What Is The Best Method To Build Up The Back Of My Head?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in building up the back of my head. It slopes backward and is flat and makes my head look asymmetric and unbalanced. I have attached pictures so you can see that the back of my head slopes downwards in an abrupt manner. By adding a round and nice piece my head would maybe look normal and my ears would even look smaller. But I have a few questions:

So what would be the next step for me?
2. Seen from the pictures, do you assess that significant scalp stretch is required?
3. What if I’m active in sports and wrestle alot ie, is there a risk of misshape in the future?
4. What method do you feel is the most adequate for my head?
5. Would hair transplantation be necessary?
6. What is the recovery time?
7. What are the approximate costs?

I am aware that there may be scalp scars but that’s less severe than the current situation.

A: In answer to your questions:

1) The next step is to have either a phone or Skype consultation. This would be the best way to go over the different cranioplasty methods and their advantages and disadvantages. No cranioplasty method is perfect and each patient make make their choice based on good information. I have done occipital cranial augmentation by every conceivable method so I am very familiar with each of them and their indivdual pluses and minuses.

2) Stretch of the scalp is always needed because the material occupies space. The question is how much stretch can the scalp safely do. That is what limits how much material/augmentation can be achieved.

3) All cranioplasty materials set up and become solid like bone so no deformation will occur later with impact or trauma.

4) The best method for you require your understanding of each approach.

5) I do not envision hair transplantation being needed for the scar later.

6) The recovery is quite quick, being just a few days.

7) The cost will depend on the technique used, which is yet to be determined. The costs could range from $6500 to $9500 depending upon what cranioplasty material is used.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana