What will work well for sagging eyelids: brow lift or blepharoplasty?
A brow lift and a blepharoplasty are quite different surgeries, but they seem to give a similar result. How does a doctor establish which one is better for the patient?
There is an important balance between the eyes and the brows. A brow lift raises the brows, and this may or may not retract the eyelid skin. A blepharoplasty does not address the brow. However, if you have overhanging upper eyelid skin, and your brow compensates by always being raised to help you see, then when a blepharoplasty is performed you may notice compensatory drooping of the brow afterward. Please choose a surgeon who understands this important relationship!
Thank you for sharing your question. Brow lifts used to be the only corrective surgery for a heavy brow. Now that Botox and other "toxins" are more readily available, the need for a brow lift surgery is almost obsolete. A separate issue would be heavy eyelids with excess skin and fat. These issues can be addressed with a Blepharoplasty, or Eyelid Lift. You are correct that the two surgeries give a similar looking result. Brow lifts have significant complications, such as permanent muscle weakness. For this reason, I recommend Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin injections to raise the brow. If you have used this injection and still have excess skin on the upper lids, you would be a great candidate for an Upper Blepharoplasty. I hope this was helpful to you.
Best Wishes, Dr. B.