Your Detailed Guide to Brow Lift Recovery

The New York Post says that the average American spends 1,460 hours a year feeling tired. While it’s one thing to be tired, it’s even worse if you look it too.

Both time and stress can put wrinkles and lines on your face. And your natural brow placement may add to the effect.

One way to get a refreshed appearance without doing anything dramatic is to get a brow lift. This is a quick procedure that only takes a few hours, but what’s the brow lift recovery time like?

Below are the various steps of brow lift recovery and a rough timeline, so you know what to expect before you book your surgery.

Brow Lift Recovery: Day by Day (First Week)

The first week is when you’ll go through dramatic and noticeable changes and side effects. So here are the days broken down.

Day 1

Right after the brow lift surgery, you might feel a little groggy from the anesthesia. Once it wears off, you may experience the following:

• Mild to moderate discomfort across the forehead and temples
• Swelling and tightness across the brow
• Bruising along the forehead, brows, and under the eyes

To reduce the swelling, you should rest with your head elevated at a 45-degree angle. You can also apply cold compresses around (not directly on) the surgical area. In addition, take prescribed pain medications and antibiotics as directed by your surgeon.

Keep the bandages clean and dry too.

Days 2-3

Brow lift bruising and swelling will peak during these days. Also, forehead tightness or numbness may occur, and it’s normal for the hairline area and temples to feel a bit tender.

You should continue using cold compresses to keep the swelling down, as well as rest and avoid bending at the waist. Take short walks if you can, as they can promote the flow of oxygen and provide many other benefits to help with healing. On the other hand, refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol, as both can delay healing.

Days 4-7

The swelling should start coming down in these days, but it’s also normal to experience bruising that shifts downward toward your eyes. The incisions may start to mildly itch too, as they begin to heal.

During this time, you can start washing your hair gently with surgeon-approved shampoo. But you still need to continue sleeping elevated and avoiding strenuous activities.

If your surgeon used sutures or staples, then these will be removed at the end of the week.

Brow Lift Recovery: After the First Week

After the first week of brow lift recovery, you’ll start seeing improvements. Let’s go over the key stages.

Weeks 3-4

Most of the visible bruising should be gone at this point. As for the bruising, most should resolve too. You may still have numbness in the scalp or forehead, but the incisions should begin maturing, meaning that pinkness is normal. If you’d like, you can use makeup to hide these things.

 

You can resume most normal activities (including work), but still avoid intense exercise. Plus, you’ll need to protect your incisions from the sun; use SPF 30+ sunscreen if you’re out in the sun. If approved by your surgeon, you can also begin gentle scar care with silicone gel or sheets.

Months 1-2

After a month or so, most patients feel “back to normal.” This means that the swelling is minimal, with fine residual puffiness. In addition, the incision lines will fade from pink to light beige, and your brow position will start settling into its long-term placement.

Unless your surgeon says otherwise, you should be okay to resume full exercise. However, make sure you still use sun protection daily. Also, keep moisturizing the incision area to help with scar healing.

Months 3-6

You might still have occasional tingles, but for the most part, your nerve sensation should continue improving. In these months, the final incision fading will happen, and the brow contour will appear more natural since the tissues will soften and settle. This is when you’ll start seeing the final results.

As with the other months, keep using sunscreen to protect the incision lines. If you notice any raised or thickened scars, ask your doctor about steroid injections or laser options.

Months 6-12

All swelling should be fully resolved here, and the scars are fully matured too, so they’ll be very difficult to spot. The brow position and your forehead smoothness will show off the final results from your procedure.

We can’t emphasize how essential it is to continue with sun protection and healthy skin care habits. This will help maintain your much-earned results.

If recommended, attend your yearly check-ins with your surgeon.

Tips for a Smooth Recovery Process

As we’ve mentioned before, you should rest at a 45-degree angle. In addition, you should always sleep on your back with your head elevated for at least 2-3 weeks.

As for medications, take the ones prescribed to you as per your surgeon’s instructions. Avoid blood thinners, which include:

• Ibuprofen
• Aspirin
• Fish oil
• Certain supplements

Plus, be on the lookout for red flags, such as:

• Increasing redness, warmth, or pus at the incision
• Sudden increase in swelling on one side
• Severe headache with nausea
• Fever over 101°F

If you notice any of the above symptoms, contact your surgeon right away. Otherwise, stick to your follow-up appointments, as your surgeon can monitor healing while addressing any concerns early.

Know What to Expect for Brow Lift Recovery

A brow lift can give you amazing results, especially if you want a subtle procedure that gives you a refreshed and rejuvenated look. What’s great is that the surgery is quick, and you can go home on the same day.

While the brow lift recovery seems long, in reality, you can resume most normal activities by week 3. So you won’t have to take much time off work, and you’ll attain an appearance that’s natural yet shaves years off your face.

Contact us now if you’d like to schedule a brow lift. Dr. Valdez is a board-certified surgeon in Mexico who has over 17 years of experience and has an experienced team, including a board-certified anesthesiologist and bilingual coordinators.