An eyebrow lift, also called a forehead lift, raises the brows to smooth forehead wrinkles, soften frown lines between the eyes, and correct sagging skin that can make you look tired or older than you feel. The procedure physically repositions the soft tissue of the forehead, and in many cases weakens or removes small muscles responsible for deep creases. Results typically last 5 to 10 years, with some patients seeing benefits for up to 12.
How It Changes Your Forehead and Brows
Four muscles control the skin around your eyebrows. One raises them (the broad muscle across your forehead), while three others pull them downward or inward, creating horizontal lines, vertical frown lines between the brows, and horizontal creases at the bridge of the nose. Over time, repetitive contraction of these muscles carves permanent furrows into the skin, and the tissue gradually sags under gravity.
A brow lift works on both problems at once. The surgeon lifts the skin and underlying tissue back to a higher position, then secures it in place. When needed, the small muscles that cause vertical frown lines between the brows are partially cut or removed, which relaxes the area and creates a smoother, less tense appearance. The result is a forehead with fewer deep creases and brows that sit higher, particularly at the outer corners, which opens up the eye area.
Brow shape matters as much as brow height. Research on facial perception shows that changes in brow contour affect how expressive and youthful a face appears even more than the absolute position of the brow. Most procedures focus on lifting the outer portion of the brow more than the inner portion, restoring the natural arch that tends to flatten with age.
Types of Brow Lift Procedures
The traditional open approach uses a long incision running from one side of the scalp to the other, hidden behind the hairline. It provides the most dramatic lift and works well for severe sagging, but it’s more invasive, carries a higher risk of numbness and visible scarring, and requires a longer recovery. It’s less commonly performed today.
Endoscopic brow lifts have largely replaced the open technique for most patients. A surgeon makes several small incisions in the scalp, inserts a tiny camera, and uses specialized instruments to release and reposition the tissue. Studies show endoscopic lifts achieve roughly 4 to 5 millimeters of brow elevation with reduced scarring and faster healing.
Other options include a hairline (pretrichial) lift, which places the incision right at the front of the hairline and works well for people with a high forehead who don’t want it raised further, and a temporal lift that targets only the outer brow for a subtler correction. A direct brow lift, which cuts just above the eyebrow itself, offers precise control but leaves a more visible scar, so it’s generally reserved for reconstructive cases rather than cosmetic ones.
Brow Lift vs. Eyelid Surgery
Many people who think they need eyelid surgery actually have a drooping brow. When the brow sags below the bony ridge above the eye socket, it pushes extra skin onto the upper eyelid, making the lids look heavy or hooded. This is sometimes called “secondary” excess skin because the real problem is higher up. Removing eyelid skin without addressing the brow can leave you looking pulled or fail to solve the problem entirely.
The distinction matters. If your brow sits below or at the level of the bony rim above your eye, a brow lift is typically the right procedure. If your brow position is normal but you have loose, redundant eyelid skin or puffy fat pads, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) is more appropriate. Some patients need both, and the two procedures are frequently combined.
The Non-Surgical Alternative
A “chemical brow lift” uses small injections of botulinum toxin (commonly known as Botox) into the muscles that pull the brow downward. With those muscles temporarily weakened, the forehead muscle that lifts the brow works unopposed, nudging it upward. A study published in JAMA Otolaryngology using 20 units injected into the frown muscles found a measurable increase in brow height in about a third to half of patients, along with a wider space between the brows in 59% of patients.
The lift is subtle compared to surgery, and it wears off in three to six months, requiring repeat sessions. It also can’t address significant sagging or remove excess skin. For people with mild drooping or early frown lines, though, it offers a low-commitment way to see whether a lifted brow improves their appearance before considering surgery.
Recovery Timeline
The first week involves the most visible swelling and bruising, which can extend from the forehead down around the eyes. By weeks one to two, the bruising fades significantly, sutures come out, and light activity like walking is fine. Most people who have an endoscopic lift return to work within a week. Open procedures typically require closer to two weeks before you’re comfortable in public.
Driving usually becomes possible at weeks two to three, once you’re off prescription pain medication and can move your head comfortably. By weeks three to four, most daily activities feel normal again, though you’ll still want to avoid anything strenuous. Full clearance for exercise, running, and sports generally comes between 6 and 12 weeks after surgery.
Risks and Side Effects
Numbness and altered sensation across the forehead are the most common complications, particularly with open and direct techniques. One review of direct brow lifts found that 74% of patients reported some change in forehead sensation after surgery. The reassuring detail: only 7% of those patients were actually bothered by it, suggesting the numbness is often mild or easy to live with. In many cases, sensation gradually returns over weeks to months.
Other potential risks include visible scarring (more likely with open and direct approaches), asymmetry between the two brows, hair loss near incision lines, and in rare cases, permanent nerve damage. Endoscopic techniques carry lower complication rates overall, which is one reason they’ve become the standard approach.
How Long Results Last
A surgical brow lift typically holds its results for 5 to 10 years, with some patients maintaining the improvement for up to 12 years. Your forehead will continue to age, but it does so from a higher starting point, so even after the lift gradually settles, most people still look better than they would have without the procedure. Factors like skin quality, sun exposure, smoking, and genetics all influence how long results hold.
By comparison, injectable treatments last three to six months per session and require ongoing maintenance. Thread lifts, a middle ground between injections and surgery, have shorter longevity than a full surgical lift.
Cost
The average surgeon’s fee for a brow lift is $5,460, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. That number covers only the surgeon’s time. Add in anesthesia, operating facility fees, medical tests, prescriptions, and post-surgery supplies, and the total typically runs higher. Brow lifts performed for purely cosmetic reasons are not covered by insurance. In rare cases where severe brow drooping obstructs vision, partial insurance coverage may apply.