Home · Procedures · Brow Lift in Turkey
Brow Lift in Turkey, the process, the healing, and what I wish I’d known
Many women come wanting upper eyelid surgery, and the real problem is a dropped brow. Tighten only the lid and the brow sits lower still, making the eye look heavier than before. So the first question isn't which technique, but which place.
My connection to this surgeon
I was a patient of the specialist I refer you to. I was so convinced by his work that I chose to work with him. On site, his clinic team looks after you, English-speaking, from the airport to the last check-up. He speaks English himself; your consent conversation happens without an interpreter. For legal reasons I give his name only in conversation.
What a brow lift is
The brows and forehead tissue are lifted and re-anchored. Endoscopically through several small incisions in the scalp, open through an incision at or behind the hairline, or as a temporal lift in the temple area only, the latter mainly raises the outer third of the brow and opens the eye.
Often combined with upper eyelid surgery or a facelift. The order matters: assess the brow first, then the lid.
Who it suits, and who it doesn’t
Suitable for a dropped brow, a heavy upper lid despite previous eyelid surgery, horizontal forehead lines from constantly raising the brows, or a drooping outer brow.
Not: with a high forehead and an open hairline incision without discussion, it raises the forehead further; with very thin hair in the incision area; with nicotine; if you expect a permanently surprised look.
The techniques in detail
Endoscopic brow lift
Small incisions behind the hairline; the tissue is released with a camera and lifted. Smallest scars, quicker recovery, the standard for most patients.
Temporal lift
Temple area only, raising the outer third of the brow and opening the eye. The smallest of the brow lifts, often combined with eyelid surgery.
Open (coronal) brow lift
An incision across the scalp within the hair. Very effective with marked laxity and deep forehead lines, but a longer scar and more numbness. With a high forehead the incision is placed at the hairline instead, so the forehead doesn't get higher.
Direct brow lift
A strip of skin directly above the brow is removed. Very effective but leaves a visible scar, today mostly used in older patients with marked findings.
Brow or lid? The test
The surgeon gently lifts your brow with a finger. If the upper lid then looks normal, the brow is the problem, not the lid. If little changes, it really is skin excess at the lid. You can do this test in the mirror before your consultation.
The right time
- When you have to lift your brows with a finger to apply eyeshadow.
- When you constantly raise your forehead and have lines from it.
- Blood pressure controlled, smoke-free for several weeks before and after.
- Two to three weeks arranged with no important engagements.
The process in Turkey
Before you travel
Blood tests, blood pressure controlled, no blood thinners, stop smoking.
Arrival
The day before surgery.
Surgery day
Markings sitting up, consent, general or sedation, one to two hours.
Days 1-6
Swelling around eyes and forehead, scalp numbness. Head elevated, cooling. Stitches or clips out at seven to ten days.
Clearance and flight home
Usually after about a week, and only once the surgeon clears you.
Healing week by week
The part clinic websites cover in one sentence, and the most important.
Swelling and bruising around the eyes, forehead tightness, numb scalp.
Stitches or clips out. Bruising concealable with make-up.
The brows sit higher than they finally will. Scalp numbness and itching persist.
Final position. The expression looks natural.
What nobody likes to say
- For the first weeks the brows sit too high and you look surprised. That settles.
- The scalp is numb for weeks and itches as sensation returns, the most tedious part.
- Hair can fall out temporarily at the incisions.
- With a coronal incision the forehead can look higher.
- It doesn't last forever, gravity keeps working.
Risks
General surgical risks: bleeding, infection, delayed wound healing, blood clots (DVT and pulmonary embolism), anaesthetic complications. Procedure-specific: permanent scalp numbness, hair loss at incisions, brow asymmetry, injury to the frontal branch of the facial nerve with impaired brow movement (usually temporary), unnaturally high brows if over-corrected, visible scars with an open approach.
Two risks are particular to going abroad: combining several procedures under one long anaesthetic, and the flight home. Both belong in the surgeon’s consultation, not the quote. In full: Cosmetic surgery abroad.
Aftercare at home
Before you travel we sort out: who removes the stitches; which practice near you is willing to see you if something isn't right; which documents you bring home, operation report, material details, medication list; who you can reach at night. And we talk about what the NHS or HSE will and won't do after an elective procedure abroad: emergency care yes, corrections no.
What that looks like for women from the UK and Ireland is on the country pages.
What a quote should contain
I give no prices here. Not because I don’t know them, but because any figure without an examination is misleading, and because this site also serves countries where price advertising for cosmetic surgery is restricted. A reputable quote for a brow lift is itemised by surgeon, anaesthetic, hospital stay, materials and aftercare, and it states what isn’t included. When two quotes differ widely, it’s almost always the surgeon’s experience, the materials, the hospital or the length of stay. I’ll walk you through the clinic’s actual quote line by line.
Common questions
Brow lift or eyelid surgery?
The lift test at the consultation decides. Tighten only the lid when the brow has dropped and the eye looks heavier afterwards.
Endoscopic or open?
Endoscopic is the standard with the smallest scars. Open for marked laxity, the surgeon decides on findings and forehead height.
Will I look surprised?
For the first weeks yes; it settles. With over-correction it can persist, which is why experience matters.
How long does it last?
About five to ten years.
Will my forehead get higher?
Possible with a coronal incision. With a high forehead the incision is placed at the hairline.
How long in Turkey?
Usually one week. The surgeon clears the flight home.
How long am I off work?
Two to three weeks, until bruising is concealable.
Will my scalp stay numb?
Weeks to months; permanently rarely.
What does a brow lift cost in Turkey?
It depends on technique and combination. I give no figures.
Is Botox an alternative?
For a slight lift of the outer third, temporarily. With true descent it doesn't help, and it's no reason to travel.
Let’s talk it through, without pressure
Twenty minutes, no obligation. We start by working out whether surgery is the right step for you at all, and whether now is the right time.
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This text does not replace a surgeon’s consent conversation. Timings are typical courses, not promises; yours may differ. Ivy Beside deliberately gives no prices and names no surgeons.