Can The Rolls Of Skin Between My Eyebrows Be Cut Out?

Q: Dr. Eppley, can you tell is there a way of reducing the excess skin between the eyes (glabella area) and what is the procedure for that? Only the skin, not the bone or fat. Will there be a big scar after the surgery? Thank you!

A: Some people will develop deep vertical furrows between the eyebrows, also known as the glabellar area. These are the result of extreme muscle action of the glabellar musculature. These furrows can become so deep and excessive that in some people they will appear as actual rolls or vertical folds of skin. While Botox is the standard treatment for glabellar furrows, it will have little effect in reducing these glabellar skin rolls. I have actually done excisions of select vertical glabellar skin rolls. While this does create a dramatic flattening of the glabellar area, and one can also perform muscle excision at the inner eyebrows to create a more permanent Botox-like effect, it does result in a prominent scar if one has thicker type skin. (which is almost always in whom these skin rolls exist) In each and every case, I have needed to do subsequent scar revisions for an improvement in their appearance.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana