THE EVOLUTION OF SUBCUTANEOUS BROW LIFT: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF OUTCOMES AND COMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to analyze and compare the results of three different subcutaneous brow lift techniques: Fogli temporal lift, pretrichial brow lift, and gliding brow lift. Material and methods: Thirty-three female patients underwent brow lift surgery between July 2022 and September 2021. Initially, eighteen consecutive patients were operated with either the temporal lift technique or pretrichial brow lift technique based on their forehead length. Then, fifteen consecutive patients underwent the gliding brow lift surgery regardless of their forehead length. Age, type of anesthesia, other accompanying surgical procedures, and postoperative complications including presthesia in the scalp, incisional postoperative healing problems, unfavorable incisional scarring, non-incisional healing problems, hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation, neuropraxia of the frontal branch, recurrence, and hematoma were analyzed based on the type of the brow lift technique retrospectively. Results: The average follow-up period was 13.6 months (range, 9-21 months). In the gliding brow lift, the most common complications were transient scalp paresthesia (47%), non-incisional healing problems (27%), and small areas of hypopigmentation in the forehead skin (20%). The most common complications of the temporal lift were the unfavorable incisional scarring (85%) and transient (77%) or permanent (31%) paresthesia in the scalp. The rate of postoperative small incisional problems (80%) and scarring (60%) were high in the pretrichial subcutaneous brow lift. None of the patients required a revision surgery or had a permanent frontal branch injury. Conclusion: There has been a trend toward the minimally invasive techniques in periorbital rejuvenation. The ideal technique should have minimal morbidity and provide long-lasting effects. This study demonstrates that the gliding brow lift technique is a promising and minimally invasive technique with pleasing outcomes in brow rejuvenation.