Your surgeon will help you to make a decision which surgical approach will better reach your cosmetic aims: the classic or "open" method or the endoscopic forehead lift. Be certain you understand the technique that your surgeon recommends and why he or she feels it is best for you.

The Classic Forehead Lift

Preceding the operation your hair will be fixed with rubber bands on each side of the incision line. It doesn`t mean your head to be shaved, but hair that is growing straight in front of the incision line may require to be cut.

For the majority of patients a coronal incision will be applied. It follows a headphone-like model, starting at about ear level and running across the top of the forehead and down the other side of the head. The incision is frequently made right behind the hairline so that the scar won’t be able to be seen.

 If your hairline is high or receding, the incision may be sited just at the hairline, to avoid adding even more height to the forehead. Patients with a bald or losing hair sometimes need a mid-scalp incision that follows the natural pattern of the skull bones. By wearing your hair down on your forehead, most such scars become relatively unremarkable. Special planning is sometimes necessary for hiding the scar in male patients, whose hairstyles often don’t lend them as well to incision exposure.

If you are bald or have thinning hair, your surgeon may recommend a mid-scalp incision so the resulting scar follows the natural junction of two bones in your skull and is less visible.

Working through the incision, the skin of the forehead is carefully raised so that the underlying tissue can be removed and the muscles of the forehead can be changed or released. The eyebrows may also be elevated and surplus of skin at the incision point will be trimmed away to help produce a smoother and more youthful appearance.

The incision is then sewed with stitches or clips. Your face and hair will be washed to avert irritation and the rubber bands will be removed from your hair. Even though some plastic surgeons do not use any dressings, your doctor may choose to cover the incision with gauze padding and swathe the head with an elastic bandage.

The Endoscopic Forehead Lift

Classically, an endoscopic forehead lift requires the same preparation steps as the traditional procedure: the hair is tied back and trimmed behind the hairline where the incisions will be made.

On the other hand, rather than making one long coronal incision, your surgeon will make three, four or five short scalp incisions, each less than an inch in length. An endoscope, which is a pencil-like camera device connected to a television monitor, is inserted through one of the incisions, permitting the surgeon to have a clear view of the muscles and tissues beneath the skin. By means of another instrument inserted through a different incision, the forehead skin is lifted and the muscles and underlying tissues are removed or changed to produce a smoother appearance. Your eyebrows may also be lifted and tighted into their higher position by sutures beneath the skin’s surface or by impermanent fixation twist placed behind the hairline.

When the lift is complete, the scalp incisions will be covered with stitches or clips and the area will be washed. According to your surgeon’s preference gauze and an elastic bandage may also be used.