Q: I have a hairline which is so far back I can’t stand it. In addition, I have a buck forehead which bulges out. I would like my hairline to be lowered and my bulgy forehead to be reduced. I know that this involves a scar along the hairline in the end. I am African-American. Would this be a good procedure for me? I have attached some pictures for your review.
A: Thank you for sending me your series of photographs. They do show quite well your concerns, the far back location of your frontal hairline and the prominent bulge of your forehead. There is no question that you can bring your hairline further forward. It would be fair to say that it could be brought forward at least an inch (25mms) and maybe up to an inch and a half (35mms). That advancement is greatest in the middle and tapers off as one goes into the sides. (temple) About 5mms of forehead bone protrusion can be brought down in the very center of the forehead. You can never get it as reduced as one would like, due to the thickness of the skull bone, but some lessening of the protrusion can be obtained.
One could argue that there is little to lose by the procedures because it will be better than where you are now. Any forward movement of the hairline and forehead bone reduction will be viewed by you as a plus. However, the one trade-off is a fine line scar along the new hairline. While in most patients this is never a significant issue, in darker pigmented individuals this is something to consider. There is also the type of hair you have, meaning I suspect you don’t wear bangs because of the kinky texture of your hair. (although the purpose of doing a scalp advancement is so I can feel comfortable wearing their hair back) I have never done a hairline lowering in someone of your ethnicity so I can’t speak for how that scar will look. At it worst, it is a fine line white scar. While that would be an almost irrelevant issue in skin of lighter complexion, there is always the possibililty that a scar revision may be needed if it is too noticeable.
The key to any elective
cosmetic plastic surgery procedure is that we are always trading off one problem for another. You just want to be sure that the scar ‘problem’ is a more tolerable one than the hairline that is too far back.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Tags: dr barry eppley, forehead reduction, forehead reshaping, hairline advancement, indianapolis, plastic surgery
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