How Much Bone Can Be Removed In Temporal Reduction?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hi I have been looking at some your posts and although you don’t think temporal bone reduction is necessary and muscle reduction is the way to go for a more effective result I just wanted to ask how much of the temporal bone are you able to reduce.

A: The key question is whether the scar up the side of the head is worth it for the additional 2mms or 3mms of temporal bone removal that can be achieved. You can’t do bone removal from the incision behind the ear. In essence for the minor amount of extra temporal width that can be achieved by bone removal the visible scar to so is usually not an acceptable tradeoff. In addition to date no patient who has had muscle removed has ever said they needed additional width reduction afterwards.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana