How Is a Brow Lift Performed? A Step-by-Step Look Inside

A brow lift takes roughly two to three hours, and almost all of it comes down to three things: where the surgeon places the incisions, how the brow and forehead tissue is released and lifted, and how that new position is anchored so it holds. Understand those three steps and the operation stops feeling like a black box.

The technique decides the details. An endoscopic lift works through a few short incisions hidden in the scalp, guided by a tiny camera; a direct or coronal approach trades a longer incision for more direct access. Each choice changes where the scar lands and how the lift is secured.

That choice is only as good as the surgeon making it. At Dr. Suzanne Yee Cosmetic & Laser Surgery Center in Little Rock, the endoscopic brow lift has been a focus since the practice became the first in Arkansas to offer it, performed by a triple board-certified cosmetic surgeon.

Brow lifts are also more routine than the mystery suggests, with 29,417 performed in the United States in 2024 according to ISAPS. This article walks through the whole procedure, from anesthesia and incision patterns to how the brow is lifted, secured, and closed, so the day itself feels familiar instead of unknown.

Table of Contents

Key takeaways

A brow lift isn’t one operation but a family of techniques, each with its own incision pattern.
The endoscopic approach hides several half-inch incisions in the scalp and uses a tiny camera, so there’s less scarring and faster healing than older open methods.
While you’re asleep, the surgeon lifts the forehead tissue off the bone, softens the muscles behind frown lines, and repositions the brow higher.
Absorbable Endotine(R) anchors or sutures hold the lift, and your final result settles over three to six months.

Which brow lift technique fits your facial anatomy?

There isn’t one single brow lift. The term covers several techniques, each one solving a slightly different mix of brow position, hairline height, and acceptable scarring. Understanding how brow lifts work starts with seeing the menu.

The differences mostly come down to where the incision sits and how much of the forehead it addresses. Here’s how the main approaches compare.

Technique	Where the incision goes	What it’s known for
Endoscopic	Several half-inch openings hidden in the scalp	Minimally invasive, less scarring, faster healing
Coronal (classic)	One longer line across the top of the scalp	Most extensive, longer healing, more lift
Hairline (pretrichial)	Along the front hairline	Lowers a high hairline while lifting
Temporal	Small openings at the temples	Targets only the outer brow, least invasive
Direct	Just above the eyebrows	Most precise lift, more visible scar

The endoscopic eyebrow lift procedure has become the modern standard for full-brow rejuvenation, doing a lot through very small openings. A temporal brow lift procedure, by contrast, is the lightest touch, lifting only the outer corners. Which one suits you is a conversation about your hairline, your skin, and the result you want, and your surgeon sorts that out first.

What happens as you prepare for brow lift surgery?

Once you and your surgeon settle on an approach, the prep work begins well before the day itself. The choices you make in the weeks before surgery genuinely shape how smoothly things go. That can feel like a lot when you just want the date to arrive.

Most of it is straightforward, and your care team gives you a personalized checklist. Required pre-op steps include:

Pausing certain medications and supplements that can increase bleeding, as directed
You will need to arrange a ride home, plus someone to help for the first day or two
Completing the pre-op labs your surgeon orders, which are required before surgery
If you smoke, stepping away from the habit, ideally six weeks before and after surgery, since it slows healing
Stepping away from alcohol as well, ideally about two weeks before and two weeks after surgery, since it can thin the blood and affect clotting

On the morning of surgery, Dr. Yee marks your brow and forehead while you’re sitting upright, mapping exactly where the lift needs to happen. These brow lift procedure steps matter, because the markings guide every move once you’re lying down. You may wonder about being awake for any of it, and that’s a fair thing to ask.

Some practices offer local anesthesia or sedation for lighter brow procedures. A surgical brow lift at this Little Rock practice is performed under general anesthesia, so you’re fully asleep and feel nothing. That general anesthesia is administered by a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) as part of the experienced surgical team, and you’re closely monitored throughout. For most people, knowing you’ll simply drift off and wake up when it’s done is the reassurance they need most.

If you’re weighing whether a brow lift is right for you, you can schedule a personal consultation to talk it through face to face. There’s no pressure to decide anything that day.

Flexible financing options through Cherry, Alphaeon Credit, CareCredit, PatientFi, and Alle can also help make the timing more manageable.

Where are the incisions placed, and how are the scars hidden?

This is the question almost everyone circles back to. Nobody wants a visible reminder of surgery, and the good news is that modern technique places incisions where hair and natural creases do the hiding for you. Feeling cautious about scarring is completely normal, and knowing the plan ahead of time tends to ease it.

With an endoscopic brow lift, the incisions are the smallest of any technique. The endoscopic brow lift incisions are several discreet, half-inch openings tucked within the scalp, well behind the hairline. Because they sit within the hairline, they tend to be difficult to spot once your hair grows back over them.

The other techniques trade incision size for different advantages. A coronal lift uses one longer line across the top of the scalp, while a hairline lift follows the front of your hairline to bring down a high forehead. A direct lift sits just above the brow, tucked into a natural forehead crease, and a temporal lift hides small openings at the temples. Throughout, careful angling of the incision helps preserve the hair follicles along the edges, so hair can keep growing right up to the line.

A longtime patient’s relative shared:

“Dr. Yee did a facelift, brow lift, chin implant and more almost 10 years ago for a family member and I am still in amazement at how great she looks. I often forget she had surgery until I look at old photos and am reminded how much better she looks even now. Nothing about her looks fake or ‘off’.”

What are the step-by-step stages of the forehead lift?

Here’s where we get into how a brow lift is performed once you’re asleep and the incisions are made. It’s natural to be curious about the part you won’t remember, and walking through it removes the last of the mystery.

Working through the small incisions, the surgeon gently separates the forehead skin and soft tissue from the bone underneath. With the endoscopic approach, a tiny fiber-optic camera, the endoscope, is slipped through one opening so the whole field shows up magnified on a monitor. That magnified view is what allows such precise work through such small cuts.

From there, the stages of how a brow lift is done follow a clear sequence:

Releasing the deep tissues and ligaments that anchor the brow in its dropped position
Softening or adjusting the small muscles responsible for frown lines between the brows
Lifting the forehead tissue and repositioning the brow to a higher, more rested spot
Confirming symmetry from side to side before anything is secured

Symmetry is always the goal, though it cannot be guaranteed, since most people have some natural brow asymmetry to begin with. Precision at this stage is exactly why experience matters. Dr. Yee performs these techniques and also serves on a national education faculty, training other physicians in advanced facial work. The aim is always a natural lift that still moves and expresses like you, never a startled or overdone look.

Curious what that looks like on real patients? You can browse before-and-after brow lift photos to see how subtle the change can be.

How are your brows secured and the incisions closed?

Lifting the brow is only half the work. It also has to stay where the surgeon places it while everything heals. How that’s done is one of the most reassuring parts to understand.

To hold the brow in its new position, Dr. Yee often uses small absorbable supports called Endotine anchors. In plain terms, Endotines are tiny anchors made of polylactic acid that grip the lifted tissue and keep it in place as it heals. They begin to dissolve at approximately two months and are completely dissolved by about a year, so nothing has to be removed later.

Closing the incisions depends on the technique and where they sit. Surgeons typically use one or more of the following:

Fine sutures for incisions along the hairline or above the brow
Surgical staples or clips, which work well in hair-bearing scalp and are removed later
Soft dressings or surgical tape to support the area and manage normal swelling in the early days

Many patients combine an endoscopic brow lift with eyelid surgery to refresh the brows and lids together in one recovery. Some swelling, bruising, and a few headaches in the first days are simply part of healing, not signs that something went wrong. Rather than reaching for any home remedy, you’ll follow the personalized aftercare plan from the office, with the team a phone call away if anything feels off.

Daphne, a patient who has trusted the practice for facial procedures including a brow lift, shared:

“I can not say enough good stuff about Dr. Yee and her staff. Everybody is so welcoming and kind. I have had a facelift, browlift, chin implant, fillers and more. I have only felt confidence and safety with every procedure.”

Conclusion

You came here for the part the photos never show, the actual hour of a brow lift. Now you have it. The markings, the anesthesia, the camera, the lift, the Endotine anchors, the final stitches, it should feel less like a black box and more like a plan.

Browsing real patient before-and-after results that match your starting point is one of the most useful next steps. When you’re ready, a personal, in-person consultation fills in the details photos can’t, including which technique suits your face.

At Dr. Suzanne Yee Cosmetic & Laser Surgery Center in Little Rock, the goal is always enhancement, not transformation. The aim is to help you look like a refreshed version of yourself while feeling genuinely heard.

That’s the heart of the promise: Exceptional Results. Genuine Care. To take that next step, reach out to the team or call (501) 289-5460.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a brow lift surgery typically take?

A brow lift usually takes two to three hours. The exact time depends on the technique and whether it’s combined with another procedure like eyelid surgery.

Are you awake under local anesthesia during a brow lift, or will you be asleep?

While some practices offer local anesthesia or light sedation for smaller brow procedures, a full surgical brow lift here is performed under general anesthesia, so you’re completely asleep and feel nothing. A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist administers it and monitors you closely the entire time.

Will they need to shave or cut your hair for the surgery?

No, your hair is typically not shaved. The incisions are placed within the hair-bearing scalp, and the hair is simply parted and kept clean and out of the way; then it grows right back over the healed lines.

Does a brow lift leave visible scars on your face?

Scarring is minimal with most modern techniques, especially the endoscopic approach, where the small incisions sit hidden in the scalp. Once healed, these lines are usually difficult to detect. No surgery leaves zero trace, but the incisions are placed and angled so hair grows back over the healed lines, and your aftercare plan from the office covers how to care for them as they fade.

What is an Endotine implant, and does it stay in your head forever?

An Endotine is a small absorbable anchor that holds the lifted brow tissue in place while it heals. It’s made of polylactic acid and dissolves on its own, beginning at around two months and disappearing completely by about a year, so it never has to be removed.

Are stitches or staples used to close brow lift incisions?

Both are used, depending on where the incision sits. Fine sutures often close incisions near the brow or hairline, while staples or clips work well in the scalp and are removed at a follow-up visit.

Does a brow lift change the natural shape of your eyes?

A brow lift raises the brow and can make the upper eyelids look less heavy, which opens up the eye area. Done well, it refreshes your expression without altering the actual shape of your eyes.

Can a brow lift be combined with eyelid surgery or a facelift?

Yes, and it often is. Pairing a brow lift with eyelid surgery refreshes the upper face together. Combining it with a facelift treats the lower face and neck in the same recovery.

Is a brow lift painful during the actual procedure?

You won’t feel anything during the procedure itself, since it’s done under general anesthesia. Afterward, most patients describe tightness or mild soreness rather than sharp pain, usually well managed with medication. Headaches in the first few days are common too, and the team helps you stay ahead of them as part of your aftercare plan.

How long do the results of a surgical brow lift typically last?

Brow lift results are long-lasting, but they don’t stop the clock. You’ll keep aging naturally, just from a younger starting point, so your brow stays well ahead of where it would be had you never had the procedure.

Will a brow lift make you look permanently surprised?

A natural, well-planned brow lift should not. The technique is matched to your anatomy specifically to avoid overcorrection, so the result is a rested, refreshed look rather than a raised, startled one.

How soon after a brow lift can you safely wash your hair?

This varies by patient and technique, so your surgeon gives you specific timing in your personalized aftercare plan. Following those instructions, rather than general advice online, is the safest way to protect your incisions.

*Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. A consultation with a qualified board-certified surgeon is required to determine the best treatment plan for your individual needs.