Do I Need To Lose Weight Before Occipital Knob Reduction Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’m interesting in having the protrusion on the back of my head (as seen in the attached photos) removed.

A few questions/concerns I have are as follows:

1) I’m unsure if my case is only a skin fold or bone as well. There is definitely a skin fold that I can securely grab onto with two fingers, but I suspect the occipital knob may need reducing as well.

2) I’m in the process of losing weight and want to know if I should reduce my body fat before having any type of surgery to get the best results. For context, even when I was lean and in great shape there was still a protrusion there, albeit it may have been slightly smaller.

A: While there may be some excess scalp over it due to its size there is definitely a significant occipital bony knob underneath it. As to the merits of weight loss before the surgery that depends on how much weight loss is anticipated. Unless it is a large amount (greater than 25 to 30lbs) I don’t think it affects the aesthetic outcome of the surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World Renowned Plastic Surgeon