What Type Of Forehead Reduction Do I Need?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in forehead reduction surgery. I have always had a high forehead and I have been embarrassed about it most of my life. I do my bangs everyday cause its all I can do to cover it and I get stares constantly everywhere. I wanna be like a normal person so I can get up out of bed and run out the door without having to do my hair. I don’t even get the mail unless I do my hair. I don’t even wanna go out and play with my kids unless my hair is done. I don’t get in the pool with them because I don’t want to get my hair wet around people. I want to know if I would be a good candidate for a one step procedure because I don’t want my head inflated with a balloon.  Thanks so much!! (sorry my pics are horrible but I can’t do anything with my hair cutting wise or color)

A: Based on the picture you have sent, I can see your concerns about a high and broad forehead. While the picture may be somewhat distorted because of the fisheye lens effect from a cell phone camera, there is no question that you have a high hairline and what appears to be frontal bone bossing. I would need to see a side view that is not so close-up to have a better appreciation for the hairline position and how much true frontal bossing you really have.

You would definitely need a combined frontal bone reduction and frontal hairline (scalp) advancement. The key to whether a single stage procedure would offer enough benefit to make the effort worthwhile depends on how much your scalp can be advanced. That would be a function of how much natural flexibility it has (looseness) and how much it can be mobilized. There is also the question of how much hairline advancement do you need to make a difference and what is the location of your temporal hairline. (which is the most resistant to any significant forward movement. More pictures would help make those issues somewhat more clear.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana