Is my forehead too big? (Photo)

Question

I've been paying a lot of attention to my forehead lately and I was wondering if it was too big for my head/face... What can I do about it?

Matthew Richardson, MD · Answer

In most cases, this simply comes down to patient preference. From accepted aesthetic norms, we generally do not recommend lowering the hairline below 5.5 cm from the brows, but each patient is unique. Most female patients that I see for consideration of hairline lowering procedures come in with hairlines around 7-8 cm from the brows, which is much more typical of an adult male hairline position. In these cases, I offer the patients two choices: 1) hairline advancement (also known as scalp advancement, hairline lowering, forehead reduction, etc) or 2) hair transplant to the frontal hairline. There are advantages and disadvantages to both techniques, and I perform both commonly. The preferred technique usually comes down to patient preference and lifestyle.
Be sure to see an expert in facial plastic surgical procedures and hair restoration who can review all of these options with you in detail.
Best,

Kevin Ende, MD · Answer

A procedure to lower a hairline (hairline lowering or hair transplant) can help to feminize the face.  Hairline lowering gives a more immediate result.  For those with thin hair along the hairline, those thin hairs can be removed with the procedure allowing the hairline to start at a point with  more density.

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

If you do not like the shape of your forehead and would like to change it, you can consider a forehead reduction or a hair transplant surgery.

Andrew Kornstein, MD, FACS · Answer

That is a question you must ask yourself. Does your forehead bother you? Do you notice it often? Do you try and hide it?I have operated on many people with your particular anatomy(hair placement) and made them very happy.Hope this helps.

Natalie Attenello, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and photos. This is a very common
feature that many patients dislike about themselves but do not realize that
there are excellent solutions for. Depending on your scalp and forehead
laxity, a hairline lowering surgery (also known as forehead reduction surgery)
may be an excellent option for you. In most patients, this can be done as a
single procedure at an outpatient surgery center. This will immediately lower
one's hairline, therefore reducing the size of your forehead. There is minimal
downtime with little swelling and bruising, and most patients feel comfortable
returning to social settings very soon (some wear a scarf or hat to hide the
sutures until they are removed). In a good candidate, the results can be quite natural
and beautiful.  Hair transplantation is another option, but for a female
with no history of hair loss and decent scalp laxity - this one-stage hairline
lowering surgery may be the best option for you.  A surgeon consultation
(either in-office or virtual) can help determine your scalp laxity to see if
you would be a good candidate.  I hope this helps!

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

Your hairline can be lowered and the forehead reduced to improve facial proportions. I have a bias and recommend the Irregular Trichopytic Hairline Incision Technique that we described many years ago so you can improve the hairline position with hair of normal uniform density.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

This is a personal decision to see if your forehead is too big. You can lower the hairline. 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. See web-references below for four excellent sets of photos of
this process on four women.

Sheldon S. Kabaker, MD FACS (retired) · Answer

Wearing your hair combed back emphasizes your forehead. A different hairstyle or a hairline lowering operation would make a nice difference.

Is my forehead too big? (Photo)

Answers (8)

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