Your Questions
Your Questions
Q: Dr. Eppley, I briefly exchanged messages with you a couple of years back as I was quite distressed with certain aspects of my appearance, namely the extreme narrowness of my skull and length of my face. I tend to have a narrower skull/face than most, male or female. I have a very dolichocephalic skull, with all the usual signs; long midface, excessive occiput, narrow bitemporal area etc. I had a mild skull deformity and borderline long-face syndrome that caused vertical facial growth and heavy asymmetry of the face. I have subsequently had surgery with jaw angle implants and a genioplasty. I am very happy with the results as it has gone some way to adding width to my face and restoring an element of balance. However, I have been very impressed with your extensive information on the possibility of forehead/anterior temple widening. Or basically, overall widening of the face and skull. I think that could apply to my situation where I want to add masculinity and width to my face/head. I have attached some before and after pictures for you to hopefully take a look at. I have tried to find pictures that show similar camera angles in the before and afters.
The questions that I have are:
– Can you see potential for my forehead and temple area to be widened?
– I have always had a small mouth, but since having the jaw implants it has perhaps become a bit more apparent. Can anything be done to widen the lips?
– I believe that the surgery I have had has helped to balance my midface somewhat, but still think it is perhaps a bit too long. Can anything be done to shorten/balance the midface?
Thank you for taking the time to read this. As a potential foreign patient, naturally I have many questions to ask before hopefully flying over! Have a good day!
A: As I suspected back then shortening the chin and adding facial width by jaw angle implants will go a long way to make your face less long and a bit wider. Adding extended temporal implants that go all the way up to the side of the forehead as well as posterior temporal implants will add further benefit to this overall effect.
While you can widen the lips at the corners of the mouth, there would be small scars to do so.
There is nothing you can do to shorten the midface. That is a fixed structure that can not be changed without burying the upper teeth under the upper lip.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, I am an Australian looking for someone who does head widening implants in Australia. I have been researching for some time but you are the only surgeon I can find who performs this surgery! Unfortunately, as a student, I don’t see myself being able to afford a trip to the US any time soon so I was really hoping that you may have an idea/possibly know a college here in Australia who may be able to perform this surgery. I would really appreciate any advice or recommendations you could give me.
A: The surgical concept and the implants used for head widening implants are those that I have developed. This is a new cosmetic temporal surgery that would be unknown to almost all surgeons in the world. Thus I am certain there is no one in Australia or anywhere else in the world at this time that performs this surgery. It uses as dual combination of anterior and posterior temporal implants placed in a subfascial location to create a widening effect from the lateral orbit and forehead all the way back to the anterior occipital region. Since the side of the head is largely made up of temporal muscle it makes sense to augment this large muscular surface area to create greater convexity to the side of the head.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana
Q: Dr. Eppley, Here are some questions I have about head widening surgery with temporal implants. I am very interested in this procedure but just want t make sure I have all of my bases covered being having it.
1) When having the implants in the head, are the visible in airport X-Ray and scanning machines, it would be quite embarrassing to have them visible in the machines?
2) Are they comfortable to have in the head?
3) Is there some other alternatives than having the implants.
I would appreciate your help in answering my questions. I really have a big head shape problem in the width and I want to change this permanently.
A: In answer to your specific questions about head widening surgery through temporal implants:
1) Silicone implants can not be detected by x-rays or airport scanners.
2) Submuscular temporal implants feel very comfortable and natural and patients do not report any abnormal feelings from having them in place.
3) An alternative to implants for head widening surgery would be fat injections with PRP. (platelet rich plasma)
Heading widening surgery done with submuscular temporal implants is a very effective procedure that is accomplished in a scar-fee scalp technique through post auricular incisions.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana