How Can My Forehead Bump Be Fixed?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I was wondering if you could help fix my forehead; it’s been through a lot. When I was a toddler, I ran face-first into a wall, and since then, I’ve had a bump on the right side of my forehead. A year ago, it started to seem more prominent, and it wasn’t my imagination, because family pointed it out too, and sometimes the bump felt sore. I went to see a dermatologist who referred me to a facial plastic surgeon who injected the bump with steroids. This only left a dent around the bump, which he filled with Juvaderm, which has since worn off. Now I have a dent and a bump, and they each make the other look more prominent. It’s mostly noticeable when I move my forehead, which is a lot, because I’m pretty facially expressive. What should I do? I’d be happy to send pictures. Thanks!

A: Please send me some pictures of your forehead issue for my assessment. With your history, that bump is bone and not scar. That is the typical reaction to forehead trauma, a subperiosteal bleed that is a stimulus for bone formation. I would not have expected steroids to do anything. Most likely this would require bone reduction for elimination. The dent issue is soft tissue atrophy from the steroids which may need to be filled out with a dermal graft ‘ring’ around the area of bone reduction to get the most even forehead contour.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana