Can A Hairline Advancement Be Done In Men?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in a hairline advancement. I have been looking at your website for a while and you’re the only doctor I’ve found who may be able to perform the surgery I want. My forehead sticks out and bit and I would like to shave it down just a little to make my forehead flatter. I was wondering if this would be possible judging by the images I’ve attached. I’m also thinking I’d like to get my hairline advanced just a little bit. The area I’ve shaded is about the area I’d like to get it reduced to.

A: It is very common for a frontal hairline advancement and a bony forehead reduction to be combined together to create the changes you have shown. You have mentioned that you want just a ‘little hairline advancement although your images show a hairline advancement that I would judge to be up to 10 to 15mms. (which for a hairline advancement would not really be judged as little, that is usually the very maximum that can be achieved in a single stage procedure in just about anyone and even that depends on how much natural laxity of the scalp one has.

What is not very common is to have a male request or to actually do a male hairline advancement. I have done them it, it is just a procedure that is much more commonly done in women. The reason being is that most women have a stable frontal hairline while that is certainly not assured in men. This there is always the concern about placing a fine line scar along a hairline that may or may not be there in the future. While there is no alternative to having an incision to do a bony forehead reduction, there is an alternative (hair transplantation) to a hairline advancement.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana