Brow Lift

The strongest candidates are patients whose brow has descended below the orbital rim — creating a heavy, hooded upper-eye appearance — and whose forehead lines have deepened from the brow muscles working overtime to compensate. Dr. Truesdale assesses brow position, forehead height, hair pattern, and upper-eyelid anatomy in consultation. If upper-lid heaviness is primarily a skin problem rather than a brow problem, he’ll tell you that too and recommend blepharoplasty instead. The evaluation is honest — the procedure is only recommended when it will genuinely help.

It depends on what’s actually dropping. If the issue is mostly excess upper-lid skin, upper blepharoplasty alone often solves it. If a meaningful part of the heaviness is the brow sitting below the orbital rim, the brow should be lifted first — or a blepharoplasty alone will leave you with an incomplete result. Many patients benefit from both procedures performed together. Dr. Truesdale and his team analyze this precisely during consultation and explain exactly what each procedure will and won’t accomplish for your anatomy.

Most patients describe the discomfort as mild to moderate — closer to tightness and pressure than sharp pain. See “What kind of anesthesia is used?” for details on intra-operative comfort. Oral pain medication manages the first 48–72 hours comfortably for nearly everyone. Dr. Truesdale’s team checks in within 24 hours of surgery and is available throughout recovery — you are not managing discomfort on your own.

Our surgical procedures utilize a patient-focused anesthesia technique known as MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care) and IV Sedation, ensuring your maximum comfort and safety. This method provides a level of gentle, deep sedation comparable to the comfortable experience many patients have during a colonoscopy, which we have found helps make patients less fearful. The anesthesia is administered intravenously and meticulously monitored by a hand-picked group of board-certified anesthesiologists, who are dedicated to your well-being throughout your entire procedure.

Plan on 10–14 days of social recovery. The first 3–5 days involve mild-to-moderate forehead swelling and possible bruising around the eyes — patients typically stay home and rest. On day 7 your staples and sutures are removed at follow-up with Dr. Truesdale. By day 10–14 most patients are back to desk work, with residual bruising concealable by makeup. Strenuous exercise typically resumes at 3 weeks, once your surgeon clears you. The endoscopic approach — unlike older coronal techniques — preserves scalp sensation and produces no visible scar.

Only when a brow lift is performed too aggressively. That startled look is the signature of a surgeon who elevated too much, not of the procedure itself. Dr. Truesdale’s rule is to restore the brow to its anatomically youthful position — typically 1–3 mm of elevation at the tail — not to push it higher. Every patient is marked in a seated, relaxed state before surgery (never under anesthesia) so the target is based on genuine resting anatomy. The goal is that people tell you look rested — and cannot identify what changed.

A properly performed endoscopic brow lift holds for 7–10 years for most patients. Aging continues afterward at the normal rate — but from a more youthful starting point. Patients who maintain healthy habits, consistent sun protection, and a medical-grade skincare regimen tend to retain their results longest. Many choose to combine the brow lift with a facelift 8–12 years later for comprehensive ongoing rejuvenation.

Yes — a significant portion of Dr. Truesdale’s patients travel from across the United States and internationally. The process typically begins with a virtual consultation with Dr. Truesdale himself (not a coordinator), followed by in-person pre-operative evaluation the day before surgery. Our patient-care coordinators help you arrange travel, hotel, and local transportation, and Dr. Truesdale’s team conducts virtual follow-ups after you return home. Plan to be in Beverly Hills for about a week in total.

Request a consultation through the form at the bottom of this page, email contact@doctortruesdale.com, or call (424) 363-4112. Our team responds within one business day to schedule either an in-person consultation at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 360, Beverly Hills or a virtual consultation worldwide. Every consultation is conducted personally by Dr. Truesdale and costs $750, fully credited toward the cost of your procedure.

Most brow lift patients are between 45 and 65, though patients with genetically heavy brows benefit earlier. The best indicator is functional: when you find yourself raising your forehead to “hold” your brows up, or when heaviness at the lateral brow makes your eyes look tired or angry at rest.

The cost of brow lift can vary based on the patient’s situation, including if it is a revision surgery and if this surgery will be combined with other surgeries or treatments. The total cost may include the surgeon’s fee, operating room fees, and anesthesia fees. At Truesdale Facial Plastic Surgery, we believe the surgeon’s philosophy and experience, and your comfort with him, are just as important as the final cost of the surgery. We can provide an approximate range for this procedure over the phone, and your patient care coordinator (PCC) will confirm the pricing for you after your consultation with Dr. Truesdale.

Your dressing and compression bandage come off at your Day 1 visit. Our physician assistant removes your drain on Day 3; because of where it sits, this can be more uncomfortable than other drains, and that is expected. Your staples and sutures come out at your Day 7 visit.

On your back with your head raised on two to three pillows for the first two weeks. Move your head and shoulders together, and avoid pulling down on your forehead or pressing on your brow for at least a month.

If Endotine fixation was used to hold your brow while it heals, you may feel two small lumps under your scalp. They are expected and dissolve on their own over about 9 months.

Take a body shower only, keeping your face dry, until your drain is out on Day 3. After that you can wash your hair gently in cool to lukewarm water, avoiding the incisions, and use a blow-dryer on the cool setting only. Hair color can resume at 1 month. No tight hairstyles or ponytails that pull on your scalp while you heal.

The consent you sign lists these possible complications: hair loss along the incisions, weakness of the forehead muscles from injury to a branch of the facial nerve, and numbness or itching of the scalp and forehead that may last months, each of which may be temporary or permanent; uneven brows, a surprised look, a raised hairline or a brow that descends again over time; fixation points that can be felt under the scalp (endoscopic brow lift); and a visible scar at the hairline (pre-trichial brow lift). It also lists the risks of any operation, including bleeding, infection, blood clots and the risks of anesthesia. Dr. Truesdale reviews each one with you. See brow lift risks and safety.