Background: Eyebrow position is one of the most critical features of facial beauty. Patients undergo rejuvenation procedures due to the congenital condition of drooping eyebrows and senile changes in the area around the eyes, which often cause drooping eyebrows. This study reviews the subcutaneous and subperiosteal (endoscopic) dissection techniques in the temporal eyebrow lift procedures.
Materials & Methods: In this review study, the PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases and 100 first hits of Google Scholar were searched from 2000 to 2023. The following keywords were included: temporal lift, lateral brow lift, lateral brow hooding, lateral brow ptosis, subcutaneous dissection, subperiosteal dissection, endoscopic brow lift, and dissection plan. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria were included in this study.
Results: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies were retrospective and reported high patient satisfaction with an acceptable risk profile. The subcutaneous dissection method has advantages, including safety, shorter operation time, the possibility to perform under local anesthesia, long-term and stable outcomes with a low probability of complications, and high patient satisfaction. The best indications for an endoscopic brow lift are patients with short or normal forehead height, flat forehead, and those whose hairline has receded, with no or a minimum amount of excess skin medially. On the other hand, eyebrow lift with the endoscopic method is minimally invasive as an advantage.
Conclusion: The subcutaneous dissection method is a reliable, safe, cheap, and repeatable option for lateral eyebrow lift. Clinical studies with standardization of outcome criteria in eyebrow rejuvenation are recommended. On the other hand, the endoscopic method has the same efficacy for eyebrow lift procedures and is minimally invasive.