How Much Head Width Reduction Is Achieved In Temporal Reduction Surgery?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I would like to know how many centimeters it is possible to reduce in a reduction of the temporal region of the skull. I do not have a large head, I am a man who is 164 cm tall and has a 53 cm head. My face is narrow (14 cm from one end of the zygomatic bone to the other), but the temporal region is approximately 16 cm, which creates a mismatch between the face and the upper part of the head, as if my head were inflated. Would it be possible to equalize these measurements? Would it also be possible to reduce the top of the head in the same surgery? I appreciate your answer.

A: While temporal reduction is a very effective operation for narrowing the side of the head it is not a procedure which has measured outcomes …meaning I don’t evaluate the results by circumferential head measurements or temporal thickness. Outcome are determined by visual changes. (Does the head look less wide or have less convexity.

From a measurement standpoint all I can say is that the average temporal muscle thickness at the level of the top of the ear is 7 to 9mms in most male patients. Thus removal of the posterior temporal muscle will reduce the bitemporal posterior distance in the range of 1.2 to 1.5cms for most patients.

But the best way to estimate preoperatively of the potential head width change is predictive imaging based on the patient’s pictures.

Top of the head reduction can be combined with temporal reduction.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon