Is Temporal Reduction Surgery Dangerous?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I have been searching for a solution to my problem for a long time, where my head appears large on the sides above the ears… I have suffered from bullying for years, and when I shave my hair, I feel despair and lose confidence in myself.

I want to ask you, please: Are these types of procedures extremely dangerous? And could they cause me problems in the long term?

A:Thank you for your inquiry and sending your pictures. Do You have the classic increase convexity on the side of your head which is from a combination of muscle thickness in the convex shape of the underlying temporal bone.. Given that the temporal bone is thin and cannot be reduced to any significant degree that would warrant a scar on the side of your head the focus would be on muscle removal which can definitely provide some improvement.

Temporal reduction surgery is a very common skull reshaping procedure in my practice which is as safe as any other aesthetic surgery and causes no functional problems. When I speak to functional problems I am  specifically referring to jaw motion and chweing of which no problems have ever been seen in hundreds of such procedures performed.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon