Your face is full of muscles that are responsible for creating the dozens of facial expressions you make every day. Whether you are happy, sad, or perplexed, your facial muscles cause your mood to be reflected in your face. Some muscles get more work than others, particularly the ones around your forehead, eyes, and mouth. These are known as dynamic muscles and they are responsible for the wrinkles that appear in these areas as you get older. In the forehead, the wrinkles created by repeated muscle contractions can give you a tired or even angry appearance, even though you may not be feeling that way. Your appearance can be helped surgically with a brow lift, non-surgically with dermal fillers like Botox, or with a combination of both procedures.
Brow Lift Surgery
This is a more permanent solution to the issues caused by aging and facial muscle contractions. The surgeon makes small incisions at or behind the patient’s hairline, then uses endoscopic tools to repair or adjust the facial muscles. From there, the surgeon lifts and tightens the skin so that the forehead appears smoother and tighter across the face. Patients who have loose and sagging foreheads or especially deep wrinkles will likely benefit the most from this procedure.
Brow lift results are not immune to the effects of aging – the patient will still continue to grow old and that will be reflected over time in the face. However, a brow lift can take years away from your appearance and will continue to provide that look even as you get older.
Botox Injections
This procedure is much less invasive that a brow lift, so it’s less expensive and has a much shorter recovery time. Botox is a dermal filler injection composed of botulinum toxin, which will temporarily paralyze the facial muscles when it is injected. Since the muscles are paralyzed, they can’t contract, which will smooth out the patient’s face and temporarily prevent new wrinkles from forming. The procedure is quick and simple, which is part of the great appeal surrounding the injections. Patients can have the procedure done within an hour and have little to no recovery time.
The results of Botox injections are not permanent – they will start to become less effective after a few months. The injections can be re-administered over and over again as needed, though, so patients can come back to the doctor’s office any time the wrinkles start to reappear.
Combining Brow Lifts and Botox
For some patients, a brow lift alone or Botox injections alone may not provide the most optimal results. In those cases, a combination of the two procedures may be the best course of action. In this way, the patient gets the full advantages and benefits of having a permanent solution with a brow lift, but still have room for touch ups as needed down the road. Botox can also be applied to other areas of the face, which will provide a complete and youthful look to the patient.
Regardless of which procedure or procedures are chosen by the doctor and patient, brow lifts and Botox injections must be done by someone who knows what they’re doing. Both procedures carry risks, like all forms of surgery do, and those risks become increasingly more dangerous if you have them performed by someone who is inexperienced.
Dr. Todd Hobgood
Dr. Hobgood of Scottsdale, AZ has been a plastic surgeon for over a decade and specializes in a variety of surgical and nonsurgical facial procedures, including brow lifts and Botox. To schedule an initial patient consultation for these and other procedures, call his office at (480) 214-9955 or send an email through his Contact Page for more information.
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