Is Temporal Reduction Surgery Effective?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Temporal reduction –  is it effective does it actually reduce majorly the side of the head or just a little bit?

A:Temporal reduction surgery can be very effective at reducing the width and convert shape of the side of the head improperly selected patients. Its effectiveness is based on the anatomy and what are the exact patient goals. The critical element of the anatomy is how thick is the temporal muscle and what contribution is it making to the width of the side of the head. Well this can always be determined buy a preoperative CT scan it can also be largely determined clinically by the patient’s skin pigment and their ethnicity. The more skin pigment one has and, particularly if one is not Caucasian, the odds are very high that the temporal muscle can be incredibly thick and a substantial reduction can be obtained. The patient’s I have learned you must be the most cautious about are Caucasians with thin body builds which indicates a minimally thick  muscle over the posterior temporal area.

In essence you have to evaluate each patient individually based on their anatomy as well as how realistic are their goals to determine the effectiveness of temporal reduction surgery.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon