There aren’t many reviews about forehead reduction lifts for women in their 20s, so for people who are deliberating like I was, I brought a very, very, very detailed review.
1. Reason for surgery
There were two main reasons I got the surgery.
First, I had double eyelid surgery when I was young, and back then my double eyelids showed well. But as I got older, my upper eyelids gradually drooped, making the double eyelid line thinner, and I hated that. Also, the distance between my eyes and eyebrows was narrow, so my impression looked too stuffy and masculine.
The second reason was that I opened my eyes too much using forehead strength, so forehead wrinkles were about to start forming, and I had some headaches.
2. Double eyelid revision vs forehead reduction lift
The reason I didn’t get double eyelid revision is, as you can see in the photos, the distance between my eyes and eyebrows isn’t wide. If I got double eyelid surgery, my upper eyelid area would look even narrower and even more stuffy. And because my eyebrows and eyes looked like they were stuck close together, I looked masculine, so I wanted to look more feminine.
3. Hospital consultation / reason I chose it
Honestly, I didn’t go to many hospital consultations lol... I went to Your Time in January, and BT maybe a year ago? I went there too. TYR was too expensive, so I didn’t even get a consultation. Since the BT consultation was so long ago, I don’t remember well, but I think the doctor consultation was a bit disappointing because it was too short.
I saw before-and-after photos of Your Time on Threads, got drawn in, and booked a consultation right away. (Yes, I’m an MBTI P lol)
The staff at Your Time weren’t overwhelmingly kind in a burdensome way, and I liked that they were straightforward. There was one doctor, and on the day of the consultation, I consulted with the consultation manager and then with the doctor.
I asked about forehead reduction lift and, since my face lacked volume, whether fat grafting would be good. They didn’t strongly recommend fat grafting, so I decided not to do it. I liked that there was no pressure to get procedures.
After the consultation, I booked the surgery date that same day. But the hospital had opened not long ago, so there were barely any reviews;;;; Other than that, I wasn’t too worried. When I looked up the doctor’s background, they had been the head director at two other hospitals, so I figured it would be okay. Personally, I think I bought in well at a low point.
5. Surgical method
I had corrugator muscle resection. They did full tunneling. I didn’t have separate hair shaving. I don’t know if they didn’t do it because I don’t have much hair, or if this is how they normally do it. They braided my hair with rubber bands, divided it into sections, and did the excision. I’m glad they didn’t shave my hair.. lol sob
5. Day of surgery
My surgery was at 10 a.m., and I fasted for 4 hours before surgery. The forehead design was done on the surgery day, and while they were designing it, they were trying to lower my forehead too much. I said I didn’t want that, and they adjusted it. What I dislike is my forehead getting wider from a forehead lift, not my already vast forehead itself.
What I liked then too was that they told me, if I wasn’t going to lower my forehead much, I could just do the lift without the reduction, so it might also be good to consider hair transplantation. I liked that there was no pressure. They gave me time to think about whether to do only the lift.
After surgery, I lay on the hospital bed for a bit, and my head was wrapped tightly with bandages.. I don’t know if the surgery was done well or if my body is just suited to surgery, but it was better than I expected. I did ice packs, drank some water, lay down for a while, and then went home. When I went home, they gave me an ice pack and packed the precautions and various things for me.
6. Evening of surgery day
Honestly, the evening of surgery day was the hardest for me. Because of the medication, I had to eat porridge, but every time I ate something, I felt like throwing up. That day, I went home, ate a bit, took medicine, and lay down. But when I looked online, people said they had a really hard time after forehead lift, so I was worried. It wasn’t that hard for me, so honestly, except for the evening of surgery day, I was okay.
7. Day 2 to one month after surgery (writing from memory, so there may be a one-day margin of error)
Day 2 - Normally on day 2, they change the bandage to a thinner one, but I had surgery on Wednesday. But Thursday was the hospital’s day off, so I rested at home. By day 2, I felt much better, so I did various work on my laptop.
Day 3 - They changed the bandage to a thinner one, disinfected it, and I got a bruise-reducing laser treatment.
Day 4 - I think this was when I washed my hair for the first time. I received a shampoo coupon from the hospital and washed my hair. Swelling was still severe until then. Bandage completely removed. Got laser treatment.
Day 5 - I showered. (That day, I wore a cap and mask and went out to work my part-time job.)
Day 7 - Disinfection + laser treatment at the hospital. I was tired because I had to go to the hospital too often Swelling went down a bit.
Day 14 - Stitches removed from my head!!!! From this point, I applied scar ointment.
One month - Went today to take progress photos. They said it’s healing well. No swelling.
8. Forehead lift side effects
Now that it’s been one month, a lot of sensation has returned to my forehead area and the sides of my scalp. But the crown area still doesn’t have much sensation. They said it takes a few more months to come back. They said the scar fades over 6 months. I’ve been applying scar ointment consistently, and for now it’s at a level where concealer covers it well, so I’m not too bothered. But the ointment keeps getting on my hair, so it sometimes makes my hair look greasy, which is a bit annoying
No pain. Sometimes my head area itches. Not to the point that it bothers me. No overcorrection. I can close my eyes well, and I don’t have lagophthalmos.
Hair loss - I think a little fell out. Honestly, this is what worries me the most. I didn’t have much hair to begin with;; I’m planning to take minoxidil. But they say the hair loss also recovers, so I think I’ll need to check again at 3 months and 6 months.
9. Personal satisfaction
Honestly, I regret not doing it earlier. But if I had done it earlier, this hospital wouldn’t have opened yet, so I couldn’t have done it here, right?? lol
It was something I had deliberated about for years, and when I told people around me, they all tried to stop me. I just went to do it out of my own stubbornness, but the result came out exactly how I wanted, so I’m really, really satisfied.
Since my eyes look more open, doing makeup has become more fun too. Somehow I became subtly prettier, but people don’t know what I had done. (They only guess, “Did you get double eyelid surgery?” because my double eyelids got bigger.)
Since it doesn’t involve putting implants or anything like that into the face, I recommend it if you want to become prettier naturally. For people like me with narrow upper eyelid space and double eyelids that get folded/hidden, I really, really, really!!!!!! recommend it. I love that my impression became softer.
I’m considering going to a dermatologist because I want the scar to fade quickly. Oh, and my M-shaped hairline also improved. (It could have been corrected more, but I said I didn’t want to lower it, so that amount is an improvement.)
What else should I write... I wrote “detailed” in the title, but I feel like it’s not as detailed as I thought;; If you have questions, ask. I’ll reply as much as I can. When I was researching to get surgery, there weren’t many reviews for forehead reduction lift surgery, especially reviews from people in their 20s, so it was hard. I want this to be somewhat helpful.