Can My Overdeveloped Temporal Muscles Be Reduced?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like to have my temporal muscle on both sides reduced. They are overdeveloped and makes my face look awkward. I would like to have face proportioned right on both sides. Please tell me some options that I might have. Thanks.

A: Thank you for your inquiry and sending your pics. Yes you do indeed have very big temporalls muscles, probably one of the biggest that I have ever seen by proportion to the rest of the face. The largest portion is just above the zygomatic arch where the bulk of the muscle lies. It is the bulge between the side of the forehead and the position of the zygomatic arch that is aesthetically disproportionate. A line drawn between the two should be either straight or have a slight concave curve to it. Significant convexity of the temporal area makes it stand out and be very noticeable.

Reducing the size of a temporalis muscle is a very rare procedure. I have done a lot of cosmetic temporal surgery, all of which has been to create the opposite effect of temporal augmentation. The only option to reduce the temporalis muscle size is surgical through reduction and thinning of the muscle. You need an approximate 50% reduction in the size of the muscle. This would need to be done through a scalp incision approach to access the attachments of the muscle to the skull to lift and thin it. This would create actual muscle debulking and reduce the visible bulge.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana