The position of the eyebrows on the brow bones over the eyes plays a major role in facial expression. Low eyebrows can convey an impression of anger or tiredness. Conversely, high eyebrows can make one look surprised or very wide-eyed/alert.
But beyond facial expression there are some basic gender differences in their shape as well. It is commonly believed that a woman’s eyebrows are significantly higher than that of men. While this is a commonly held belief, it is not really true as the top edge of the eyebrows (middle of the eyebrow arch) is actually fairly similar. A woman’s eyebrow’s may appear higher because they are usually thinner and do come as close together in the middle. (all due to plucking)
But the shape of the eyebrow arch is also more exaggerated in women with an often higher arch position at the tail of the brow. Conversely, a male eyebrow besides being thicker is more flat. This change in the eyebrow shape and that of a thinner female eyebrow is probably why a browlift has a feminizing effect.
The temporal browlift is largely a female procedure because it provides a tail of the eyebrow upward tilt. It lifts the tail of the eyebrow up and off the lateral brow bone. The traditional temporal browlift places the incision behind the temporal hairline. It achieves its lifting effect by excising temporal scalp tissue. While effective this pulls back the edge of the temporal hairline and leaves a scar back in the hairline which has the potential to become wide.
An alternative incision location for the temporal browlift is right at the hairline. This is a more direct approach that is usually more effective as the location of the pull of the lift is closer to the eyebrow. It also allows the direction of the lift to be well controlled by where along the temporal hairline the incision is placed.
While the pretrichial temporal browlift has the potential to create a noticeable scar as it is not back in the hairline, its effectiveness outweighs these risks in some patients. This is particularly useful in the women who desires a strong an exaggerated temporal browlift effect.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana