Big Forehead Fix: The Forehead Reduction Surgery

If you have a big forehead aka a “fivehead” it is probably something you are very aware of and bothered by. The easiest fix is following Rihanna’s lead and embracing the beauty of the natural human shape. For others, there are many hairstyles that can help mask this. But for the few that slowly see the process of their forehead becoming larger, a surgical forehead reduction can often be the best option.

What is forehead reduction?

A well-balanced face follows the rule of thirds.  The distance between the hairline, brows, base of the nose, and chin should all be equidistant as shown in the below diagram. While a chin implant can help achieve this balance in the case of a smaller lower third, the most common contributor to a lack of balance is a large forehead. A forehead reduction is a surgery in which the height of the forehead is reduced by excising a segment of skin right below the edge of the hairline.

Am I a candidate?

A forehead reduction is a good tool for people who have ALWAYS had a naturally high forehead. This means women are generally better candidates as progressive hormone-induced hair loss (male pattern baldness) would make one a poor candidate. In addition, your scalp should have good laxity to allow for mobilization. The main reason for this is that progressive hair loss would reveal the biggest downside to the surgery: a scar.

Learn More About the Surgery

Forehead Reduction Scar: What does it look like?

Though you are guaranteed to have a scar, the ideal scar should be well hidden, surrounded by hair, thin, white, and not raised.  It should also be understood that there is a possibility that you may need 1000 hair grafts, transplanted into your scar to help camouflage it.

Your surgeon should design and precisely plan your incision so that the scar is minimized. Leaving some hair in front of the scar as well as angling the incision so that hair bulbs are not cut, are two important aspects to prevent balding around the scar. In addition, creating an irregular or “wavy” incision can help the scar not be as obvious. Finally, diligently wearing sunscreen and meticulous care of the incision are critical things YOU can do to ensure flawless results.

Forehead Reduction Technique: The Secrets

While a forehead reduction procedure involves the excision of the excess forehead skin and then mobilizing the entire hairline forward, other procedures can be combined with this approach to enhance your results.

In facial feminization surgery, we often wish to contour the area of the brow to soften a masculine and prominent brow bone. Through the same incision as for the forehead lower surgery, a prominent brow ridge or brow bone can be reduced. Likewise, the incision for the forehead reduction surgery happens to also provide perfect access to perform a brow lift.

Forehead Lowering Surgery: Cost

According to Realself, the average cost of surgery in the United States is $8,375. This cost should include facility and anesthesia fees. The procedure should be performed in a sterile, accredited operating room and safely under general anesthesia. Not everyone is a candidate for surgery, so the first thing that should be done is a consultation with a board- certified surgeon like Dr. Patel . Additional procedures, such as brow bone contouring and a brow lift can have added expenses to these prices. Our price for a forehead reduction including anesthesia starts at $9,500.

Male Forehead Reduction

The vast majority of males should not undergo this procedure. Given the unpredictability

Forehead Reduction: Tips Before your surgery

Start with a consult. You will be shown forehead reduction before and after photos. You will be asked detailed questions about your hair loss history and the likelihood of scarring. Finally, the surgeon will assess your scalp laxity. This is the one factor that cannot be changed and will affect your level of results. Tools such as an Endotine or scalp expanders can be used. The bottom line is that there is a lot you need to know about the recovery, the incision and if you are a candidate. Find a surgeon who performs a lot of surgery on this, knows how to plan an incision, and finally has the ability to perform a hair transplant to help camouflage the incision further if needed. Read more about the procedure here.

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