Correction of the Aging Upper Third of the Face Using by Transpalpebral Approach

ABSTRACT

Aging changes on the upper third of the face include brow ptosis, glabellar furrowing and forehead transverse wrinkle caused by an imbalance of the forehead muscles. Surgical methods to correct these phenomena include forehead lift with a coronal incision, endoscopic access, and direct forehead skin excision. In response to a common need for cosmetic improvement in the brow-upper eyelid and a desire for minimal incisions for forehead rejuvenation, an approach through blepharoplasty incision had been developed. This approach has many advantages, such as fewer skin incision, less tissue mobilization and direct excision of the hyperactive depressor muscles. However, this approach is not suitable for those who have significant forehead wrinkle and ptosis. We used a combined subperiosteal approach for forehead lift and transection of the hyperactive corrugator and procerus muscles through blepharoplasty incision. This combined surgical technique is simple and effective to correct aging of the upper third of the face without the usual complication. We performed 10 cases of the transpalpebral approach for the correction of the upper third of the face from January 1997 to September 1998, following them up for from 3 to 6 months and obtained satisfactory results. We report our experiences with a review of the literature.