After so many years of contiplating what I dhoukd do with my large forehead and bad side swept bangs to cover myslef, it was time to start researching. I came accross realself and began my journey to find the right doctor. I live in Los Angeles so I felt I had a plethora of surgeons near me. One cought my eye and it was over. Dr. KABAKER is practically the guro of this proceedure. He has trained eveneven the beverly hills doctors near me. I've had my eye on this surgery but like everyone else, I was scared. For months I called and researched but It wasn't until I heard about rhis retirement that I made the appointment. I am so happy I did. I had my surgery yesterday and I am already impressed with my results. Updated on 9 Jan 2017: So, Dr. K contacted me and answered my question about how many cm were taken off since I couldnt remember. He said it was 3 cm. Wow. He was able to pull that off. I guess he meant it when he said I had the ideal flexibility/elasticity. Updated on 10 Jan 2017: The suture removal process was practically pain free since theres very little feeling at the top of my head. I had some dry scabs so the medical assistant had to soften up the scab and breaknit down since there was one staple and a few stitches under it. I also went to referred doctor here in my hometown. The scar looks like its healing well and right now there's little red bumps where the stitching was. I feel like I am gaining more feeling and even a bit less compact after the removal. I plan to rigorously appy scar cream and ointment for the next few weeks. I have curly hair so I was able to walk into work without anyone noticing anything. Updated on 21 Jan 2017: What did people use to care for their scar/stitch bumps? I am putting antibacteria ointment everyday when my sutures were on. Now that they are off i switched to Vaseline or petroleum jelly. I also bought scar cream with spf when i go out. Anyone reading this done anything differently?
I have always had a high forehead and I hated how I looked. I was teased at school because of my big forehead and that made me self conscious. When the summer comes its a nightmare for me cause I dont want to go swimming and dont have any fun just to keep my bangs dry and on place. And when the wind blows oh my that is horrible for me I just feel everybody is going to be staring at my forehead. Updated on 17 Dec 2016: Updated on 17 Dec 2016: Not very happy I see it looks a bit uneven and one of the eyebrows is lifted. I like my left side but the right side right now looks to different.
I had been looking to get this procedure done since I was 20 years old when I finally discovered what was off balance about my face. Since that time, I had grown increasingly self conscious about it. Forget about wearing my hair in a pony tail. My hairline was so high it made me look bald. Wind was no longer my friend and to be honest bangs didnt help either. They would end up looking sparse or childish. When I found out Dr. Kabaker was retiring, that was the final straw. I booked the appointment and decided it was now or never. The never part for me, was because regardless of what many cosmetic surgeons say, this isnt a procedure you get to just add to your portfolio, by winging it on their first couple of patients. Which, I believe some of them were willing to do since it wasn't a procedure that they had listed on their websites and when asked could only claim they specialized in facial surgery. This isnt an operation on your face, it is actually your scalp and hairline. So please be aware of the difference as there can be risk of hairloss and scarring. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I am now resting comfortably in my hotel room. Post Surgery! I had it done this morning, December 13. The ladies in the office were so sweet and comforting. They went over everything with me, and by the time I was ready to go into the operating room, I was relaxed yet excited. Dr. Kabaker and I had already drawn out my new hairline. I started out with an 8 cm forehead and he brought it down 3 cm. Super impressive! I was worried about the pain and nausea experienced by some people, but its been 12 hours since the surgery and I havent experienced anything but a manageable headache and some slight pressure. I recieved a follow up call from the office 4 hours after surgery and told them how well Ive been doing and how thoughtful it was for them to call me. All i can say at this point is that I am 100 percent happy I made this decision and am even more grateful that I was in the hands of a such an esteemed Dr. And his colleagues. Updated on 21 Dec 2016: Putting a couple of pics up. Im sorry that im not putting all of my medical business out there but here is a few pics to show that I did indeed have the surgery, and I am happy that I did. Dr. Kabaker deserves recognition for his skills but im not putting more pics up to satiate unknown people from the internet.
This review is posted as a thank you to everyone at RealSelf who has shared their experiences. I hope to give back and pay forward through my post. I never write reviews but feel it is important, because without this website i would never have had the guts or the information to feel comfortable going through with it. Also, without this site, I would not have known that Dr Kabaker is retiring in January! And he is the ONLY person I wanted to do my surgery because I am a perfectionist and wanted the very best doctor in the country. I had also heard he was so nice and didn't have a big ego (unlike a couple of Beverly Hills surgeons I consulted with). BACK STORY: Tall, sloping forehead. I actually like tall foreheads, they are dramatic and can be beautiful! It definitely adds a certain "look" that I like and is unique, but 8 cm is just TOO long for my face. 39 years old and have always had to cover my forehead. Looking at photos this was a problem my entire adult life, but because no one ever (thank goodness)teased me or pointed it out, i guess its not so obvious for people that don't have this problem. But if you are reading this, YOU know how self conscious it makes you, and how you always focus on that! Always messing with my hair for a photo, etc. My family didn't understand, which was difficult. I had to really search deep inside myself to make my decision, completely for myself, on my own. They ultimately supported my decision but were very skeptical. PRE SURGERY Consulted with Dr Kabaker via Skype as I don't live in California (he had reviewed the photos and scalp laxity video i had previously sent them). He then emailed some morphs and I appreciated how conservative he was with the lowering amount. I booked my surgery and paid the deposit. DECIDING ON LOWERING AMOUNT I wore dark eye makeup below my hairline, to try out different measurements (how low i wanted to go). Also used bobby pins to lower the hairline by sweeping hair to side then pinning in front to create a "fake" hairline. This really helped me confirm my decision to go forward, because I pretty much knew what it was going to look like, more or less. I highly suggest you do this if you are thinking about the surgery, because sometimes you really don't need as much lowering as you think! WEEK OF SURGERY Started taking Bromelain tablets (to prevent swelling) Vitamin C (To strengthen immune system before surgery) and Biotin (to promote hair growth) Week before surgery i was starting to panic. I had been keeping it from my family, and finally told them. They were surprised and said they didn't think i should do it, that I was imagining how high it was, that i didt need it-- but would support my decision nonetheless. That was difficult....Even worse was that 2 close friends also told me the same thing.... so, I started to doubt my decision. I started to think "Am i really overly critical of this? Am i dysmorphic?" I was so nervous and started to not trust my own eyes! I took a few days and really looked deep into myself and remembered how many years this has bothered me, and my instinct was to go for it. I actually called the clinic 2 days before my surgery and told them I was thinking of cancelling because of how scared I was to make the change. The nurse was so supportive, she was not pushy at all, but she really did help calm me down and told me to just come to meet him for the pre-op anyway, and that that would help me with my decision. I ALMOST completely cancelled. I heard the voices of my family constantly in my head. But... then I tried to remember.... why did I BOOK the surgery in the first place? I have never had ANY cosmetic surgery before.... if i booked this and paid, I must have been pretty sure, inside myself. And.. I am SO GLAD i listened to my gut. I met with Dr Kabaker on tuesday day before surgery. He is so laid back, with ZERO ego. Such a cool guy. I wanted to only lower 1 cm (from 8cm), because of how afraid i was of looking too different! He was understanding at how conservative I wanted to be but said that he didn't know if it would make that much of a change. He recommended 2 cm, but I thought that was too low. I went home with the 1 cm marking, and then played around with it again and decided on 1.5 cm. Didn't eat after midnight and had anxious sleep. SURGERY DAY Arrived at 815 am and was placed in a gown, took one dose of antibiotic there. The nurse Joowon is so incredibly nice. Dr Kabaker and his fellow doctor working with him came and we discussed the new measurement (Which i ultimately marked first, and they confirmed it would look nice). Took me to surgery room in same building and started IV, was given sedation and then woke up easily and comfortably, No nausea, no pain, just some tightness in my head. I left with a very tight gauze wrap. I took Norco and Ketoprofen and really didn't have what i would call pain, it was more just constant discomfort from the tightness and squeezing of the head wrap (to reduce swelling). Appetite was normal, no bruising the day of surgery. DAY AFTER SURGERY Today I went back to the clinic in the morning and the nurse Joowon was so gentle at removing my head dressing and cleaning the dried blood from my stitches. I was so nervous to look at the result... and then i saw it... it looks amazing! I can't believe it. I am in shock! When you have had something bother you for so long and it is fixed.... I started crying in the chair! Dr Kabaker came and took photos and then Joowon gave me detailed instructions about taking care of the stitches and staples. I left today with a head wrap but its not nearly as tight as yesterday... keeping it on to reduce swelling. Today I am bruising a lot! Using ice on my face and eyes. I will update next week when the stitches are out! Until then... i am just so happy with my decision and so grateful that this procedure exists. Thanks again to this community because without you I would never have had the courage to go through with it. Please ask any questions you want and i will try to get back as soon as possible! Updated on 8 Dec 2016: It's day 22 after my surgery. Found my lost photos so will post those! Regarding hair Loss I'm losing hair overall but not at the hairline. When I run my fingers through my hair there's always about 4-8 hairs that come out . I have to admit it's not a good feeling to see that , but I'm trying to not freak out. I have very thick hair to begin with so luckily it hasn't made too noticeable to other people I'm sure. I definitely notice my hair is thinner overall. Ponytail is half the size than before . I don't comb or brush my hair (I generally don't anyway even before Surgery) . I imagine more would come out if I did. I'm using Mederma PM at night and making sure the scar is out of the sun. I am able to wear my hair down without anyone seeing th scar. One thing I have started to notice is that hairline is not exactly even. One side looks higher. I don't know if it's because one side has more hair growing through the scar already. I'm going to ask the doctor about it. Worst case scenario I would have to get grafts to even it out. But I don't wanna get grafts until I see how the hair grows out first. Updated on 8 Dec 2016: Updated on 8 Dec 2016: How the scar looks today 22 days later. It's actually not as red in other light .
I had my procedure this morning. When I arrived the receptionist was lovely and the nurse who took me through to process me was really lovely too and actually funny she made me laugh at times. She explained all the meds she was giving me and how to take them. Then his assistant came to take pictures and draw lines on my head after discussing how low i would like to go (and may I add he was serious eye candy aha). Dr Kabakar came to double check everything. They was both very thorough and precise I really had no worries or anxiety. He gave me a pill to relax me anyway (I probably didn't need it) but I did enjoy the feeling it gave me. When the nurse took me through after laying me down and wrapping me up warm she put the needle in me (which felt like I minor scratch) and I she said I will start feeling relaxed. I think I was still still chatting away then the next thing she asking me if I'm ok and I can have a nap as the procedure is over aha, what a breeze! I'm back at the hotel now with my bandage on and I'm feeling good. The hot assistant dropped me off as he lives in San Fran anyway and he was so lovely to chat to and wouldn't even let me pay him for the journey. I felt really looked after by everyone throughout. After this review I'm going to put a hat on and go out for a nice meal as I haven't eaten since morning. So far I just feel like I have a headache so I'll probable take one of the non-drowsy ones I was given now and save the others for bedtime. I look forward to the big reveal tomorrow :D. Thanks Dr Kabakar and his team, I'm a very happy lady! Updated on 30 Oct 2016: I went back to Kabakar's office the day after and the nurse washed my wound, gave me a mirror so I could see, then wrapped me back up to travel back to England that same evening. I'm happy with the results. I still have a big forehead but it's no longer abnormally big lol it suits me more. Maybe I could have gone slightly lower but my worst fear was going too low and Kabakar sensed that so did a safe option. Maybe in 3 months I'll get a few grafts to lower it 0.5cm more and round the edges. My original consultation was with Fargo graft specialists in London but they said they only want to lower me 1cm so I chose Kabakar as he could lower more. Since Kabakar is retiring in January I'll probably go to then to do this. After washing my hair I put on a head band and spent lots of time with family (who I haven't told) and i even went trick or treating. i also cut myself a fringe as I'll be returning to work with stitches in and a headband won't be suitable Updated on 30 Oct 2016: I'm receiving messages about going to Kabakar, I'm not sure if they realise that he's retiring soon! If it wasn't for his retirement I wouldn't have got it done this soon. I was planning on doing it next year, but as soon as I heard last month I immediately called his office to book lol. He told me he has a few spaces left in January, so for those who are serious about this procedure I'd advise that you contact him asap about it. I'm sure he will fit you in. He fitted me in last week as I told him it was the only week I could do as it's half term holidays so my nephews will be with their grandparents Updated on 6 Nov 2016: I first went to my nurse at my doctors to get out my stitches. She freaked out when I explained I had surgery abroad. She said she doesn't want to remove my stitches because I could sue her if something goes wrong with what my surgeon did and not my surgeon :s after I begged and got a doctors permission she agreed but freaked out again when she took out the first stitch because there was some blood and because she's never done hairline lowering she's scared it's not normal. I ended up telling her not to bother because I was feel so uncomfortable and she clearly was scared herself. I called dr Chris ingefield who I believe is the best in England for hairline lowering. He agreed to have his nurses take out my stitches at day 9 (as his policy is 10 days but day 10 was a Saturday). It was £150 for him but it was worth it! His nurses were very clearly knowledgeable about the procedure and that made me feel so at ease! They didn't look at me and freak out they looked at me and smiled and said I look great. I met Dr Ingefield very briefly too and he checked out my stitches and said I'm healing nicely. Even during my removal of stitches and staples the nurse kept on saying I'm healing nicely and I look great. I told her what happened with my other nurse and she giggled and said a bit of bleeding is totally normal and she told me she's done this many times. We chatted throughout and I barely felt the stitches being removed, and the staples were only slightly painful but she was very quick. When I got up and looked in the mirror I understood why they kept saying I'm healing nicely. It's because I had NO scar! Only raised red dots from when the stitches came out. In my head I was thinking "it's not that I'm a great healer it's that I had a great surgeon". They gave me antibiotic ointmemt sample to take home and use which did for 2 days only as I didn't see the point if I have no wound. They said I can come back for their aftercare as they usually see patients at 6weeks and 6 months to look at the scar but I know I won't need to. Thanks to Dr Ingefield for being amazing with my aftercare in England. If you want to stay in London for surgery I think he's the best. I spent so much on 2 bottles of scar cream prior to surgery. What a waste lol! I spent the whole next day with my sister and my hair back and she kept looking at me strange but said nothing. I don't look like I had surgery a week ago! But at the same time I look like a totally different person. I wonder how long it takes for them to think "I swear she had a buck head before" lol. My friends who I told keep on staring at me saying they love my new look. I know I said before that I thought my head was still slightly big and I wish he went lower but I realised that was the swelling making it appear big aha! day by day it kept appearing smaller then I realised I was swollen! He did it perfectly so I look like the best version of myself. I'm at day 12 now. The dots are still there but scabbed over. I scraped a few off from the with my nail as it looked a little like dead skin and left the ones at the front. My friends said they can't even see them they say they see nothing, so I guess it's just me Updated on 16 Nov 2016: I'm getting lots of messages asking how I managed to look after myself alone, so I thought I'd post this pic of me 12 hours after surgery. I went site seeing and walked for miles and up hills etc. I'm not encouraging anyone to do the same. I was leaving that same day and felt I had not done enough. Im glad I did as I felt ok to do it. If I stayed longer of course I would have waited until another day. I just wanted to point out that you can look after yourself just fine x Updated on 19 Nov 2016:
From as long as I can remember I have prayed for a smaller forehead. I've gone through many moments of wondering if I could "get over it" but have a ways gone back to just wishing it could be smaller. It's been 4 long years of communicating with doctors all over the world, figuring out who is the best and how I could go forward with this procedure. I am from Vancouver Canada and there are no doctors who perform this locally. I've been communicating with dr kabaker for years on and off and I have decided to go with him after seeing he will be retiring in 2017! It was exactly the push I needed to book the surgery. So now the questions.. I am terrified!! Even though I have seen so many great before and afters I still have this feeling like "it just won't work for me" I'm terrified that I will come out of surgery with a straight box like hairline and will immediately regret changing myself... I am a perfectionist and the scar also scares me! Any and all advice is welcome! I will be sharing my journey throughout the next few months of before and after surgery!! Until next time Xox Updated on 2 Sep 2016: Side view - Before Currently at around 7 1/2 cm - hoping to get to 6cm ! From certain angles my hairline doesn't look as high, but the receding peaks drive me crazy. I have a small face and I feel it is not proportionate! Excited for surgery with Dr Kabaker Oct 17th! Updated on 16 Oct 2016: So I flew into San Fran this morning and spent the day site seeing and getting my hair done. Just got home from dinner and as I am sitting here the night before surgery, a hundred thoughts are racing through my head.. Am I crazy? What if something goes wrong? What if I DIE!?! What if I hate it? What if he makes my forehead too low? What if the scar doesn't heal? I think these are all fairly normal thoughts to have before an elective surgery..but any words of encouragement are much appreciated at this moment!! With only a small handful of people knowing about this surgery, I am feeling slightly alone! I go in tomorrow morning at 8:30am! Praying all goes well :) Updated on 18 Oct 2016: Hello everyone! First a warning that this is a long long and detailed post! While I was researching I loved reading long detailed posts that gave me a good idea of everything, so I wanted to pay it back and do the same of all you beautiful people waiting and praying for this surgery! Although I don't have my full results yet and complications could still occur, so far so good and if you have EVER considered this surgery, I wouldnt go to anyone else other than Dr Kabaker. He is the true creator and expert on this surgery and almost every other surgeon all over the world have either personally learnt from him or has read his literature and taken his ideas and teqniqies into their own. I know how helpful everyone was to me while researching this procedure so I want to be as detailed as possible and let you in on everything that happened yesterday during surgery!! Let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer. I arrived at the surgery at 8:30 am with my dad. We stayed in sanfransisco mostly because we wanted to make this whole trip a vacation as well, and I have always wanted to stay in San Fran. We rented a car for the 5 days and got a great deal through Hertz. I was worried about the drive from San Fran to Oakland but was amazed at how quickly we got to his office in the morning! We gave ourselves over an hour and arrived in 20 minutes. I would not hesistate to recommend staying in San Fran over Oakland as it's a far more interesting city to stay in! If you are strictly going for a day or two and flying home after, certainly stay in Oakland as it is a bit closer. Oakland isn't really anything amazing to see though, so don't expect to be blown away by culture. That being said, the area dr K's office is in seems very safe and directly across from the hospital. If you want to stay in San Fran a bit longer and make it a vacation, i recommend you rent an apartment from Vacation rental by owner (VRBO) it's significantly more affordable than the cheapest San Fran hotels and even cheaper than a nice hotel in Oakland! Our place is 2 bedrooms, right at fishermans Wharf and it's gorgeous and 5 star and we are paying $280/night. OK SO - 8:15am I went into dr K's office with my dad and noticed the decor was a little dated but still nice. Although I think At that point I was so nervous, I was looking for any excuse to run out the door! ( I'm thinking: oh god it's an ugly couch, maybe this is a bad idea, let's GO) luckily my dad calmed me down and reminded me how renown dr kabaker is and that most surgery places are exactly "fancy looking" -and if they are, you know they build the surgery prices so you are paying for half that 5 grand leather couch they bought (ha-ha) The receptionist was professional and sweet. She helped me fill out the paperwork before hand which was of course a bit intimidating because he discloses every single thing that could go wrong. Including hair loss,temporary or permanent (in rare cases) as well as all other possibilities in any surgery (even DEATH ... which obviously is like a 0.0000001% chance but they still disclose it!) which makes you start to freak out even more. If interested, Read dr kabakers site on hairlineline lowering Q and A and you will get lots of insight on why and how some people may lose a little frontal hair at first and that it 99% of the time grows back. After the paperwork the receptionist brought me right into the back room to meet with the nurse. The nurse came in (I now forget her name but will get it for you later.. I am terrible with names) and she went over all risks again, my medical history, allergies. She went into detail on the drugs they use for the sedation and gave my dad all of my post op medication (2 types of pain killers, medical strength arnica, 5 days of 3xday antibiotics and nausea medication in case that happens) we spent about 30 minutes discussing any concerns I had about the pre and post operative care. She is the nurse who is trained in IV sedation and monsters you during the whole surgery. I researched sedation qualifications ALOT and found that in hospitals for most minor procedures (colonoscopy and such) the nurses perform the sedation and it's the norm. It's only general sedation where you need to MAKE SURE they have a trained anesthesiologist there monitoring you. Becuse general sedation is FAR for dangerous and they actually have machines breathing for you opposed to you breathing yourself. Then, dr kabaker came in with his assisting doctor, who is also an American board certified surgeon as well. (Another important thing to check for when looking for a surgeon) The procedure takes SO much muscle to stretch your scalp in order to lower it, so 2 sets of hands are definitely needed. Dr kabaker is still the one who does the entire thing, just with another set of hands when needed. Dr Kabaker was calm, confident, kind and funny! His assisting doctor was a complete sweet heart as well. They really gave me a great feeling. We then Measured my hairline(7.5cm - ish) and then I brought and showed him pictures of both hairlines I LOVED and also hairlines I HATED. I brought in my celebrity hairline inspiration (Natalie Portman) I wanted to be very clear on the fact that I didn't want a straight across line and Especially didn't want it too low! You can always go lower after but you can NEVER go higher.. and the more lower isn't always the better! My advice is to be realistic and be modest. I know what it's like to hate your forehead your whole life and the pressure to go as low as possible is always in The back of your mind. I personally love the shape of my side profile, my roundness and I didn't want a tiny Kim kardashian non existent forehead. My personal option is the most beautiful people in the world have medium foreheads and not SMALL. Think charlize theron, Natalie Portman, Keira knightly, of course Angelina Jolie, the girl off the movie the notebook etc etc. We discussed if I wanted to keep the natural imperfection of my hair line or if I wanted the widows peak gone etc. We decided on lessening the widows peak but still keeping some of my imperfections. I felt that if we went with a perfectly straight rounded forehead that it would be more fake looking. (All personal preference) He then had me draw my optimal line and my dad immedietly reminded me to not go too low! I literally replied (I'm not a friggen artist DAD!!) He was right though...my line was too low. Dr Kabaker then started drawing the line of his own. The first line we agreed was too high and then the second was perfect. At this point I began getting super emotional and scared. I was crying and the nurse was simply AMAZING. She held me and held my hand and it actually felt like my mom was there with me! I loved her. Before she gave me a Zanax to calm down, I started second guessing my line we drew and decided I wanted it slightly higher. The line was going to bring me down to 5cm and we decided on making it slightly high to around 5,3. Lowering me around 2cm totally. I also gave him approval to choose between the 5cm line or the higher one once we were in surgery.remember, surgeons are artists and we are paying big money for their judgement on face shape and balance. I trust his judgement and wanted him to make the most proportionate choice for my face. I took the zanax which really did nothing to calm me down. I hate drugs and was so scared to take it for some reason! I was sobbing and being a drama queen but the nurse and doctors were unbelievably loving and calming me down. Now for the scariest part of the whole thing.. saying goodbye to my dad and walking into the horror room alone which is the surgery room. It's a clean room but absolutely terrifying as all the machines and scalpels and devices are set out. Iayed down in the operating bed and the nurse gave me an IV and explained I would be out in no time and porbabaly would sleep the whole time. As I said before, because it's twilight sedation, it's much less hard on your body than a general (Google IV sedation/ twilight VS general) they freeze your head and all that and keep you IV sedated and out of it enough to not feel anything and be completely relaxed. The majority 99% of people completely pass out and have no memory of anything. The 1% of people will have memories but they aren't scary at all. I was the 1%!!! I groggily remember having full convorsations with the doctors and nurses and even discussing political events!! The assisting doctor was fabulous and was talking with me the whole time apparently (I don't remember too too much - but the nurse told me how kind he was) I also briefly remember asking him to marry me LOL...(sorry to my boyfriend for that one!!!) After the surgery, i woke up with all the nurses there still monitoring me and holding my hand. On a scale of 1-10 I felt maybe 1 on the pain and discomfort side. I was amazing at how "with it" I woke up feeling. If you've ever had general anesthesia, it's NOTHING like that. General makes you wake up feeling completely dazed and confused but this did not. I could immediately tell it was way better on my body compared to general. I woke up feeling totally with it. We walked to the recovery room and I waited for my dad to arrive. She put a cold comprsss of my eyes and gave me some juice. My head was fully tightly bandaged from front to back. I've read a lot of reviews about how tight their head feels at this point but mine didn't really feel like anything at all... honestly, having a bad cold a month prior was more uncomfortable than this. She then gave me a print out of the before and after, taken on the operating table!!! It's beautiful .. I am THRILLED with what I see so far and I am so so thankful they gave me that! If I had to wait until the next day to see any result I would have been so nervous and not half as excited! The picture is a little gruesome because I'm covered in their orange antiseptic solution and that but it still gives a really good idea of what it will look like! I will post the picture for you guys :) please tell me what you think. Not too low, right?? I was expecting to be in a lot of pain because in my only other surgery I've had (breast) I was in serious uncomfort and pain from day 1 - day 7. But with this, there is nothing so far!! We drive home and I was so "with it" that I was navigating and giving my dad directions! I took my pain medication, antibiotics and the arnica which is for swelling and bruising as directly and chilled for the rest of the night. The lovely nurse called to check in on me and spoke with my dad for 15 minutes going over how I was. I had no nausia, was able to eat food and enjoy it and then went to bed around 11pm and had a great sleep (sleep on your back and keep your head low on one pillow so the bruising and swelling doesn't drain to your forehead) This morning I woke up at 5am with some pain (maybe 2/10 pain) slight pressure and headache because I hadn't had a pain pill since the night before. I got up, had some food with the pain pill and now feel back to a 1/10 pain. When I try to lift my eyebrows, there is a pinching feeling where I assume my stitches and the bruising are (I can't see them yet) but other than that, it's a walk in the park. I do see some mild bruising forming on small parts of my forehead, which is normal. I am going in to take my bandages off today and get rebandaged with something less large and tight. I am hoping I continue feeling as good as I do now but am expecting to have some instant swilling once the tight tight bandage comes off. I go home on Wednesday (Vancouver, Canada) and have arranged to have my stitches removed next Monday from my surgeon who did my breast implants years ago. Your stitches are removed 1 week from surgery. I will keep you updated this afternoon once the large comes off and I get a better view of the result! Updated on 19 Oct 2016: Today I woke up feeling a little tired but very good! I think I'm tired because of the pain meds (I've been taking them every 4-6 hours as recommended) today I have switched to regular strength Tylenol and don't think I will be taking any Moreno of the strong ones. I washed my hair for the first time since surgery and was very nervous to do so. First, I cleaned the incision area with hydrogen peroxide and then i very carefully washed my hair with regular shampoo and conditioner. The top of my head is numb and there is no feeling which is weird but normal. As I was washing my hair, I did lose a few chunks of hair which was slightly freaky! This is also normal. I am over the moon with my results and couldn't have asked for a smoother recovery so far. Today is the last day in San Fran and then I leave home to Canada. We are checking out alkatraz and I feel totally fine to be walking around and sight seeing. I am wearing a headband to cover my stitches but could have easily covered them with my bangs (just not in the mood so fuss around and make my hair look good today) Attached are before and after pictures dr Kabaker sent to me this morning and also a few pictures I took after I washed my hair. Updated on 21 Oct 2016: I arrived back home in Canada late On day 2 Post Op - day 1 & 2 I was able to go site see, have dinner out and visit alkatraz. Looking back, I would say I should have probably just relaxed a bit more and was likely running high on adrenaline and pain killers. There has not been much "pain" throughout this whole thing so far, just odd sensations (tightness in forehead and not feeling the top of your head) my hair seems to be slightly thinner in the front because there is some hair loss during surgery (they slice some of your hairs in the front with the scalpel to accommodate the hidden stitch line) I am SO happy with the results and pinch myself every time I see the mirror. It's been such a long wait for this and I can't believe I built up the courage to finally do it!! I washed my hair for the 3rd time today in an attempt to get out more of the ointment/ chunky stuff that was in there from surgery. The first two times I washed my hair, I think I was so freaked out by not feeling my head and afraid to hurt the stitches that I barely washed it at all. The last 2 days since being home I have not had any pain killers. Although the pain killers are nice because they take away the weird sensations on your scalp and help you sleep - A few reasons for why I am stopping: 1) I am not in very much "pain" at all - it just feels tight and weird 2) I think the heavy pain killers are hard on my body and I literally feel like I'm detoxing off of them now 3) I am leaving for Mexico on Tuesday to finish my 2 weeks off for the surgery to rest & I want the drugs out of my system so I can have a glass of wine! The last 2 days I've been exhausted. Allowing myself to sleep whenever needed. I honestly think a big reason for this is the medication and drugs you take during and after surgery. My body is sensitive to that. My hairline is looking as great as it could be! I am slowly gaining feeling back in parts of my scalp and forehead. I am able to move my eyebrows now without it feeling too weird. If you've ever had Botox, it kind of feels like you've gotten way too much and can't move your forehead at all. I am excited to have my stitches removed in 2 days!! I think I will be able to style my hair better and feel less afraid of them once they are out of the way. For now, I've been cleaning them with hydrogen peroxide and applying a small amount of polysporn on the few spots that look a little red (mostly the staple above and within my hairline) I've been taking my antibiotics and arnica every 8 hours and will be finished my antibiotics tomorrow. I will update in a few days once my stitches are out!! Updated on 3 Nov 2016: Hello everyone! This has been the EASIEST process ever.. i went to Mexico 1 week after my surgery and just after my stitches were removed. I was careful to wear a hat in the sun to protect my incision scar. At night, I wore my hair almost always completely off my face! I can't believe how undetectable the scar is, even after only 1 week. Each day it gets better and I can not see little hairs growing right through the scar! I have had zero pain. There are certain spots on my scalp that have no feeling and others that are slightly more sensitive but this is all normal. I have slowly stopped shedding hair as much and the thinning is not noticeable. My hair is slightly thinner but nothing noticeable. I am so happy with y results and feel like a whole new woman!
February 3, 2016 I hairline lowered by 2.6 cm ( so little over an inch). I had always been self conscious about my forehead so I decided to have the procedure after talking to several doctors I decided on Dr. Kabaker. He was very very knowledgeable , super kind and has been performing this procedure for over 20 years. Updated on 18 Feb 2016: Updated on 3 Mar 2016: It has been one month since I had my hairline lowering procedure performed by Dr.Kabaker. I'm super happy with my results. The head in the center is still numb but it is getting better Dr K said that that was normal. I also have little hairs starting to sprout through the area where my incision was. I was very nervous about the incision line healing properly and not forming an ugly scar along with hair loss. Luckily I haven't experienced any of that. I hope that this review helps someone :) Updated on 3 Mar 2016: Updated on 7 Mar 2016: I've been getting a lot of questions about my incision and healing of my scar so as I sit in bed I thought that this might be a great time to show you guys a few pictures of my progress. It's still a little pink but should be the color of my complexion in no time especially with the LA sun lol. I make sure that I apply sunscreen to it daily per my doctors instruction so that it doesn't darken to much or too quickly since it is still healing. I have a lot of hair growing through the incision so I have been slacking on the minoxidil 5 foam but will start tonight. Updated on 7 Mar 2016:
I have my surgery date for Jan. 27th and I'm very nervous! The only other surgery I've ever had was tonsil removal. I have always been self conscious of my large forehead and my insecurities of my forehead really cripples me from enjoying life more. So I'm excited for the surgery but still VERY nervous. It'd be great to talk with people who've have had the surgery and learn about their experience. It would really help me prepare myself mentally! Updated on 27 Jan 2016: Hey everyone!! I am planned to go into Dr. Kabaker's office at 11 am and it is 8:50 am now. I am extremely nervous but I hope all goes well! I am posting a before picture and well post more before and after pictures this weekend hopefully. Updated on 29 Jan 2016: On the day of the surgery, I was very VERY nervous as you all can imagine. I had to sign some last minute papers and seeing it all was very nerve racking and scary. I was led to one of the rooms in the back and there Nurse Joana made sure I was in good condition and explained the medication to me and answered all questions I had! At this point I was more calm, then Dr. Nadimi came in and talked with me also and took some before pictures of me. Then Dr. Kabaker came in and I showed him where I would like my new hair line to be. After all the prepping for surgery, I was taken to the operating room. I remember talking to the nurses before and then once I got the IV Sedation everything felt like a nice easy nap! Afterwards, I was so sleepy that I can barely remember the ride home. I just know I put my arm around my sister and then went to sleep haha. That night there was pain in the back of my head which I was told was completely normal! But it was kind of uncomfortable to sleep the first night. Now I have no pain in the back of my head, and there is only a little pain where my new hairline is. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate the pain about a 4 1/2 right now. It is really important to take the medication when needed or the pain would be worse. I haven't experienced any really bad bruising or swelling on my face which I'm happy for! So far, things are going smoothly. Next week I get my stitches removed and I'm really excited!! Updated on 29 Jan 2016:
I cannot express how awesome this procedure was. Dr. Kabaker was extremely helpful and professional. He made sure I was taken care of post-op and answered all of my follow-up emails promptly. The photo I'm posting is 1-month post surgery. I experienced no hair loss with my procedure. Im 23 years old and have had no prior surgeries. Updated on 29 Dec 2015: Updated on 23 Jan 2016: Everything is still awesome. No shock hair loss. The only thing is that a couple of my deep sutures are poking through, but Dr. K just told me to clip them close to the skin with cuticle clippers. In the photos, the little hairs are the ones above the scar that he clipped short before the surgery. Updated on 14 Apr 2016: The hairs are growing through the scar by a few cm now. The scar is pretty imperceptible. Love love love the results.
I have always had a large forehead but only recently -- during a hair transplant consultation -- have I heard of a forehead reduction procedure. After several telephone consultations, I decided Dr. Sheldon Kabaker was the best choice for me!! I was impressed with him, his experience, and his awesome reviews. I live in South Carolina and thought I "needed" a face-to-face consultation before scheduling the procedure. Knowing what I know now, I would skip that extra expense and schedule a video consultation instead. I was EXTREMELY nervous about having my scalp cut on but Dr. Kabaker's knowledge, skills, and mannerisms put me totally at ease. He patiently and thoroughly answered all of my MANY questions and his office staff was warm and welcoming! Thank you Sondra, Denise, and Dr. Medina. On the morning of the surgery, Dr. Kabaker meticulously drew my new hairline and made sure I was satisfied with the plan. I didn't have to worry about getting any prescriptions filled as he provided pain medication, an antibiotic, medicine to prevent bruising, and phenergan, if needed, for nausea. He also arranged a caretaker to transport me back to the hotel after surgery to help provide post-operative care. I did have some pain which I believe was minimal, but no nausea or bruising. Dr. Kabaker has also arranged for my stitches to be removed by a doctor closer to my home. I cannot say enough about Dr. Kabaker, his AMAZING staff, and their OUTSTANDING care and kindness! It has only been two days since the surgery but I already LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! my new forehead.
Surgery could possibly improve the appearance on your chin area. You are wasting time unless you want to firry try filler injections tonthe deep sublabial crease.
The depressions on the sides if your head can be readily filled in by injectible fillers, including fat, and surgical implants.
No operation I perform gives the high degree of satisfaction so early as a one stage forehead reduction accomplished by lowering the hairline. The density of hair in the front is as great, if not greater from use of Endotines, than it was prior to surgery. 2 or 3 hair transplant sessions can give an eventual equivalent result for about double the cost. If the scalp is tight, this advantage may be lost. Very fee surgeons have great experience with either approach in females.
if a lateral (side) view picture shows you have a receding chin, an appropriately chosen silastic chin implant would be a relatively simple solution.
the hairline lowering operation might help but you need a lot of forward advancement of the scalp. If you hsve had prior brow lifting and/or a facelift , you might not be a good candidate for hairline advancement surgery. A prior endoscopic forehead/browlift would be an exception.
