Will My Forehead Reduction Need A Scalp Tissue Expander?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in forehead reduction surgery. I serve in the military and I really want this forehead reduction done. I hate my forehead. It is wide with a high hairline and my forehead protrudes. Please help me! I would love to do the military program but this procedure is not on the list.  Attached are some photos which shows how high my hairline is and how my forehead bulges out.

A: While you would be a good candidate for a forehead reduction or scalp hairline advancement, it appears you would need almost a 2 cm advancement given the length of your forehead. This means a first stage scalp tissue expander is placed to create more hair-bearing scalp that then can be used and advanced to create a really significant forehead reduction as a second procedure. Without a tissue expander or a two-stage approach, the most hairline advancement that can usually be obtained is around 1 cm. While forehead bone reshaping would be also be done, the forehead always seems to stick out more when the hairline is way high and the upper forehead is sloped backwards. Even a hairline advancement procedure alone make a prominent forehead look less protruding because its total vertical length becomes less.

The Patriot Plastic Surgery program applies to all elective aesthetic plastic surgery procedures.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana