WHAT IS FOREHEAD REDUCTION OR HAIRLINE LOWERING?
For individuals with long foreheads or “five finger forehead”, then forehead reduction may be the right procedure for those that desire to have a lower hairline. Hairline lowering can be performed on women or men. An incision is made in front of the hairline and can be tailored depending on the patient’s desires. The scalp is advanced forward in order to reduce the size of the forehead and bring the hairline down. Dr. Beaty will tailor the incision depending on the desired hairline shape. Additionally, she ensures that the incision is made so that the hair will grow back through the scar and camouflage the incision.
The hairline can be advanced about 1-2 inches depending on the scalp laxity and how much lowering we want to achieve. In general, men have an “ideal” hairline about 7 cm from the eyebrows. Women have an “ideal” hairline about 5.5-6.5 cm from the eyebrows.
WHAT IS THE RECOVERY FOR FOREHEAD REDUCTION OR HAIRLINE LOWERING?
The surgery is performed under either IV sedation or general anesthesia depending on the patient’s desires. Sutures and clips remain in place for 7 days. Patients can wash their hair 48 hours after the procedure and are provided with meticulous care instructions. The scar is pink in color for the first few weeks, but make up can be worn over it after sutures are removed.
There can be “shock loss” of the hair immediately after the surgery, however, this always recovers within a few weeks. Additionally, Dr. Laura Beaty will often inject PRP or Ariessence after the time of surgery to improve scar outcomes and promote hair growth. She will often do additional PRP therapy at the 6 week and 3 month appointment.
CAN FOREHEAD REDUCTION OR HAIRLINE LOWERING BE COMBINED WITH OTHER PROCEDURES?
Forehead Reduction or Hairline Lowering can be a stand alone procedure or combined with almost any other facial rejuvenation procedure including (but not limited to):
- Browlifts
- Blepharoplasty or Eyelid Surgery
- Brow bone reduction, shaping, or augmentation
Sometimes, a small amount of hair transplanting has to be done in the temple regions in a second stage to fully change the shape of the hairline. However, doing hairline lowering first will reduce the number of grafts needed and decrease the cost of hair transplants overall.
