Can A Frontal Hairline Advancement Be Reversed?

Dr. Eppley, Do you have any experience in reversing hairline lowering or somehow improving a forehead that has been overly shortened.This patient is now 2 weeks out.

A:When it comes to a frontal hairline advancement that has been accompanied by a brow lift this is largely an irreversible procedure as the procedure works by sacrificing tissue to do so. A frontal hairline advancement alone can have some degree of reversal by a posterior epicranial shift. But when a brow lift has been done as part of the procedure there is no room to shift the entire scalp backwards without overly elevating the eyebrows. Unlike some procedures wear time and tissue relaxation can be beneficial this will not be of any assistance in helping the short forehead look better.

This does not mean it is impossible to lengthen a short forehead but it would take tissue expansion which very few patients would be willing to undergo and certainly wouldn’t be considered before 3 to 6 months after the original procedure.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon