Is The Scalp Scar For Brow Bone Reduction Surgery Worth it?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in brow bone reduction surgery. As you can probably tell from the pictures I have attached,  I suffer from Alopecia areata. I realize there will be a scar from the coronal incision, but I have no reference for how bad the scar will be. Would the trade off be worth it? I look forward to your assessment.

A: When it comes to brow bone reduction surgery, the degree of brow bone protrusion is important as that determines whether surgery is worth it and how it might be done. You do have a Grade IV brow bone protrusion which aesthetically is very severe so I can understand your pursuit of brow bone reduction surgery. A dramatic change in your forehead can be obtained through a combination of a brow bone reduction via an osteoplastic bone setback and a little forehead augmentation just above it. The very legitimate question is whether the scalp scar trade-off is worth it. I certainly have done a significant number of forehead and skull reshaping surgeries on men who shave their head or are otherwise bald but always do so with great trepidation. Since much of aesthetic surgery is always about trade-offs, one has to be sure that what one is trading off into is better than the initial problem. I can not make that decision for any patient as only they can place those type of values, all I can do is provide information that may help in making that decision. I will send you a picture of the scalp scar from a brow bone reduction patient who largely was bald across the top by tomorrow. This may help you in making that trade-off decision.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana