Can My Lightbulb Head Shape Be Improved By Temporal Reduction Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Upon doing some research I am very interested in temporal reduction surgery. I am 22 years old and have been losing my hair for the last couple of years. I have always had quite a wide head but when I tried shaving my head I was shocked at how big it looked. It was shaped like a lightbulb, a smaller face with getting wide above the ears. My head has always been noticeably round and big but when shaved it looks huge. Before I heard about this surgery I had contemplated getting some kind of skin tightening procedure done because when I would pull the skin on the sides above my ears, it would give my head the appearance of a much more straight look and the change was rather dramatic. I have included a photo of me with hair. When shaved the head looks significantly wider. 

A: Thank you for your inquiry and sending your picture. You have correctly surmised that temporal muscle removal surgery is the only method that can address your side of head shape/width concerns. Skin tightening/lift is not an effective solution for it no matter what you can demonstrate with your hands. Whether temporal muscle reduction surgery can be effective can be partially demonstrated by widely opening your lower mouth/lower jaw and see what happens to the width at the side of your head above the ears.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana