Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine if autologous soft tissue placed preperiosteally and superior to the orbital rim corrects deflation in brow lifting.
Methods: :
During an 8 month period, 49 women (ages 35-72) received brow lifts (44 pretrichial lifts and 5 endoscopic brow lifts). During the procedures, two sections of subcutaneous tissue measuring 25mm x 10mm x 3-4mm were excised from the scalp of each patient. An autologous section was sutured to the periosteum, superior to each orbital rim and below each inferior row of brow hairs. The patients were followed for a year post-operative.
Results: :
By clinical examination, the temporal brow fullness was viewed to have lasted at least to the one-year follow-up. By radiographic examination, a single MRI of one patient showed that the soft tissue implants lasted at least to the six-month follow-up. All of the patients reported satisfaction with the appearance. One complication occurred with a patient having patchy areas of incisional skin necrosis, thought to be due to invasion of the subdermal plexus during graft dissection.
Conclusions: :
Deflation of temporal brow fullness is frequently seen as a normal aging change. Autologous soft tissue augmentation may prevent deflation in patients for at least one year. The described technique is advantageous because it can be used in either endoscopic or open brow lifts, does not required banked or alloplastic tissue, and lasts at least one year.
Keywords: face perception • shape, form, contour, object perception • plasticity