During blepharoplasty surgery excess skin, muscle and fat is removed from the eyelid to create a more open and alert appearance. The skin of the upper eyelid is some of the thinnest on the body. Immediately above the eyelid but below the eyebrow is the infrabrow skin. Unlike the skin of the upper eyelid, the infrabrow skin is quite thick. If eyebrow position is too low – either naturally or because of age related changes – a browlift may be required in addition to a blepharoplasty in order to achieve optimal results. The purpose of the brow lift in this case is to elevate the infrabrow skin off of the upper eyelid in such a way as to allow visibility of the upper eyelid crease when the blepharoplasty has been performed.
Using the photograph above as an example, following the combined browlift and blepharoplasty, the eyebrow itself does not change dramatically in position, however, infrabrow skin has been lifted out of the way allowing the eyelid crease to become visible. If only a blepharoplasty had been performed, the eyelid crease would be present but it would be hidden behind the infrabrow skin.