Dr. James D. Namnoum | Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon
Facial Procedures
Brow Lift
A Brow Lift is a surgical procedure that lifts sagging eyebrows and smooths deep lines across the forehead, so your eyes and upper face look more open and rested. Dr. Namnoum tailors the approach to your brow position, hairline, and the way your forehead moves, rather than using one technique on every patient. The goal is a result that looks like you, simply more rested, never surprised or overdone.
Maybe friends keep telling you that you look tired, even on days you feel great. Or you have noticed a heaviness above your eyes that was not there a few years ago. For patients throughout Atlanta and the Atlanta metro area, that feeling, more than the brow itself, is usually what brings them in for a consultation. Dr. Namnoum approaches the upper face the way he approaches every procedure: by studying your anatomy first and matching the technique to it. That is why his Brow Lift patients in Atlanta, GA tend to hear that they look well rested, not that they look different.
What Is a Brow Lift?
You may hear this procedure called a forehead lift just as often as a Brow Lift. Both names describe the same surgery: repositioning the brow and the forehead tissue beneath it after years of gradual descent.
Over time, skin and the tissue beneath it lose their tightness, and the brow gradually drops. That drop can crowd your upper eyelid, which is often why hooding above the eye shows up before you notice that the brow itself has moved. During surgery, Dr. Namnoum releases the tissue causing the heaviness, lifts it back into place, and secures it so it heals in its new, higher position. He can soften the small muscles that create the vertical lines between your brows at the same time. Surgeons take care to work along paths that protect the nerves controlling feeling and movement in your forehead.
Do I Need a Brow Lift or Eyelid Surgery?
This is one of the most important questions to answer before scheduling anything, and it is where Dr. Namnoum spends the most time during a consultation.
When your upper eyelid feels heavy, you may unconsciously use your forehead muscles to hold the brow up all day without realizing it. Over time, that effort is often what creates the horizontal lines across your forehead.
The reverse matters just as much. Once excess eyelid skin is removed, your forehead does not have to work as hard, and the brow can settle into a lower position. If true brow descent is the real issue, addressing the eyelid alone can leave the brow looking heavier than before. That is why Dr. Namnoum evaluates the brow and the upper eyelid together before recommending eyelid surgery on its own, alongside a Brow Lift, or instead of one.
Which Brow Lift Technique Is Right for Me?
There is no single best Brow Lift. There is only the approach that fits your anatomy, and Dr. Namnoum will walk you through which one makes sense for you.
Endoscopic Brow Lift
Short incisions are placed within the hair, and a small camera guides the release and lift of the forehead tissue. This approach avoids a long scar and works well for mild to moderate brow descent.
Temporal (Lateral) Brow Lift
This approach targets the outer third of the brow, usually the first area to drop and the biggest contributor to hooding at the outer corner of the eye.
Pretrichial (Hairline) Brow Lift
The incision sits at the front hairline. Because it removes forehead skin rather than scalp, this approach suits a long forehead that should not be made any taller, though it involves a longer incision and more temporary numbness.
Direct (Mid-Forehead) Brow Lift
The incision sits directly above the brow or within an existing forehead crease. This approach is generally reserved for men with heavy brows and etched forehead lines, or for patients with facial nerve weakness.
Whichever approach fits your anatomy, results are meant to last for years, and Dr. Namnoum will walk you through the tradeoffs of each option during your consultation.
How Much Lift Can I Expect, and How Long Will It Last?
Honest numbers matter here, because the fear most patients bring to this consultation is looking overdone.
A well-planned Brow Lift moves the brow a few millimeters, not a few centimeters. For patients who have the endoscopic temporal technique specifically, published results show an average lift of less than 2 millimeters at the center of the eyebrow, with a low rate of complications. That is a small, deliberate change, and it is why a properly planned result looks rested rather than pulled or pinched.
Those small changes tend to hold. Long-term follow-up research found brow height remained stable for years when brow elevation was performed alongside upper eyelid surgery. Patients can typically expect results measured in years, though aging continues and individual outcomes vary.
Am I a Good Candidate for a Brow Lift?
You may be a candidate if you have a heavy or low brow, hooding at the outer eye, forehead or frown lines that persist after injectable treatment, or an expression that reads as tired at rest. Good candidates are in general good health and hold realistic expectations.
Dr. Namnoum may also recommend against surgery. Men generally have lower, flatter brows as a normal masculine feature, and elevating them too much feminizes the face, so male candidates are treated conservatively. Patients whose only issue is excess eyelid skin may do better with eyelid surgery alone. Patients seeking a specific numeric change benefit from more discussion first.
Patients must refrain from smoking and all tobacco and nicotine products before and after surgery, as tobacco use meaningfully impairs healing.
What Is Recovery Like After a Brow Lift?
Brow Lift surgery is performed on an outpatient basis, and patients go home the same day with someone to stay with them overnight.
Expect swelling and bruising around the forehead and eyes that peaks in the first three to four days. Tightness across the forehead and scalp is normal and eases over several weeks. Numbness of the forehead or scalp is common early and typically resolves over the following months. Sutures are generally removed within the first week.
Many patients feel socially comfortable between 10 and 14 days, and we ask that strenuous exercise and heavy lifting wait until Dr. Namnoum clears you, usually around three weeks.
What Are the Risks of Brow Lift Surgery?
Every operation carries risk. Serious complications are uncommon when Brow Lift surgery is performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon in an accredited facility, but you should understand them before consenting.
Potential risks include bleeding or a collection of blood under the skin (hematoma), infection, temporary or lasting numbness of the forehead and scalp, temporary weakness of the forehead muscles, asymmetry, hair thinning near the incisions, unfavorable scarring, undercorrection or overcorrection, and reactions to anesthesia. Dr. Namnoum reviews the risks that apply to your anatomy and health history during your consultation, and no outcome can be guaranteed.
Can a Brow Lift Be Combined With Other Procedures?
Brow Lift surgery is frequently performed as part of a broader upper face refresh rather than on its own.
If your brow and upper eyelid are both contributing to a tired look, eyelid surgery is often paired with a Brow Lift so both areas are addressed together, in whichever sequence makes sense for your anatomy.
Dr. Namnoum also combines brow and forehead work with facelift surgery when the lower face needs attention too, and facial fat grafting can restore volume lost from the temples and beneath the brow, supporting the lift without relying on tension alone.
For patients whose skin texture and sun damage will not be improved by lifting alone, Dr. Namnoum personally performs fully ablative Erbium Laser skin resurfacing with Sciton’s Erbium Laser. This is a deep treatment with real downtime and discomfort, planned deliberately rather than added casually.
Non-surgical options have a place here too. BOTOX® and dermal fillers cannot lift a dropped brow or remove excess skin, but they can help maintain your results and soften fine lines once you have healed.
Why Choose Dr. Namnoum for Your Brow Lift?
Dr. Namnoum is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Atlanta, GA, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also the Founder of the Pink Ribbon Story Foundation, which supports breast cancer research and reconstructive breast surgery.
What that background means for a Brow Lift patient is a surgeon who treats millimeters as consequential. The upper face is the most expressive part of the body. Small errors of judgment there are visible to everyone a patient meets. Dr. Namnoum’s stated purpose is to honor the living art that is the human body, creating beauty, balance, and love while focusing on the dignity of the individual. In practice, that means he will tell you when a Brow Lift is not the right operation for your anatomy, and he plans toward restraint rather than maximum lift.
A Brow Lift will not stop aging, and it will not change who you are. It resets the starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brow Lift Surgery
How long does a Brow Lift last?
Results typically last for years, though the natural aging process continues in the background. Because a Brow Lift addresses the sagging tissue itself rather than just the skin on top of it, many patients find their results age gracefully rather than reverting to where they started.
Can a Brow Lift help with droopy eyelids (ptosis)?
Not directly. A Brow Lift repositions the eyebrow and forehead, while true eyelid ptosis, where the eyelid itself droops over the eye, is corrected with eyelid surgery. The two often overlap, which is why Dr. Namnoum evaluates both together and may recommend one procedure, the other, or both.
Will a Brow Lift make me look surprised?
Not when it is planned correctly. A surprised look comes from lifting the inner brow too far. Dr. Namnoum plans conservatively, aiming for a natural brow height rather than the maximum possible lift.
Can BOTOX do the same thing as a Brow Lift?
No. BOTOX and fillers can soften the muscles that pull the brow down or add subtle volume, but they cannot reposition a dropped brow or remove excess skin. If the brow has dropped, surgery addresses the cause. Injectables remain useful afterward for maintaining your results.
How much does a Brow Lift cost in Atlanta?
Cost depends on the technique selected, whether the procedure is combined with eyelid surgery or other facial procedures, anesthesia, and facility fees. You will receive a specific written estimate after your consultation appointment. Elective cosmetic surgery is not covered by insurance.
Do men get Brow Lifts?
Yes, though the goal and the technique often differ. Because a lower, flatter brow is a normal masculine feature, Dr. Namnoum often uses the direct or mid-forehead technique for male patients, which suits thicker skin and heavier brows without over-elevating them.
What kind of anesthesia is used?
Brow Lift surgery is typically performed under general anesthesia, or intravenous sedation with local anesthetic, depending on the technique and whether other procedures are performed at the same time.
Rohrich RJ, Cho MJ. Endoscopic Temporal Brow Lift: Surgical Indications, Technique, and 10-Year Outcome Analysis. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019;144(6):1305-1310. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000006238
Perez PB, Gunter AE, Moody MP, et al. Investigating Long-Term Brow Stabilization by Endotine-Assisted Endoscopic Brow Lift with Concomitant Upper Lid Blepharoplasty. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2021;130(10):1139-1147. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003489421997653
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Brow Lift Candidates. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/brow-lift/candidates
