Skull Augmentation

Q: Dr. Eppley, In skull augmentation is there a way I can see how I will look with the final results in a very realistic way? (e.g. Starting out with fillers etc. at least for the forehead). And how much would it cost for forehead augmentation, back of the head, and if it makes sense the top as well? I would really like an ‘ideal’ head shape as this has been very important to me.

Thank you again for your explanations and patience!

A: While temporary injectable fillers can provide some what of an assessment of what the result of any craniofacial augmentation can do, they are practical limitations to this concept. The volume of injectable fillers needed to create a visible change, and their cost, would be prohibitive. For skull augmentation it would take many syringes of fillers at several thousand dollars of cost to get just a fraction of what implant skull augmentation can create. There is just no way to compare injectable fillers and implants in the skull because of the sheer surface area of volume needed. This is very different on the face where, for example, cheek and chin augmentation can be partially replicated by a filler effect due to their relatively small facial size. The only place on the skull where an injectable filler ‘trial’ could be worthwhile is for forehead augmentation. Depending upon one’s goes, tree or four syringes of filler may approximate a forehead augmentation effect. It is still not a very cost effective approach but it can be done.

Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana