Targeted Lifting for the Outer Brow and Midface
What is a Temporal Lift?
A temporal lift, sometimes called a “mini, mid-face lift”, is a subtle surgical procedure that helps lift and refresh the outer brow and upper cheek area. It’s ideal for people who are starting to notice mild sagging around the brows or midface but don’t yet need a full brow or facelift.
The incisions are small and carefully hidden within the hairline, and recovery typically takes about 7–10 days. This procedure is often chosen to gently elevate the “tail” of the brow (the outer portion), creating a naturally more awake and youthful appearance.
At Utah Facial Plastics, our expert surgeons will guide you through a personalized consultation to determine if a temporal lift is the right option for your facial goals, or if combining it with another procedure like a facelift or brow lift will achieve the best results.
Targeted Lifting for the Outer Brow and Midface
What is a Temporal Lift?
The incisions are small and carefully hidden within the hairline, and recovery typically takes about 7–10 days. This procedure is often chosen to gently elevate the “tail” of the brow (the outer portion), creating a naturally more awake and youthful appearance.
At Utah Facial Plastics, our expert surgeons will guide you through a personalized consultation to determine if a temporal lift is the right option for your facial goals, or if combining it with another procedure like a facelift or brow lift will achieve the best results.
What Are The Benefits Of A Temporal Lift?
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Elevates the outer or lateral brow and upper cheek area for a natural lift
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Subtle yet impactful rejuvenation for a refreshed, more vibrant appearance
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Minimal downtime and faster recovery compared to full brow or midface lifts
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Small, hidden incisions reduce the risk of visible scarring or hair loss
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Can be easily combined with other face procedures for a more comprehensive eye area enhancement
- Ideal for patients in the early stages of facial aging who aren’t ready for a full facelift
Before & After Photos
Since a temporal brow gently elevates the outer brow, it is often combined with procedures like a facelift or eyelid surgery for more comprehensive rejuvenation. In other cases, it serves as a perfect first step, offering subtle yet meaningful results before considering a full facelift later on.
Who Is A Good Candidate For a Temporal Lift?
A temporal lift is an excellent option for individuals noticing early signs of aging, particularly sagging at the outer brows and upper cheeks, but who may not yet need a full brow lift or midface lift. If your upper eyelids are beginning to droop slightly, but not enough to consider eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, and you’re seeking a subtle refresh rather than a dramatic change, this may be the ideal procedure for you.
This “in-between” lift offers a conservative approach by targeting the lateral brow (the tail end) and midface, making it a popular choice for patients who want visible yet natural-looking improvement without the longer recovery of more extensive surgery. While a temporal brow lift is often performed alongside a facelift or eyelid surgery, it can also be a great standalone procedure, especially for those planning to pursue more comprehensive surgery later on.
For patients with a heavier or more drooping brow overall, our surgeons may recommend a brow lift, which addresses both the inner and outer portions of the brow for full correction. During your consultation, our expert team will evaluate your facial structure and aging pattern to help determine the best approach for your goals.
What People Say About Us
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"Dr. Thompson did a wonderful job on my face! His staff is so friendly and the entire office makes you feel like you are a part of their neighborhood. The surgery was explained extensively and he always took the time to make sure I was comfortable with all that would be going on before, during and after surgery. Fabulous!"
Temploral Lift FAQs
The mid-facelift is performed under deep sedation, often in combination with a forehead lift since the incisions are the same. This procedure is performed endoscopically (with assistance of a camera), and the incisions are completely hidden behind the hairline. The mid-facial soft tissue is released from underlying attachments and restored to a more youthful position using dissolvable stitches.
- Moderate improvement of brow and midfacial agin
- Endoscopic approach allows excellent results with smaller incisions hidden behind the hairline
- Offers more permanent correction than injectables or the “thread-lift” can provide
- Indicated for individuals in their 40s – 50s and older
- Safe and effective
Upon completion of the procedure, facial dressings are applied to prevent excessive swelling and bruising. These are removed the following day. Patients are closely followed and sutures are removed in approximately 7 days. We recommend only light activity for the first week to ten days following surgery. Most patients are able return to work 7-10 days following surgery with makeup easily covering any residual bruising.
One of the things our patients love about a temporal lift is the minimal incisions involved. Incisions are made on each side, just above the temple. But they are only about one inch long and we work hard to hide them effectively within the hairline. Visible scarring is not much of an issue with these procedures.
Your results from your temporal lift should last anywhere from 7 to 10 years. The changes made are permanent, meaning you’ll never have the same degree of sagging in the brows and upper eyelids. However, the march of time will, obviously, continue. You’ll have loosening of the skin and underlying musculature, but it will start from a more elevated position than if you didn’t have this procedure.
We perform these surgeries using endoscopic methods, so there isn’t the degree of tissue trauma that can be seen with full brow lifts and other similar procedures. Still, these are surgeries, so they entail the same risks as with any surgery: excessive bleeding, infection, reaction to anesthesia, and the like. But, thanks to the more limited invasiveness, combined with the expertise of our double board-certified surgeons, these are low-risk procedures.
With all of our surgical consultations at Utah Facial Plastics our surgeons seek to create a free flow of information with the patient. Any questions are encouraged throughout the meeting. There are different options for these surgeries, so the goal of the consultation is to match the possible methods available with the unique facial aging the patient is experiencing. During these consultations, the patient opens by describing what they don’t like about the aging they are seeing around the brows and upper eyelids. They detail what they’d like to accomplish with this procedure.
Then it’s our turn. We’ll examine the unique sagging and descension going on with the patient’s brow area. This examination will guide the method we’ll use. We’ll discuss your options, and then we’ll move on to a full description of what we think is the best approach. We’ll describe the surgery in detail. In most cases, we’ll include some before and after photos from other patients who have had similar sagging. We’ll go through what you can expect for your recovery, along with what you can expect with your final results. We’ll address the risks involved.
When your consultation is complete, whether you choose to move forward with your surgery or not, you should be well-versed in what a temporal lift is.