Brow lift surgery at Spire Edinburgh Hospitals Murrayfield and Shawfair Park

It's often been said that the eyebrows are the frame to the face. They act to balance your face and help define your eyes. As we get older the muscles in our face that support its structure become slacker and our skin loses its elasticity. Sometimes this results in noticeably baggy eyelids, forehead and saggy eyebrows.

A brow lift, also known as a forehead lift, raises the brows and lifts the eyelids to open up the area around the eyes. It can also smooth out frown lines and wrinkles on your forehead and between your eyes. You may also be considering a brow lift if you've already started having or are considering having Botox injections.

We pride ourselves on our clinical excellence, you'll be looked after by an experienced multi-disciplinary care team.

​​​​Our patients are at the heart of what we do and we want you to be in control of your care. To us, that means you can choose the consultant you want to see and when you want. They’ll be with you every step of the way: from giving advice at your first consultation, through to offering on-going support after your surgery.

All of our cosmetic surgeons are of the highest calibre and benefit from working in our modern, well equipped hospitals.  A cosmetic surgeon’s reputation, qualifications and experience are vitally important, so we only work with consultant grade specialists. These are highly experienced consultants who have completed years of medical training. All our consultants are on the specialist register of the General Medical Council (GMC), and many are also members of the UK’s leading cosmetic and plastic surgery associations.

It’s important to meet with your chosen consultant before treatment so that you are completely comfortable with them and they know what you want to achieve. It’s helpful to bring a friend or family member to your initial meeting to help articulate your thoughts. You should also ask to see some of the surgeon's recent before and after pictures of similar operations they've performed.

Your specialist will examine your face and may ask you to pull a series of different facial expressions to help decide how best to achieve the look you want. He or she may also advise you to have your hair cut before treatment, as it could hamper movement during the operation.

This is an important decision and we're here to listen and help you achieve your goals.

If you decide to go ahead with the procedure, we'll give you at least two weeks between consultation and operation date. This is because we want you to be really happy and confident with your decision

We've tried to make your experience with us as easy and relaxed as possible.

For more information on visiting hours, our food, what to pack if you're staying with us, parking and all those other important practicalities, please visit our patient information pages.

Our dedicated team will also give you tailored advice to follow in the run up to your visit.

We understand that surgery can be a cause of anxiety – even if it’s a relatively straightforward procedure like this one. That’s why our experienced and caring medical staff will be there for you every step of the way.

There are two types of brow lift:

The 'classic' lift - where one continuous incision is made from one ear to the other, around the top of your hairline.

The endoscopic lift - where a series of smaller incisions are made around your hairline. The doctor inserts a camera probe into these for viewing purposes and then uses special surgical instruments to make the necessary changes. Small anchors are also used to secure the skin during the operation. These are removed a few weeks later.

The endoscopic approach is generally favoured because it is less invasive which usually means a shorter recovery time. However, the classic approach may be more effective - depending on how much work needs to be done to get the desired effect.

The operation will usually take one to two hours, depending on which approach the doctor takes. You will be under a general anaesthetic so you’ll be asleep for the duration.

After the procedure, you will be taken from the operating theatre to a recovery room, where you will come round from the anaesthesia under close supervision.

Pain relief

It's likely that you will experience some numbness, swelling and bruising immediately after the operation. You will also probably feel as though you’ve got a bad headache but this is normal and your symptoms will start to improve over the next few weeks. We will give you medication while you’re with us and to take home to help ease any pain.

We will provide you with a supply of all the medicines your consultant feels you need to take home with you after you've left hospital, up to 14 days. This may be at an additional cost to some patients.

Your consultant will talk to you about the possible risks and complications of having this procedure and how they apply to you.

This will depend on which operation you've decided on, but when you get home you’ll need to take things easy at first. Most people return to work after a couple of weeks but it could be around a month before you feel totally confident with your new look.

Swelling and bruising can affect all parts of your face but this should be gone within a week. For at least two days after surgery try to keep your head elevated on pillows as much as possible because this will ease any swelling. It’s also a good idea to apply regular ice packs to affected areas and avoid bending or leaning down.

You may also experience itching for weeks or even months after the operation. This is normal and will ease with time.

End results

Everybody is different and your surgeon will discuss your expectations and end results with you in detail.

For many people the end results far outweigh the negatives associated with having surgery and our patients say it has given them a big confidence boost. Please see some of our patient stories to hear how this procedure has impacted their lives for the better.

How your loved ones can help

Once you’re ready to be discharged from hospital, you’ll need to arrange a taxi, friend or family member to take you home as you won’t be able to drive. You should also ask them if they can run some light errands, such as shopping and cleaning, as you won’t feel up to it for a short while.

Looking after you

Even after you’ve left hospital, we’re still looking after you every step of the way. You will have a date for a follow up appointment arranged when you leave the hospital.

On rare occasions, complications can occur following surgery. Your surgeon will explain all the risks and complications in full. If you experience any of the symptoms explained to you please call us straight away.

If you have any questions or concerns we’re ready to help.

We are committed to delivering excellent individual care and customer service across our network of hospitals, clinics and specialist care centres around the UK. Our dedicated and highly trained team aim to achieve consistently excellent results. For us it's more than just treating patients, it's about looking after people.

Important to note

The treatment described on this page may be adapted to meet your individual needs, so it's important to follow your healthcare professional's advice and raise any questions that you may have with them.