How Can I improve The Shape iof the Side of My Head After A Craniotomy?

Q: Dr. Eppley, So I had neuro surgery in the past to fix my epilepsy problem, and it worked. But I was left with both sides of my head unevenly matched and looking to get it fixed and was told from a friend that you guys do great. I’ll take pictures and share them and you’ll notice that one side curves outward as it comes down and the other is flatter and straighter.

A: Happy to hear that your epilepsy surgery worked out great. Undoubtably you had a temporal craniotomy in which the temporalis muscle was stripped down to perform it. While the muscle may have been put back it can atrophy/retract creating asymmetry. That is the likely source of the difference between the shape of the two sides of your head. It is always possible that the craniotomy flap may have sunked in, but usually plate fixation is used and that is not a typical problem today. Please go ahead and send me some pictures of your temporal asymmetry for my evaluation.

Dr Barry Eppley

Plastic Surgeon