Does a brow lift ever cause permanent numbness? i understand temporary numbness is a possible side effect from a brow lift. is the numbness ever permanent?

To : To create permanent numbness one would have to injure either the supratrochlear (medially-located) or supraorbital (more laterally-located) nerves by inadvertant transection or cautery injury. This would be an error in technique application and should be extremely rare in experienced hands.

A : A brow lift performed using a coronal incision (an incision that goes over the top of the scalp like a headband) will definitely leave you with some numbness of the scalp behind the incision. This is because the nerves that travel up to the top of the scalp travel directly through the tissue that is removed to create the effect of the brow lift. Usually this numbness is well tolerated and not very bothersome. You may notice it when combing the top of your hair. The newer endoscopic brow lift technique has as one of its benefits a markedly decreased risk of permanent scalp numbness. In an endoscopic brow lift, tissue is lifted and suspended on absorbable supports, not directly removed, and so the nerves are not divided. Some temporary numbness may occur, but this typically resolves over a period of weeks to months. All the best, dr. Skourtis.

There : There are multiple surgical techniques to elevate the brows. These range from endoscopic to trans-cutaneous (cutting and removing of skin). Any time there is an incision in the skin there is nerve damage. However, there is greater sensory/sensation loss when cuts are made horizontally above the eyebrows as well as closer to the eyebrows (mid-forehead versus along the hairline). Variations in sensation loss also relate as to whether incisions are carried all the way through the soft tissues of the scalp or only superficially. Regardless, a complete review of your aesthetic goals needs to be discussed as well as the various options in achieving them. Be healthy and be well, james m. Ridgway, md.

All : All browlift techniques cause a variable amount of post operative numbness due to the incisions in the skin and deeper layers... Most of this numbness dissipates at 3-6 months post op with a small amount ( >5%) of permanent numbness. Depending on the study you read there is no difference in permanent numbness in open and endoscopic techniques....

Permanent : Permanent numbness after a brow lift is a possible complication but I have never seen this regardless of the technique i used. There is less risk if this when using the endoscopic approach but there are other problems with an endoscopic procedure such as raising the hairline. That is why we developed the irregular hairline incision which enables us to maintain hairline position or lower it when necessary.