Will Temporal Reduction Make My Glasses Fit Better?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Is there a surgery I could get to reduce my temple width so glasses can fit without looking too small? My temple width is 165mm and I’d like to reduce at least 5mm per side. I’ve heard that removing the temporalis muscle can do, but when I press against my temple I barely feel muscles, but bones. So is there a surgery to reduce the width of my temporal bones? Or maybe it’s normal to not feel the temporalis muscle by pressing the temple, and muscle removal would work just fine?

A:The temporal muscle on the side of the head is quite thick often being up to 10mms in thickness just above the ear. Everyone says the same thing about the feel of the side of their head…it feels more like bone than muscle. The reality is that there is more muscle thickness than bone. But the muscle is soft and its backing (bone) is firm and that creates the illusion that there is not much muscle there. Muscle removal works just fine for reducing temporal width.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon