If you’re tired of trying to find a hairstyle that camouflages your high forehead, you may be happier with forehead reduction surgery. With the help of the skilled professionals at Premier Image Cosmetic and Laser Surgery in the Sandy Springs area of Atlanta, GA, you can wake up and enjoy a forehead that’s proportional to your face.
Dr. Paul Daraei and his skilled team can help you visualize your new forehead, celebrate the new dimensions of your face, and enjoy the benefits of this permanent alteration.
What Is Forehead Reduction Surgery?
Forehead reduction surgery is a way to reduce the look of a large forehead by determining a lower hairline that is more in keeping with the dimensions of your face. It has nothing to do with thinning hair or any form of pattern baldness. In fact, thick hair may help cammuflage your scar better.
This surgery is a one-time procedure, though you will need to go back in to have stitches checked and/or removed. The incision will take time to heal, and may lead to temporary swelling and bruising of the brow. Sleeping with your head elevated and following all post-operative instruction will help improve healing.
Schedule your time away from your working life to allow you time to heal fully. Be prepared to step away from your daily activities for 3 to 5 days, and try to avoid intense physical activity for 2 weeks after your procedure. You want to avoid increasing the tissue damage, causing any more swelling, or increasing the risk of bruising around your eyes.
Good Candidates
Good candidates for this surgery will have a high forehead and some scalp laxity. If the surgeon finds that there isn’t enough laxity in the scalp to allow the hairline to be advanced, it may be helpful to perform a hair transplant to the hairline instead.
It should be noted that people with a family history of male or female pattern baldness may not be good candidates for this surgery. Discuss your family history in detail with your physician so you can make the best decision for your lifestyle and self-esteem.
How a Forehead Reduction is Performed
The physician will make an incision along your current hairline in a manner that hides nicely and allows for hair to grow through the scar. He will loosen the area of the scalp that has hair and pull it forward from 1 to 3 centimeters. Excess forehead skin will be removed as the scalp is pulled forward. Once the incision has healed, the hairline will be lower and will balance your forehead with the rest of your face.
Once your hairline lowering surgery is completed, you may find that your facial features are not overwhelmed by the size of your forehead. You will probably also notice a reduction in visible lines and wrinkles of the forehead.
Recovery for Hairline Lowering
While the recuperation from forehead reduction surgery is not extreme, you must remember that you’ve undergone a surgical procedure.
Your post-operative care will include cool compresses, to reduce inflammation and speed the healing process. You’ll need to sleep with your head propped up high, to avoid bumping the incision and to reduce the risk of swelling. Your hairline surgical procedure site will need to be carefully checked for signs of infection.
If you notice any discharge, redness, or heat at the incision site, you should contact your doctor immediately.
How Much Does Forehead Reduction Cost?
A forehead reduction surgery will cost, on average, $8,500.00. Better than 90% of those who undergo this procedure believe that it was worth the investment.
What are the Side-Effects of Hairline Lowering?
A hairline lowering procedure may result in some minor scarring. However, if your surgeon can cut back into the thicker hair a bit further back on your scalp, the tissue that gets pulled forward may contain more hair follicles per square centimeter and provide you with better hair texture to work within your daily styling.
Occasionally a forehead reduction procedure will lead to hair loss. In such a case, hair restoration or hair grafting may be needed to move the hairline to the intended point and cover the scar. Do your best to follow post-surgical precautions to avoid excess swelling, infection, or damage to the incision. You want to make sure that the tissue receives good blood flow and that it heals fully in the new position.
You may also suffer from some numbness as your nerves regrow. Give your scalp six months to fully heal from being lifted and pulled forward before addressing concerns about numbness, however, as this healing process can take some time. As things heal, you may also suffer from paresthesia, or a tingly, crawly feeling. Again, this will fade as the nerve connections heal naturally at time.
Forehead Reduction FAQS
No, the only way to change the height of your hairline is to either to have a hairline reduction or to undergo hair transplantation along the hairline and down the sides. Hair grafting or transplantation involves removing gratts of hair from one area of your scalp and placing them into the top and sides of your forehead. Both of these procedures will require cutting, healing, and downtime.
A brow lift acts on the tissue above the brows and below the hairline. It can remove excess forehead skin, reduce the signs of excess aging or sagging, and even out your brows. Occasionally, brow lifts are done at the same time as a hairline lowering surgery. However, if you have both a sagging brow and a very high hairline, you may want to address the hairline first. By reducing the size and space of the hairless forehead, your brows may be less noticeable. Removing the visual field of a high, wide forehead will draw attention to your eyes and other facial features.
There will be some scarring, but it will be hidden in the newly moved hairline. If your hair is finer or thinner right at the hairline, your physician may be able to locate the incision in an area where follicles are more abundant and where texture is a bit denser. Depending on the location of the cut, you may enjoy a thicker start to your hairline and find it easy to style over the scar.
You should plan to take a week off. You’ll need 3 to 5 days of downtime, as you’ll need to place cool compresses on your scalp and sleep with your head elevated. You may suffer some swelling and there may be bruising around your eyes, so give yourself uninterrupted time to rest up and recuperate. Once the incision heals a bit, you’ll be able to get better quality rest.
Contact Premier Image Today
If interested in talking with a professional to address a high hairline issue or other hair-related concerns, schedule a consultation with us at Premier Image of Atlanta, GA, or give us a call at (770) 457-6303.
