How Can I Get Rid Of These Vertical Lumps After An Endoscopic Browlift?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I had an endoscopic brow lift 3 years ago and I am left with 4 vertical lumps on my forehead (pictures). The surgeon who did the brow lift believes it is scar tissue. 

Do you think you could treat those scars by any means ? Would it require surgery or maybe just steroid injection ? 

Thank you 

A: This is a most unusual sequelae from an endoscopic browllift that I have never seen or heard of before. While you can certainly try steroid injections I would not expect that to provide any improvement. I don’t think this is scar tissue nor could I biologically explain why such scar tissue would occur along these very specific vertical ‘lines’ since in an endoscopic brow lift there are no periosteal/galeal tissue releases done along these lines. There are only vertically ‘pull points’ located at the scalp incision locations. My speculation would be that this is more likely related to the vertical pull of the browlift which has created tension lines in the forehead.  I don’t think it is a coincidence that the tissue lumps are vertical in orientation and that the browlift is based on a vertical tissue pull.

If that is a correct theory then the only solution may be a horizontal release of the galea of the forehead as is more commonly done in open forehead procedures. What is clear that at 3 years postop this is not an issue that time and tissue relaxation will solve.

But I make these comments based on only seeing two pictures and having no specific knowledge of the endoscopic browlift technique

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana