I would like to know if I would be a good candidate for forehead reduction? And how far down would be hairline be moved? (photos

This is a common request, and many people do not feel comfortable with the size of their foreheads.  One method is to use scalpels, make incisions where your hair line is, and move it forward.  A downside to this approach is the potential for linear scarring around the frontal hairline.  Another method, one that does not involve linear scarring around your frontal hairline is a hair restoration, in which hair follicles are moved one at a time from the stronger-growing areas of your scalp (eg: the back of your head) to the areas of need, and a new hairline is created for you.  I see patients with this issue in my clinic nearly every day.  You may need a second procedure for optimal density 10-12 months after the first one, but that will be completely optional and your choice as to whether you'd like to thicken up the hair slightly.

You would ultimately need to travel to see the surgeon because you would need an exam to make sure a forehead reduction or hair transplant surgery is possible in your particular case. There is no right or wrong choice and both surgeries are an option for you. The best surgeons are Dr. Kabaker in Oakland and Dr. Aharonov in Beverly Hills.In general, forehead reduction surgery involves an incision along your hair line and pulling your scalp forward and cutting out any overlapping skin then sewing back the skin. This obviously requires an exam to make sure your scalp is loose enough and you do not have other un-diagnosed cause of hair loss.**Limitation of a foreahead reduction is that sometimes you will see a scar on the hair line (no matter which technique or doctor you choose). Another limitation is that you will not get the rounding on the side corners (oval shaped hair line which many women have).Other surgical option is hair transplant surgery. Hair transplant surgery involves harvesting hair from the back of your head and relocating to the front (one by one) to create a new lower hair line. This also requires an exam.  Hair transplant surgery can give you a great soft natural hair line and a more rounded temple that a forehead reduction surgery cannot give you.**Limitation of a hair transplant surgery is that you will have to wait for the hairs to grow and it will not be as full as a hair line lowering surgery (no matter which technique or the doctor you choose). Some patients decide on BOTH surgeries to take advantage of what each surgery can provide.

There are two types of procedures for lowering a woman’s hairline. One, is a surgical excision of the upper forehead followed by the downward advancement of the hairline up to an inch from where it was prior to the surgery. To accomplish this, the entire scalp from the frontal hairline to the very back of the crown, is lifted up and pulled forward. When this is done by an experienced surgeon, the hairline can often be advanced about 2/3rd – 1 inch if there is enough looseness when this lifting process is done. This procedure is often complete in one surgical session; however, it may not address receded corners of the hairline if the corner recession is significant. A great advantage of this surgical approach is the immediate impact of the procedure on hairline location with healing usually complete in a week or so. Sometimes this procedure produces a scar in front of the hairline, and if this is this is the case, a hair transplant in front of the hairline can address the scar. If there is corner rounding that is not addressed by the surgical lowering, then hair transplants can address this very well. Hair transplants take 7-8 months to fully grow out.The second type of hairline lower procedure is done through hair transplantation. The number of sessions varies by the thickness of the hair. For women with other than fine hair, they might do this in a single session. With finer hair, it often takes two sessions. The time to see the impact of a hairline lowering hair transplant procedure is 7-8 months and if a second session is required, it will take another 7-8 months to wait for full growth