Before surgery: what to prepare
Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, fish oil, vitamin E, ginseng, and ginkgo for 10–14 days. Stop smoking and vaping 2 weeks before and through 4 weeks after, nicotine and scalp incisions together are a high-risk combination for necrosis and visible scarring. Wash your hair thoroughly the morning of surgery. Bring zip-up or button shirts. If you dye your hair, wait until 4–6 weeks post-op for the next treatment. Tell the surgeon at consultation if you have a history of migraines; some forehead lift techniques can either improve or worsen migraine frequency.
The day of surgery
Forehead lift is performed under general anaesthesia, runs 2–4 hours, and discharges same-day or after a single overnight stay. The approach is endoscopic (small hairline incisions, no visible scar), pretrichial (incision just in front of the hairline, used when the hairline is too high), or coronal (a long incision across the top of the scalp, used in heavier cases or when the surgeon wants maximum lift). You leave with a soft head wrap covering staple or suture lines and a small drain in some cases.
Days 1–3: peak swelling
Swelling peaks day 2–3 and concentrates in the forehead, upper face, and around the eyes. Bruising tracks down into the upper eyelids and sometimes the cheeks and typically persists for 10–14 days as it migrates downward. Sleep with your head elevated 30–45 degrees. Cold compresses to the forehead (not directly on incisions) for the first 48 hours. The forehead and scalp feel tight, heavy, and numb. Avoid heavy lifting and bending.
Week 1: stitches out, bruising fades
Staples or sutures come out around day 7–10. The forehead is still numb and feels tight. The brow position looks higher than the final result, which is intentional. Bruising is mostly gone by end of week 1. Hair washing is usually allowed from day 3–4 with gentle handling around incisions.
Weeks 2–4: back to public
Office work and public situations from the end of week 2. Forehead numbness remains pronounced and resolves slowly over months. Intense itching along the incision lines as nerves regenerate is normal, a positive sign of sensory recovery, even though it can be miserable. No strenuous exercise until week 4. The brow continues to look elevated; the forehead feels stiff. For coronal lifts, the scalp numbness behind the incision is more extensive and lasts longer than endoscopic.
Months 2–3: swelling resolves
Brow position begins to relax toward the final height. The forehead feels less tight. Numbness is improving but patches of altered sensation behind the incision can persist much longer, especially after coronal approaches. Scar lines in the hairline are concealed once hair regrows around them, usually by month 3.
Months 6–12: the final result
Final brow and forehead position is at month 6 for most patients. The lift typically retains 70–80% of the immediate post-op elevation at month 6. Scalp numbness behind the incisions is largely resolved by month 6 for endoscopic, longer for coronal, sometimes 12 months or more. Scar maturation runs the full 12 months. Hair density around the incisions should match the rest of the scalp unless tension on the closure caused localized thinning.
Red flags: when to call the clinic
Call the clinic the same day for: sudden severe one-sided swelling or increasing pressure under the scalp (possible haematoma), pus or yellow discharge from incisions, fever over 38.5°C, scalp skin that turns dusky white or black along an incision, a sudden drop in brow position, or asymmetric eyebrow movement and inability to raise one brow (temporary frontal-branch facial-nerve weakness in roughly 3–5% of cases, usually transient; permanent injury under 1%). Go to an emergency room for severe headache combined with vision changes, or chest pain. Itching, intermittent shooting nerve sensations as sensation returns, and tight forehead feeling are not red flags.