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View Dr. Ambani's Crisalix profileBrow Lift (Forehead Lift)
If your brow sits low or feels heavy, and it reads as tired even when you are rested or even angry when you are not, a brow lift may be worth discussing. In my Ann Arbor practice, this cosmetic surgery can significantly impact the way your resting face is perceived. This page is a starting point for deciding whether a consultation is your next step.
Medically reviewed by Shoshana Ambani, MDLast reviewed August 26, 2026
A helpful introduction
What is a brow lift?
A brow lift, also called a forehead lift, repositions a low or heavy brow to a higher position, often by adjusting the forehead skin and selected muscles. There are several types of brow lifts that I like to employ depending on a client’s individual needs. Brow lifts can soften horizontal forehead lines and the frown lines between the brows (the glabella).
A brow lift does not directly remove excess upper-eyelid skin. That is a separate procedure (blepharoplasty). The candidacy section below helps you sort out which concern is actually yours.
Non-surgical options such as Botox exist to soften forehead and glabellar lines, but they relax muscles temporarily rather than reposition tissue, so they are a different conversation. There is more than one surgical approach, and I help you choose the technique based on your periocular anatomy. Options include a direct supraciliary, mid-forehead, or pretrichial approach, or inconspicuous scalp incisions with Endotines.
Technology in consultation
See the plan more clearly.
These tools support discussion and evaluation. They do not replace the examination or guarantee an outcome.
Honest guidance
Are you a good candidate?
YOUR CONSULTATION CONSIDERS
- Goals & Anatomy: Your specific goals are discussed, along with your facial anatomy: hairline and brow position, forehead skin and muscle thickness, and upper eyelid features.
- Health & History: We review your conditions, medications, facial surgery history, dry-eye or eye-closure symptoms, facial asymmetry or weakness, and your hairline and hair-loss history.
A SHARED DECISION
Good candidates are healthy, nicotine-free adults whose dominant concern is brow position. Oftentimes, these candidates have upper eyelid concerns as well.
If your main concern is extra skin on the upper eyelid itself, blepharoplasty is usually the better conversation. Many patients discuss both. A low brow can crowd the upper lid. A proper examination helps to determine the surgical solution.
Diabetes or another condition does not automatically rule out surgery. Your health must be optimized before elective surgery, and when needed, we partner with your primary care providers or a relevant specialist to plan safely.
At the consultation, we look at the whole picture: your goals, your anatomy, and your timing.
The most valuable consultation is one that helps you to decide what is right for you.
Why Choose Dr. Ambani
ABPS board-certified plastic surgeon with more than twenty years of experience
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Duke University School of Medicine
RESIDENCY
Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan Affiliated Hospitals
FELLOWSHIP
Microsurgical Reconstruction, University of Pittsburgh Affiliated Hospitals
BOARD CERTIFICATION
American Board of Plastic Surgery
EXPERIENCE
Attending surgeon since 2017
Supported at every stage
What recovery involves
01
Early healing
Recovery varies by patient and technique, so these are general themes, not a schedule. Bruising commonly peaks around days 3 to 5, and head elevation helps for the first 5 to 7 days. Swelling can also be minimized with 48 hours of gently applying cool packs to the surgical sites (20 minutes on, 10-20 minutes off, repeat). Many patients feel presentable and return to work within 1 to 2 weeks, though residual bruising can linger 2 to 3 weeks.
There are risks with any surgery: anesthesia complications, bleeding, blood or fluid collections, infection, poor healing, and unfavorable scarring. Other complications may include hairline change or hair loss, eye irritation or dryness, asymmetry, chronic pain, and skin loss. Sensation or facial-nerve (forehead movement) changes are not always temporary. Fortunately, complication rates are quite low.
02
Returning to routine
Light walking is recommended immediately after surgery. Heavy lifting and strenuous activity must wait, however, with full activity returning over the following weeks.
03
Long-term outcomes
Clients start seeing the difference in their appearance immediately after surgery, but it does take a full year for the final result. Numbness, altered sensation, and itching near the incisions are common early on but often self-resolve. Feeling often returns over weeks to months, occasionally a year or longer, and rarely some changes persist indefinitely. Overall, clients enjoy looking more youthful, less tired, and less angry after surgery. They feel that their new appearance is a better reflection of who they are, which is the ultimate goal.
Clear, personalized planning
Cost & Self-Pay Philosophy
Shoshana Ambani Plastic Surgery is a cosmetic, self-pay practice, and we do not bill insurance for this care. Cost depends on the extent of correction, the anesthesia and facility setting, and whether a brow lift is combined with blepharoplasty or another facial procedure.
A price only helps if it matches your actual plan, so I do not post a single figure. We review an itemized estimate with you after consultation.
Thoughtful answers
Common Questions
If your brow sits low or feels heavy, and it reads as tired even when you are rested, a brow lift may be worth discussing. In my Ann Arbor practice, this is cosmetic surgery. This page is a starting point for deciding whether a consultation is your next step.
How much does a brow lift cost in Michigan?
It varies with your anatomy, the technique, and whether it is combined with another procedure. We share a self-pay estimate after your consultation and exam.
What's the difference between a brow lift and eyelid surgery?
A brow lift repositions the brow and forehead, while an upper blepharoplasty removes excess skin from the upper eyelid itself. Some patients benefit from one, some from both, and we sort that out at consultation.
Can Botox give similar results to a brow lift?
Not in the same way. Botox relaxes selected muscles temporarily, and in some patients that softens or subtly raises the brow, but it does not reposition tissue the way surgery does. If a non-surgical path fits your goals, we can talk that through at consultation.
What is recovery like after a brow lift?
It varies by patient but often takes about 1 week for the skin to heal, a couple of weeks to be socially presentable, and a few weeks after that for most of the swelling to resolve. Aggressive activity such as powerlifting or strenuous exercise must wait no less than 4-6 weeks. One year is the final result.
How long do brow lift results last?
Results can hold for 5-10 years, but it depends. In a way, surgery sets the clock back in time, but your face will continue to age naturally, impacted by time and gravity. No surgeon can honestly promise a fixed duration.
Does insurance cover a brow lift?
In our practice, a brow lift is cosmetic, self-pay care.
Plan Your Care with Shoshana Ambani Plastic Surgery
Consultation-based, self-pay plastic surgery in Ann Arbor.