At What Age Can A Custom Skull Implant Be Done For A Flat Back of the Head?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was wondering if 9 years old is too young to do surgery? My son definitely has flattening of the back of his head with one side being worse than the other. I brought it up many times to his Pediatrician when he was a baby and they said it would correct itself overtime, which it never did.

My son hasn’t complained too much since he is still young, but I definitely think he will be more self conscious as he gets older. I am just wondering what the best time is to get surgery to try and correct the problem. Thank you so much for any information you can provide.

 A: Such custom skull implant surgery is not done until the skull growth is more fully developed, usually after piuberty around age 16 at the earliest.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon