Why Is Forehead Lifting Needed in Your 20s and 30s?

One of the procedures we perform quite often is eye revision surgery.

Recently, as eyelid surgery has been performed at an earlier age, even in the teens,

people in their early to mid-20s, or in some cases those still in their late teens, may visit for revision surgery.

There are also cases where, even after double eyelid surgery or revision surgery, satisfaction with the eye shape remains low, leading patients to seek a clinic.

If the previous surgery has already reduced the amount of available skin,

and the distance between the eyes and eyebrows has become shorter, making revision surgery burdensome, forehead lifting can be considered.

Forehead lifting can help create more space between the eyes and eyebrows,

and in certain situations, it is discussed as one of the ways to improve the eye shape.

Forehead lifting performed (pre-op 2019.10.01)

In this case, the distance between the eyes and eyebrows is narrow,

and the area above the double eyelid line appears bulky,

with the double eyelid line seeming to be buried in the eyelid.

If improvement is attempted through double eyelid revision in this situation,

the distance between the eyes and eyebrows may become even narrower, making the impression look somewhat stronger or the eyes may appear more cramped.

For this reason, forehead lifting may also be considered during consultation.

Forehead lifting can help secure space between the eyes and eyebrows,

and is presented as an option for a softer impression and improved eye shape.

Forehead lifting effects

1. Distance between the eyes and eyebrows

Forehead lifting performed (1 month after surgery)

If eye revision surgery is performed when the distance between the eyes and eyebrows is already narrow,

the spacing may become even closer.

On the other hand, when surgery is performed through forehead lifting, it can help improve the previously narrow distance,

and may play a positive role in creating a brighter, more open impression.

2. Improvement of a bulging upper eyelid

Forehead lifting performed (1 month after surgery)

People often assume that the bulging area of the upper eyelid is fat.

So during eye revision consultations, some patients often say they want additional fat removed

and the double eyelid line recreated.

However, if double eyelid surgery was performed using the incision method,

some fat may have already been removed during the initial surgery.

Therefore, the bulging area may be due more to thicker surrounding tissue such as skin or orbicularis oculi muscle rather than fat.

In such cases, lifting the relatively thick tissue through forehead lifting,

and then performing surgery to create the desired line, can help make a more satisfying double eyelid line.

3. A more defined double eyelid line

Forehead lifting performed (1 month after surgery)

As the double eyelid line that had been covered by drooping eyelids becomes visible,

the line may appear more defined even without additional double eyelid surgery.

In addition, as the amount of visible iris that had been covered by the eyelid increases,

it may help create a brighter, more distinct impression.

Forehead lifting performed (1 month after surgery)

Even without separate eye revision surgery, just by performing forehead lifting,

it can be seen that the eye corner to the double eyelid line appears more defined after surgery.

Also, as the iris that had been covered by the eyelid becomes more clearly visible,

it helped relieve the symptoms of pseudo-ptosis, and you can expect the eyes to look brighter and more refreshed.

In this way, forehead lifting can be considered one of the options not only for a more youthful appearance or anti-aging purposes in people in their 20s and 30s,

but also when they want to improve the eye shape.

Forehead lifting performed (2 months after surgery)

This patient also had a narrow distance between the eyes and eyebrows, and the double eyelid line was hidden by the eyelid,

but even without separate eye revision surgery, forehead lifting alone can be expected to improve the eyes into a brighter, more refreshed impression.

Forehead lifting performed (1 month after surgery)

Before surgery, the upper eyelids felt heavy, but after surgery, that feeling was reduced.

Without separate fat removal or additional surgery, forehead lifting

made the double eyelid line that had been covered by the eyelid stand out more clearly, improving the eyes to look brighter and more open.

As people age, the forehead or eyebrows may sag,

but even in relatively young age groups such as those in their 20s and 30s,

there are cases where the eyebrow position is congenitally low.

In such cases, the eyebrows sit below the brow bone,

and if you lightly lift the forehead skin above the eyebrows with your hand to align it with the brow bone position,

you can roughly anticipate the changes after surgery.

Forehead lifting surgery method

Source: TS Plastic Surgery website

What is commonly called “forehead lift” is a surgery in which the forehead is dissected using an endoscope,

and the sagging upper facial tissues from the forehead to the eyebrows and eyelids are lifted.

Endotine or tunneling technique

There are broadly two methods for fixing the forehead after lifting.

One is the method using a fixation device called Endotine,

and the other is the tunneling technique, in which tiny grooves are made in the bone and medical sutures are used to secure the tissue.

Endotine fixation device

Source: TS Plastic Surgery website

The tunneling technique requires forming a tunnel in a limited space

and passing a thin medical suture through it,

so compared with Endotine, it is more difficult and more technically demanding.

Nevertheless, the reason for choosing the tunneling technique is that,

compared with the Endotine method, the fixation strength and lifting effect are similar,

but it has the advantage of causing less foreign-body sensation, pain, and discomfort.

From the medical team’s perspective, using an Endotine device can make the surgery relatively easy and quick,

but because patients often feel foreign-body sensation or pain after surgery,

the tunneling technique is often used to better consider the patient’s comfort during recovery.

Scarring and duration of results

The tunneling forehead lift involves making a small incision about 1–2 cm inside the hairline,

so the scar is a feature that is rarely visible.

In addition, the surgery is planned in a customized way by fully considering each person’s degree and pattern of sagging,

such as the distance between the eyes and eyebrows and how much the skin appears bulged above the double eyelid line,

including the incision location, number of incisions, and extent of dissection.

Source: TS Plastic Surgery website

Rather than simply pulling the skin or soft tissue,

because the periosteum is also sufficiently lifted and fixed, it is characterized by a low chance of sagging recurring easily over time.

Recently, as interest in eye surgery has increased, the number of people considering revision eye surgery has also gradually increased.

Unlike the first surgery, revision eye surgery requires an even more careful approach because the tissue has already been damaged once.

It is important to carefully evaluate your condition and choose the most appropriate surgical method.

It is desirable to find a medical team that can create a customized surgical plan by comprehensively considering various factors,

such as the amount of remaining tissue, the double eyelid line that suits you, and the degree of sagging.

There may also be misconceptions about forehead lifting,

such as “It is a surgery only for older people,”

“Scars are left very badly,”

or “It is a risky surgery because the dissection area is wide.”

Through this post, I hope these misconceptions are cleared up,

and that it is recognized as one of the options that can be considered positively even in people in their 20s and 30s, depending on the need.

※ Depending on the individual, side effects such as inflammation, bleeding, and nerve damage may occur, so sufficient consultation with the medical team before surgery is necessary.