How Wide Can A Skull Implant Make The Sides Of My Head?

Q: Dr. Eppley, 1. How wide can a skull implant possibly ? Considering one does a scalp extender and does anything necessary to achieve that. I’ve seen it be 7mm at the widest point and then another 1cm or more if im not mistaken. How much further can it exceed?

2. I’ve read that you never go past 350cc is it possible to exceed this as well or would this volume be great enough to make a small skull into a large one? 

3. Have there been any time where you’ve seen a person will a disproportionate small skull transform into someone with a large skull with the changes being immense? 

4. People who have small heads also have even smaller foreheads. When making skull implants are you able make the forehead the same length as the back after you’ve already widened it from the back. 

Thank you for your time. 

A: In answer to your skull implant questions:

1) As a general rule there would rarely be a need to ever go over a 7mm head width increase. It is important to remember that this is bilateral so the effect is a 1.5 cm head width increase. Also almost every skull implant patient way over estimates what their implant dimensions should be. Patients focus on linear measurements which is not reflective on what volume does over a large convex surface.

2) A 350cc implant volume on the head is substantial. Whatever it achieves in any patient would be viewed as a substantial change.

3) The interpretation of any aesthetic change is highly individualized. So what the term ‘immense’ means can only be determined by each patient.

4) Your interpretation that the augmentation of any skull surface must be done with an appreciation of how it looks in relation to the rest of the skull is an important one. As skull implants become bigger in size their surface area coverage must become similarly so.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana