Can My Frontal Bossing Be Treated By Forehead Reduction?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was born with a good amount of frontal bossing. It got better as I aged but it’s still there and very noticeable, especially when my hair is cut short. This is something that has bothered me every single day for the last 5 years now. I also believe the muscles on the side of my head protrude out and this adds to the awkward appearance. My question is that do you think the mid/upper and sides areas of my forehead can be reduced by burring away some of the bone? Would it be possible to say if I have excess bone or just that my skull was formed with a protruding appearance? If this was done, could I still play sports? What I mean by this is that would the area be much more easier to fracture if I happen to take a blow to the head? How does frontal bossing even occur and what is the average size of the frontal bone in men? .How bad will the scar be and what would something like this cost? My last question is how many of these types of surgeries have you performed and do you think I would benefit from this surgery? I apologize for all the questions but I tried to sum it up as best as I could. Thank you for your time.

A: Forehead bossing /protrusion occurs for unknown reasons. Significant size reduction can be obtained by an overall burring reduction of the entire forehead side to side between the temporal lines. Such reduction can accomplish a reduction of 5mm to 6mms throughout which is very significant on the forehead. I have done this type of forehead reduction surgery numerous times and have always been impressed with the difference it makes. Such forehead reduction will not make your skull weaker or more prone to fracture. The procedure is done through a fine line incision in the scalp (no hair is shaved) and that scar can heal remarkably well in my experience.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana