Swelling around the eyes and forehead, moving to the lower face with discolouration around the eyelids, usually subsides within ten to fourteen days.

    In order to obtain satisfactory smoothing and elevation of the forehead, the eyebrows will be positioned higher during the immediate post-operative period than the level at which they will settle three to four months later. As a result of this operation the forehead may appear to be higher because of the lifting of the hair line. Request to see some examples during your pre-operative visits and you will notice that this change is aesthetically acceptable and, in many instances, to the patient’s benefit.

    The scalp scar may continue to cause some itchiness at times, lasting up to six months. This has been reported by the patients but has never caused any great discomfort. A certain amount of numbness around the scar will be experienced. Permanent numbness of the forehead has been reported as a complication of this operation, but not experienced in my practice.

    One of the purposes of this procedure is to eliminate voluntary and involuntary movements of the forehead responsible for the formation of grooves and wrinkles. Such movements, to some extent, will return within six months but will be less vigorous and less damaging to the skin.

    On rare occasions, small patches of baldness have been reported in the line of the scar. They are inconspicuous after combing the hair and can be removed or tufts of hair can be grafted into the affected area under local freezing.

    The results of the forehead lift are gratifying and the operation is often performed in young individuals to create a more rested "open eye" appearance.