Brow Lift Cost and Procedure Guide

A well-executed brow lift can take years off your face. While beauty products, dyes, tinting, threading and waxing can impact how your brows look, you might get the best benefits from a brow lift if you have saggy brows or want to look younger.

The antiaging procedure lifts sagging brows by tightening up the skin on your face, and more than 13,000 brow lifts are performed each year, usually among women.¹

Continue reading to learn more about how the procedure works and what you can expect to pay.

What Is a Brow Lift?

A brow lift is a cosmetic procedure done by a surgeon that repositions your forehead to raise the brows.¹ As you age, your skin loses elasticity, causing the distance between the eyebrows and eyelashes to decrease when the eyebrows start to sag.²

A brow lift can help with the following:³

• Correcting frown lines across the top of your nose
• Correcting hooded eyes or sagging eyebrows
• Fixing the “11s" frown lines between the brows
• Looking more awake and youthful
• Reducing the wrinkles that go horizontally across the forehead

One of the top benefits of a brow lift is that it puts the eyebrows in an alert and youthful position while reducing deep forehead wrinkles.³

Brow lift vs. forehead lift

You might also hear or read about a brow lift as a forehead lift.¹ In general, a brow lift and a forehead lift are the same cosmetic procedure at most surgical practices.³ But it’s always wise to confirm what the specific type of brow lift surgery will entail.

Types of Brow Lift Surgery

There are multiple types of surgical brow lift procedures to discuss with your doctor, as well as a non-surgical brow lift to consider.

Endoscopic brow lift

An endoscopic brow lift involves a few short incisions made behind the hairline. Then, an endoscope (camera) offers a peek so the surgeon doesn't have to make large incisions to see where to detach the brows. They’ll smooth the muscles of the forehead while raising the brows to the desired location.⁴

Since this brow lift involves fewer incisions, it tends to have a faster recovery time and results in less scarring. It’s the best option for someone who has significant hair loss.³

Coronal brow lift

Also called the classic brow lift, this type of brow lift involves a long incision along the hairline that goes down to the ears. Excess tissue and fat are removed and the eyebrows and forehead are lifted. This is done less frequently as less-invasive techniques have been developed.⁴

Temporal brow lift

This brow lift is also more likely to be performed with eyelid surgery since it requires longer incisions. Cuts are made about one inch above each temple behind the hair, which allows the doctor to lift and move the outer brow area while also smoothing out forehead wrinkles.⁴

Non-surgical brow lift (BOTOX® Cosmetic)

You can achieve a lifted look with BOTOX (botulinum toxin) injections to temporarily paralyze the muscles that cause facial lines and wrinkles.¹ The relaxed muscles over the eyebrows can cause them to lift, making you look more awake with a more youthful appearance. BOTOX injection results are temporary, and the desired effects for the eyebrows — and wrinkles — will wear off much sooner than with forehead surgery.¹

How Much Does a Brow Lift Cost?

In the United States, the national average cost** for a brow lift is $4,834, but it can range from $445 to $8,067 depending on a variety of factors.⁵

Calculate the cost of a brow lift near you

Average brow lift cost by state/district

Here are the average costs** of a brow lift in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.⁵

Additional cost considerations

The above prices usually do not include the cost of operating room facilities, anesthesia, medications you receive during and after treatment, medical tests and lab fees before the brow lift procedure or the cost of consultations before and after the cosmetic procedure.⁵

Other factors that can influence the cost of a brow lift include:³

• Anesthesia costs
• Cost of prescriptions
• Cost of surgical supplies
• If you're getting other cosmetic procedures added on
• Medical tests
• Surgeon you choose
• Type of brow lift you get (surgical or not)
• Where you live in the country⁵
• Where the procedure is performed (e.g., hospital, surgery center, outpatient facility)⁵

Does health insurance cover brow lifts?

Since a brow lift is an elective cosmetic procedure, most health insurance plans won’t cover brow lift surgery.³

How Can You Pay for a Brow Lift?

There are several ways to pay for a brow lift, depending on what your provider offers and your budget. Some pay upfront with cash, check or a credit/debit card. Others may choose a payment plan offered through the practice.

If you’d prefer to pay over time, the CareCredit credit card is another option many patients use for out-of-pocket health and wellness services. If approved, you can make monthly payments (with promotional financing options where available). Terms, approval and minimum monthly payments vary, so review the details and ask the office whether they accept CareCredit before deciding.

How Does a Brow Lift Work?

Here's what a forehead lift procedure might involve:³

1. You receive general or local anesthesia, depending on the surgeon's preferences.
2. The doctor makes endoscopic incisions in your scalp or coronal incisions along the top of your hairline.
3. The skin on the forehead is lifted up. The tissue on the forehead is moved and/or repositioned. Excess fat, tissue and skin may be removed.⁴
4. Once the skin is in the desired position, the doctor will keep it in place with sutures. Adhesives or special clips may also be used to keep the skin in place.
5. The surgeon might put a drain in to collect blood and excess fluid.
6. You'll be moved to a post-op area for observation before being discharged.

Possible Side Effects of Brow Lift Surgery

As with any surgery, there can be side effects. For brow lift surgery, side effects might include:³

• Anesthesia reactions
• Asymmetrical eyebrows
• Bleeding
• Dry eyes or eye irritation
• Elevated hairline
• Fluid accumulation
• Itchy skin
• Numbness in skin
• Pain that persists
• Possible infection
• Possible nerve damage
• Temporary hair loss around incision sites

Brow Lift Recovery

Your brow lift recovery depends on the type of forehead surgery you had done and if any other facelift procedures were completed at the same time. It also depends on each patient's body and how quickly they heal after surgery.

Usually, you'll return home the same day you had eyebrow surgery, depending on which type of brow surgery you received.²

The doctor will place bandages on your head and face and recommend you keep your head elevated after a brow lift surgery to reduce swelling.³

In general, you might experience the following symptoms in the days and weeks after cosmetic surgery:⁴

• Bruising
• Itching or numbness on the scalp
• Pain
• Swelling
• Tenderness

Your plastic surgeon might recommend over-the-counter or prescription pain medications. It can take several months for all swelling to dissipate and for scars to completely heal.³

How Long Do Brow Lift Results Last?

The results of brow lift surgery can last a long time, particularly if you take good care of the skin on your face by wearing SPF 30 or higher and covering your face with a hat when you're out in the sun.⁴

A brow lift — also known as a forehead lift — can help you look younger, more awake and refreshed. Talk with your cosmetic or plastic surgeon to better understand the costs, what's involved and if it's the right procedure for you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Brow Lift Surgery

You may still be wondering about specific details that are important to know as you consider getting a brow lift. Here are some commonly asked questions about brow lift surgery.

Financing a Brow Lift With the CareCredit Credit Card

Ready to revitalize your appearance and boost your confidence? The CareCredit credit card makes it easy to pay for brow lifts and related expenses not covered by health insurance.* Use our Acceptance Locator to find a doctor or cosmetic surgeon near you that accepts CareCredit so you can stop dreaming and start living your best life. Continue your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App to manage your CareCredit account, find a provider on the go and easily access the Well U blog for more great articles, podcasts and videos.

In addition to cosmetic procedures, you can also use your CareCredit credit card for dentistry, pet care, vision, hearing, health systems, dermatology, pharmacy purchases, spa treatments and so much more within the CareCredit network. How will you invest in your health and wellness next?

Author Bio

Diana Kelly Levey is a freelance journalist, content marketing writer and author with more than 15 years of experience covering health and wellness.