Can One Surgery Augment Three Different Skull Areas At The Same Time?

Q: Dr. Eppley, My head is flat on the back and underdeveloped on sagittal and frontal, and it’s been troubling me and cause I h me depression just being aware of it 24/7. I got a few questions about the procedure. 1. Is it bone cement you’ll be using for skull reshaping surgery, or silicone padding? 2. Is possible to go through one anesthesia and have three incisions and reshaping my forehead, back of my head and my sagittal area in one procedure? 3. I’m a trans women. Does skull reshaping surgery count as part of my Facial Feminization surgery, and if so could that be covered by insurance?

A: In answer to your skull augmentation questions:

1) Only a custom made solid silicone skull implant can create effective 3D skull augmentation changes.

2) Yes it is possible in a single surgery to reshape/augment numerous skull surface areas…provided the volumes being added do not exceed the stretch of the scalp to accommodate them. If the scalp’s ability to stretch is questionable or there is absolute certainty that it can’t, then a first stage scalp expansion procedure is needed.

3) We do not accept or process insurance.

4) To accurately provide the cost of #1 or #2 (one vs two stage skull augmentation) I would need to do some computer imaging on your pictures to determine what your precise skull augmentation objectives are.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon