Can I Make My Head More Oval-Shaped?

Q: Dr. Eppley, My head is very flat in the back (there is even a huge indent) which I believe has caused my head to grow wider from side to side than from back to front. My forehead is an odd shape and the top of my head is flat. Overall, I want to achieve a more oval shape to my head- less wide with a little more height to the top.

A: Thank you for sending your pictures. Based on the way you wear your hair in the back, I am assuming it is in a bun to mask the flatness. Generally with the back of the head is flat, the skull growth compensates by make it wider, so this is very common. With a wider skull, its height does need to be as high. So your overall skull shape fits for how it has developed. When changing a skull shape, the 'easiest' thing to do is to add volume. Volumetric skull additions can be more substantial (10 to 15mms) than skull reductions which are usually limited to around 5mms due to the thickness of the skull bone. Therefore the forehead and back of the head can be augmented with some minor reduction in the posterior skull width.  This would definitely achieve a more oval shape to your head. When doing both the front and back of the head for skull reshaping, a bicoronal incision is needed to perform the surgery for adequate exposure.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana