expression earlier than other parts of our face, much like the eyes. This can be due to the muscles in this area weakening, a loss of skin laxity or a combination of both.
Fortunately, there are more prominent ways besides make-up to help make you appear as though you just came off a 3-month restorative vacation. We of course are talking about Brow Lift Surgery, and the "Liquid Brow Lift". These are surgical and non surgical options that can work to help lift the brow arch, brighten your expression and provide an overall rejuvenated appearance. So for this edition of "The Needle or the Knife," we will take you through the ins-and-outs of both of these options, and show you that it's nothing to raise an eyebrow over (figuratively speaking anyway).
The Liquid Brow Lift is a non surgical treatment that uses Wrinkle Relaxing Injections, known as Neuromodulators, which are injected into strategic areas of the forehead to help lift the brow. This is typically an ideal option for those who are seeing mild-to-moderate signs of aging in their brow region, and may not yet be a candidate for Brow Lift Surgery. Below are some before and after photos showing the results of just using Neuromodulator for this subtle yet striking Brow Lift effect.
Liquid Brow Lift with Neuromodulators Botox in Vancouver
Now, you may be thinking "um, don't Neuromodulators cause muscles to relax? So won't this make my brow sag even more!?" And you are absolutely correct, if Neuromodulators are injected directly into your brow, then this will cause it to sag and droop. But, in the hands of a skilled Injector, they will place the injections into specific areas of the forehead. What this does is relaxes the upper muscles of the forehead, and forces the brow muscles to work harder to compensate for their now-relaxed upstairs neighbour - therefore lifting the brow. It's like when you shut your eyes for time, and your other senses are temporarily heightened - because they are working to compensate for the absence of a sense. While the effects of the Liquid Brow Lift are amazing, they are temporary and usually require re-treatment every 4-6 months, depending on how your body metabolizes the product.
Below is a link of a video of our Nurse Injector, Lisa, talking about forehead wrinkles and wrinkle relaxing injections. While the primary discussion is about wrinkles, she does discuss the nuance and strategy behind placing injections and what it can do for the muscles in your brow/forehead region.
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While the Liquid Brow Lift is a phenomenal treatment to help with subtly lifting a sagging brow, of which many patients find the perfect solution for their concerns, the non surgical approach may not be suitable for all patients.
If the sagging brow is the result of more mature forms of aging, excess skin, and/or lax muscles across the entire brow; then Brow Lift Surgery may be the ideal way to go. This surgery is also the more permanent option, and a patient who is a candidate for both surgical and non surgical options may opt for Brow Lift Surgery to have a permanent, more pronounced lift.
How Dr. Buonassisi performs Brow Lift Surgery is done one of three ways; The Temporal Brow Lift, The Direct Incision Brow Lift, and the Endoscopic Brow Lift, each to target specific concerns and conditions.
For patients who are happy with how the middle of their brow sits (known as the medial brow), but notice the outer-third of their brow (aka the lateral brow) is sagging, a Temporal Brow Lift is usually the way to go. This procedure places incisions in the hairline above the sagging lateral brow areas, and removes excess skin to then seal and lift the corners of the brow with stitches.
The Direct Incision Brow Lift is suggested when patients have an overall sagging of their brow due to excess and lax skin that causes heavy sagging of the area. This procedure is performed by placing incisions in wrinkles of the forehead, and removing the excess skin, followed by placing stitches to lift the brow. By placing the incisions and stitches in natural wrinkles, any scars that result are imperceivable.
Last, but not not least, is the Endoscopic Brow Lift, which differs from the other Brow Lift Surgery in that instead of removing and lifting skin with stitches, this is made possible with the surgical elevation of the multiple structures under the skin. The Endoscopic Brow Lift is typically the most popular Brow Lift technique as it creates a scarless and more natural-looking result that will slow the signs of aging and create an overall rejuvenation appearance in the upper face for years to come.
Determining if you are a candidate for Brow Lift Surgery over the non surgical options, let alone at all, is difficult to do without a consultation. At 8 West Cosmetic Surgery and Skin Clinic, we provide a complimentary pre-consultation with our Patient Care Managers who will perform a photo review with Dr. Buonassisi to determine if this is the right surgery for you. They can also discuss non surgical options with you if it doesn't appear that you are a candidate for surgery, or if you both options can help achieve your desired results.
Dr. Buonassisi, and our treatment providers are all here to help you achieve your aesthetic goals, and we are always open and honest with our patients on the results we believe we can achieve. Being a results-driven practise, when either Dr. Buonassisi or our medical aesthetics team hear what your concerns and your goals are. So when it comes to deciding between the needle or the knife, let us take the guess-work out for you.
Something that we pride ourselves on at 8 West Clinic is the ability to provide patients with the best options for their facial rejuvenation needs. Dr. Buonassisi has purposefully built his practise to provide a 360 degree approach to aesthetics, so that he can work in tandem with our talented nurse injectors and skin specialists to provide you with all the options and information possible. When discussing options with our Patient Care Managers, Injectors, or even Dr. Buonassisi himself, if it is decided that one treatment option (surgery or otherwise) isn't possible, we will work with you and suggest the best alternative available to get you where you want to go.
If either Brow Lift Surgery, or the Liquid Brow Lift have caused a curious peak in your eyebrows, then quash that curiosity with a complimentary consultation with either our Nurse Injectors, or our Surgical Patient Care Managers. Feel free to give us a call on (604) 733-1669 or complete this form for a call back.
