Positive long-term results for endoscopic forehead-lift

(HealthDay)—Patients who undergo endoscopic forehead-lift procedures report high satisfaction and lasting results, according to research published in the September/October issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

Nikolaos A. Papadopulos, M.D., Ph.D., of the Munich Technical University, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of the quantitative and qualitative long-term results of 143 patients who underwent an endoscopic forehead-lift procedure during a 13-year period between 1994 and 2007.

Responses were received for 69 percent of patients, with a mean follow-up of 38 months. According to the researchers, the patients reported high satisfaction (7.1 out of 10). After surgery, the mean midpupil-to-eyebrow elevation was 5.6 mm in a relaxed position, with significant eyebrow symmetry between the eyes. Time had a significant influence on persistent eyebrow elevation, with an almost 1 mm decrease per year. There were no relevant differences in measurements during muscle contraction.

"In conclusion, the majority of the patients undergoing endoscopic forehead-lift are highly satisfied, and long lasting results are achieved with a mean midpupil-to-eyebrow elevation of 5.6 mm in a relaxed position after 5.5 years," the authors write. "However, further additional prospective studies for evaluation of long-term results on a larger number of patients, as well as long-term evaluations of different fixation techniques and in comparison with the coronal approach, are needed."