What we treat / A heavy brow
A Heavy or Dropping Brow
A brow that sits lower than it used to makes the whole eye look tired and hooded, and it is usually the reason people say they look angry when they are not. Two things cause it. The muscles around the outer brow pull it down all day, and the tissue above it has lost support. Relaxing the muscles that pull down lets the brow sit higher on its own. Where the tissue itself has descended, threads lift it.
Why it happens
Your brow is held in a tug of war. One broad muscle lifts it, and a ring of muscle around the eye pulls it down. As the lifting side tires and the tissue above the brow thins, the downward pull wins and the brow settles lower.
Because the skin of the upper lid hangs from the brow, a brow that drops a few millimeters reads as a hooded eye. People usually notice the eye before they notice the brow, which is why so many arrive asking about their eyelids when the brow is what moved.
How Dr. Mauer treats it
The main treatment
Botox & Neuromodulators
Small amounts into the muscles pulling the outer brow downward, so the lifting muscle is no longer fighting them. The change is measured in millimeters and it opens the eye. Dr. Mauer assesses which side of that tug of war is actually winning on your face before anything is injected.
Read about BotoxWhere the tissue has dropped
Thread Lifts
Where the brow has descended rather than simply been pulled down, absorbable threads reposition it and hold it while collagen forms. Dr. Mauer will tell you at the consultation which of the two is happening, because the wrong one will not hold.
Read about thread liftsWhat to expect
- Appointment
- 15 to 30 minutes for injections
- Discomfort
- Most people describe a mild pinch
- Downtime
- None that stops you going back to work
- Visible
- 7 to 14 days for the full effect
- Lasts
- About 3 to 4 months for injections
Results for this concern
Individual results vary. Photographs are published only with each patient’s written consent.
Questions about a heavy brow
How much lift is realistic without surgery?+
A few millimeters, which is more than it sounds. It is enough to open the eye and take the heaviness out of the upper lid. It is not the same as a surgical brow lift and Dr. Mauer will say so plainly if surgery is what your face is actually asking for.
Is this the treatment that goes wrong and drops the brow?+
The brow drops when the muscle that lifts it is over treated, which is the opposite of what is done here. This treats the muscles pulling the brow down. Knowing which is which is the whole job.
Will it help my hooded eyelids?+
Often, because much of what people call hooding is brow position rather than eyelid skin. Where the lid skin itself is the problem, injections will not fix it, and he will tell you that rather than sell you something.
Can it be done at the same time as my forehead?+
Usually yes, and it often should be. Treating the forehead alone without addressing the downward pull is a common reason people feel heavier afterward rather than lighter.
