Surgery · Signature Lifting

Forehead Lift

The brow returned to its position, and held there

Apgujeong, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Endoscopic dissection with Endotine fixation · KHIDI-registered for international patients

Forehead Lift Forehead Lift Forehead Lift Forehead Lift Forehead Lift 
Define

Forehead lift

What does a forehead lift raise, and how is it different from forehead reduction?

The operation, in one paragraph

Rewind's forehead lift dissects the skin and the SMAS layer across the forehead and temple, carries the dissection down to the brow, and moves the descended brow and forehead line back upward. The lifted layer is then held with Endotine, an absorbable fixation device made for this operation. The clinic describes two effects: forehead lines are improved directly, and upper-eyelid skin that has been dragged down by the descending brow is drawn up with it, which opens the eye.

Source: Rewind's Korean-language page for endoscopic forehead lifting, which names the hairline incision, the dissection of the forehead and temple down to the brow, the Full HD endoscopic view used during that dissection, and Endotine as the fixation.

Two operations share the word forehead and share almost nothing else. This one raises what has descended. Forehead reduction shortens a forehead that is tall by moving the hairline forward, and it has its own page, its own plan and its own price line. Anyone searching for a smaller forehead wants that page; anyone whose brow has dropped and whose lid feels heavy is on the right one.

Preparation before surgery at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong
Fig. 01 — Preparation before an upper-face operation
Result

Case photographs

Three foreheads operated at Rewind, with the full session under each

Three pairs from the clinic's own archive appear here. Only the first was a forehead lift on its own. In the other two the forehead was raised during an operation that also lowered the hairline, or that lifted the middle of the face and repositioned fat under the eye, and the caption under each pair names every procedure carried out in that session. The brow position you are looking at is the sum of all of them.

Rewind patients — brow and upper third

Before a forehead lift performed on its own at Rewind Plastic Surgery After a forehead lift performed on its own at Rewind Plastic Surgery BEFOREAFTER
case 01
Forehead lift, performed alone with no additional procedure
Individual results may vary.
Before a forehead lift with forehead reduction, double-chin liposuction, platysma tightening and subplatysmal fat removal After a forehead lift with forehead reduction, double-chin liposuction, platysma tightening and subplatysmal fat removal BEFOREAFTER
case 02
Forehead lift + forehead reduction + double-chin liposuction + platysma tightening + subplatysmal fat removal
Individual results may vary.
Before a forehead lift with partial facelift and under-eye fat repositioning, forehead to eyes After a forehead lift with partial facelift and under-eye fat repositioning, forehead to eyes BEFOREAFTER
case 03
Forehead lift + partial facelift + under-eye fat repositioning, same session
Individual results may vary.

Every frame is a Rewind patient, photographed at the clinic in the same position and the same light on both visits, and published unretouched with written consent. Results vary between individuals, and the combinations listed above are part of the reason. Operating on the upper third can be followed by bleeding, infection, swelling and bruising, asymmetry of brow height, altered sensation across the scalp, temporary weakness of forehead movement and a visible scar inside the hairline. Every decision starts with a consultation.

Layers

From hairline to brow

Which structures does a forehead lift move, and what holds them afterwards?

Four elements make up this operation: where it is entered, which layers travel, how far the dissection reaches, and what keeps the lifted tissue in place while it heals. Rewind publishes all four.

entry 01
A long incision at the hairline
The operation is entered along the hairline. Rewind states that the resulting line sits among the hairs, which is where its description of a scar that is hard to notice comes from.
layer 02
Forehead and temple skin with the SMAS
Skin and the fascial layer of the forehead and temple are dissected together. The correction is made at that layer, and the surface follows what the layer does.
reach 03
Dissection carried down to the brow
Rewind carries the dissection as far as the brow, then draws the loosened forehead skin and muscle layer upward. Without reaching the brow, the brow itself cannot travel.
hold 04
Endotine, absorbed over about nine months
A fixation device with five tines, a support and a gently tapered finish, approved by Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and by the US FDA for forehead lifting. Rewind records that the body absorbs it over roughly nine months.
Steps

In sequence

How an endoscopic forehead lift is performed, step by step at Rewind

Three surgical steps are published, and a Full HD endoscope runs through the middle of them. The clinic's stated reason for the camera is identification: nerves and vessels are seen while the plane is being opened, so that tissue damage that serves no purpose is kept out of the operation.

01Design

A one-to-one design precedes the forehead lift incision

Rewind's first published step is a design drawn for the individual face before anything is opened, followed by the long incision along the hairline. Brow height, the weight of the lid and the position of the hairline all belong to that drawing.

02Dissect

The plane is opened to the brow under endoscopic view

Skin and the fascial layer of the forehead and temple are lifted as far as the brow. The Full HD endoscope gives the surgeon a direct view of the nerves and vessels crossing that plane while the dissection is being made.

03Lift

The loosened forehead is drawn upward, skin and muscle together

The freed skin and muscle layer of the forehead are pulled up into the position agreed at the design stage. Because the brow travels with that layer, the eyelid skin above the eye moves with it.

04Fix

Surplus tissue is removed and the lift is fixed with Endotine

What is left over is excised, the Endotine device holds the lifted layer at its new height, and the hairline is closed. The device is designed to be absorbed, so it is meant to disappear once healing has done the holding.

05Settle

A day or two of compression, then a fortnight of fading

Rewind records one to two days of compression dressing after this operation, and states that early swelling and bruising mostly subside within one to two weeks. Ordinary activity returns step by step while strenuous exercise waits.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi operating at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 02 — The surgeon who drew the design performs the dissection
Rewind

Why here

Why the upper third is lifted under endoscopic view at Rewind

A brow that has dropped changes an expression before it changes a photograph. Getting it back involves three decisions: how much to raise, how to see what is being crossed on the way there, and what holds the new height while the tissue knits.

01View

A Full HD endoscope through the dissection

Rewind uses Full HD endoscopic visualisation to identify nerve and vessel anatomy as the plane is opened. The clinic's stated aim is to avoid tissue damage that contributes nothing to the lift, which it connects to a steadier operation and a smoother recovery. The anatomy of the danger zones around this plane is a subject of its own in the literature listed at the foot of this page.

02Fixation

An absorbable device made for the forehead

Endotine holds the lifted layer at its new height with five tines on a small support, and Rewind records approval by Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and by the US FDA for forehead lifting, with absorption in the body over about nine months. Nothing is intended to stay once the tissue has healed into position.

03Continuity

One surgeon draws the design and closes the line

The medical director examines, designs, operates and holds every review, and a board-certified plastic surgeon is the only person operating here. Surgical consultations are arranged Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday until 19:00 and Saturday until 16:00, by appointment, and Rewind is registered with KHIDI as an institution for international patients.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi examining a patient at consultation
Fig. 03 — The examination that sets the height and the vector
Theatre

In the operating room

Where a forehead lift takes place, and what the first day afterwards asks

Operating room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong

Fig. 04 — The theatre used for upper-face surgery

Consultation room at Rewind Plastic Surgery

Fig. 05 — The room where the design is drawn and reviewed

The practice sits on two floors of the Richro Building in Apgujeong, Gangnam, and a forehead lift begins and ends inside it: design, theatre, dressing and every review. On the first day or two the dressing stays on and the clinic asks patients to keep the head propped up, which is its published way of keeping swelling down. Patients travelling from abroad are supported in their own language from the first enquiry onward.

Incision: along the hairline, the line settling among the hairs
Dissection: forehead and temple skin with the SMAS, carried to the brow
View: Full HD endoscope through the dissection
Fixation: Endotine, absorbed over about nine months
Dressing: compression for one to two days, head kept raised
Operated by Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon

Board-certified plastic surgeon

Specialist certification in plastic surgery in Korea, ten papers in peer-reviewed journals, and a single-surgeon operating list. KHIDI registration for the treatment of international patients, Reg. M-2025-01-08-09288.

Cost

Pricing

How Rewind prices a forehead lift, and what a combined upper-face plan looks like

The forehead lift has one listing. Beside it sit the combined upper-face plan and the smaller operation that competes with it at consultation, so that a patient can see the whole upper third priced before choosing where to start.

Forehead lift with Endotine fixationHairline incision, dissection to the brow under endoscopic view, absorbable fixation
₩4,500,000
Forehead lift and forehead reduction togetherThe combined upper-face plan, where the brow is raised and the hairline is brought forward in one operation
₩8,500,000
Sub-brow lift — listed for comparisonA different incision under the brow for lid hooding, planned and quoted on its own page
₩2,900,000

Each figure is a list price with VAT excluded, and the anaesthetic fee is already inside it. Combined upper-face work is quoted as a combination on its own line, so two operations are never presented as though one of them were free. What the examination finds decides which line applies, and any addition to a plan is named and explained before it is agreed.

Fit

Suitability

Who is a forehead lift for, and when does the plan move elsewhere?

The reasons Rewind lists for this operation

  • Upper eyelids that have become heavy because the brow above them has descended
  • Forehead and glabellar lines that have set in, where the skin no longer springs back
  • Brows that read as tired or downcast to other people, whatever the mood behind them
  • A brow position that gives the face a harder expression than its owner intends
  • Acceptance of a hairline incision, a day or two in a dressing, and a fortnight while bruising fades

Where the examination points somewhere else

  • A forehead that is tall as opposed to descended: that is hairline surgery, and it is planned on the forehead reduction page
  • Hooding that sits in the eyelid skin with the brow still at its proper height, where sub-brow excision or upper eyelid surgery is the comparison to make
  • Previous surgery, grafting or scarring along the hairline, and any condition affecting hair-bearing scalp, all disclosed before a date is offered
  • A clotting disorder, difficulty healing wounds, or medication that affects bleeding
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding, and any active infection in the area that would be opened
After

Recovery

Recovery after a forehead lift: the first two days, then the first two weeks

The clinic's instruction sheet for this operation is short and physical: keep the head up, leave the forehead alone, keep the wound clean, protect the line from sun. Rewind records durability of more than five years, varying with individual tissue elasticity and with how much was lifted.

Days one to two
Dressing on, head raised
Compression is recorded as one to two days after this operation, shorter than the week the clinic asks for after facial lifting. Resting with the head propped up is the published instruction for limiting swelling.
Two weeks
Bruising and swelling fade
Early swelling and bruising are recorded as settling for the most part within one to two weeks. Overworking the muscles of the forehead is discouraged while that happens, and rest is part of the instruction.
Weeks
Clean wound, quiet routine
Keeping the incision clean to prevent infection is named in the sheet. Sauna, strong massage, alcohol, smoking, hair colouring and any pulling against the direction of the lift are set aside for a period.
Months
Sun protection for the line
Sunscreen is asked for specifically to keep the scar and pigmentation from setting. The line lies among the hairs of the hairline, and it still heals like any other surgical wound.

Surgery in the upper third carries risk: bleeding, infection, swelling and bruising, asymmetry between the two brows, numbness or altered sensation across the scalp, temporary weakness in forehead movement, and a scar inside the hairline that heals differently from person to person. Severe pain or a fever means coming back to the clinic without waiting. Anaesthesia and theatre time are absent from the clinic's published material, so no figure for either is stated anywhere on this page.

Doctor

Professional

At Rewind, one board-certified plastic surgeon carries every case — from the first consultation to the final follow-up. Because a face is a story, and a story deserves a single author.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeonRewind,
Dr. Jonghwan Choi presenting at an academic session
Fig. 06 — Academic presentation, lifting session

Rewind's Doctor

Dr. Jonghwan Choi Medical Director

One surgeon, from the first
consultation to the last follow-up.

A board-certified plastic surgeon devoted to anti-aging lifting, with the precision and restraint built through years of craniofacial practice.

Board-certified plastic surgeon (Plastic Surgery)
10 peer-reviewed publications
Medical Director, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Korean Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Former chief director, Apgujeong Y&T Plastic Surgery
Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
J Craniofac Surg · JKMS · Arch Craniofac Surg
Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
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What our patients say.

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Ask

Questions

Forehead lift at Rewind — what people want settled first

Is a forehead lift the same operation as forehead reduction?
They are separate operations with separate aims. A forehead lift raises a brow and forehead that have descended, working at the fascial layer. Forehead reduction shortens a tall forehead by advancing the hairline. Rewind lists them individually and also lists a combined plan when both apply.
Where does the incision run, and will the line show?
Along the hairline, as a long incision. Rewind states that the resulting line sits among the hairs and is therefore hard to notice. It is still a surgical wound: the clinic asks for sunscreen specifically to keep the scar and pigmentation from setting.
What actually holds the brow at its new height?
A fixation device called Endotine, built with five tines on a small support and a tapered finish. Rewind reports approval by Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and by the US FDA for forehead lifting, and holds it in place while the lifted tissue heals at its new level.
Does the fixation device have to be taken out later?
No removal operation is part of the plan. Rewind records that the body absorbs the device over roughly nine months, by which time the healing itself is doing the holding. Nothing about a second procedure to retrieve it appears in the clinic's material.
Why is an endoscope used during the dissection?
For direct vision. Rewind uses Full HD endoscopic visualisation to identify nerve and vessel anatomy while the plane between forehead and temple is being opened, and connects that to reducing tissue damage that serves no purpose, a steadier operation and a smoother recovery.
Can this operation help heavy, hooded upper eyelids?
Rewind lists drooping upper lids among the reasons for the operation, because a descended brow drags the lid skin down with it. When the brow sits at its proper height and the weight is in the lid itself, a sub-brow or upper-lid operation is the comparison to make at the examination.
How long does Rewind say the result holds?
More than five years is the published figure, varying with individual tissue elasticity and with how much was lifted. Ageing carries on after the operation, so the figure describes the working life of the lift and not a pause in time.
How long do the bruising and swelling last?
One to two weeks for the most part, according to the clinic's own record. The compression dressing comes off after one to two days, and Rewind asks patients to keep the head propped up through that period to hold swelling down.
When can hair be coloured again after a forehead lift?
Hair colouring is on the clinic's avoid list for a period after this operation, along with sauna, strong massage, alcohol and smoking. Rewind publishes no day count for resuming it, so the date is confirmed at a review instead of guessed here.
Can the brow lift and hairline surgery be combined?
Rewind lists a combined plan covering the forehead lift together with forehead reduction, which means the two can be planned as one operation. Whether they should be is a judgement made at the examination, based on brow height and forehead length together.
What can go wrong in the upper third?
Bleeding, infection, swelling and bruising, asymmetry between the brows, numbness or altered sensation across the scalp, temporary weakness of forehead movement and a visible line inside the hairline are all possible after surgery here. Severe pain or a fever means returning to the clinic promptly.
Is the surgeon who examines me the one who operates?
Yes. Rewind runs with one operating surgeon, the medical director Dr. Jonghwan Choi, a board-certified plastic surgeon who designs, operates and reviews each case himself. Interpreter-assisted consultation is arranged for overseas patients, and the clinic holds KHIDI registration for treating them.
Booking

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Scientific evidence

Published research on endoscopic brow lifting, absorbable fixation and the hairline

These papers cover the territory this operation sits in: absorbable brow fixation and its safety record, hairline surgery performed during an endoscopic forehead lift, forehead reduction in Asian patients as a separate procedure with its own series, and the nerve anatomy that governs how the plane is crossed. They describe the field and not this clinic, none of them reports on Rewind's own cases, and no study predicts what any individual face will do.