Forehead Reduction (African American Male)

I typically recommend hair transplant procedures rather than scalp advancement procedures in men. This is because scalp advancement procedures leave a linear scar along the frontal hairline that is almost impossible to camouflage if a man's hairline recedes (or even just thins). Scalp advancement procedures are generally reserved for women. In men (and women), similar long-term results are possible with hair transplant procedures, and linear scars along the frontal hairline are avoided with hair transplant techniques.Be sure to see a surgeon who specializes in both facial plastic surgery techniques and hair restoration in order to review all of these options in detail.Best,

To lower a hair line, there are two types of surgeries.  (1) Forehead reduction, and (2) Hair transplant surgery.  You need an examination to make sure these types of surgery would be an option for you.  Your goal, nevertheless is possible.

Hair transplant may improve your receding hairline and provide you with an excellent option for non-surgical forehead reduction. Surgery may not be the first option for you. Best, Dr. Karamanoukian

You do not state how old you are but this looks like early male pattern baldness. You have to assume the hairline will continue to recede back and if you choose to have surgery make sure the surgeon treats it like it has already receded further. That way if and when it does recede further back you will not be left with an unsightly result. These procedures need to be done like the surgery is being done for the future. If you just put some hair in front of the current hairline in can look freakish when the hairline moves backward.

I hope you realize that this format of posting questions and receiving answers lacks the face to face direct communication required for you to make an informed decision regarding your surgery.

My response to your question/post does not represent formal medical advice or constitute a doctor patient relationship. You need to consult with i.e. personally see a board certified plastic surgeon in order to receive a formal evaluation and develop a doctor patient relationship.

We invented the Irregular Trichophytic  Hairline lowering for patients like you IF you will not have any future hair loss. If you are going to have future hair loss then you would need hair transplants or the Fleming-Mayer Flap.

Thank you for your question and photos.  By looking at your photos, it does appear that your forehead may be out of proportion to the rest of your facial features.  Lowering the hairline (and reducing the forehead) is an excellent way to bring your facial features into better balance.  This can be achieved by a one stage hairline lowering surgery or with hair transplantation.  In the correct patient, the hairline lowering surgery can give beautiful, natural and immediate results.  For males, this would be a patient with no family history of hair loss and no history themselves of a receding hairline.  The reason for this is because the hairline lowering surgery (also known as forehead reduction surgery), does require an incision along your frontal hairline.  This is usually hidden nicely behind your frontal hairline but if this frontal hairline recedes with time, then the scar can be noticeable.  In this case, hair transplantation may be a better option for those patients who do have a history of hair loss or male pattern baldness.  I hope this helps!

Male pattern baldness is best treated with hair transplantation, not any of the scalp reduction procedures.  It is also important to remember that in the patient’s 20s and 30s the male pattern baldness has not completely presented itself yet and you may need more than one procedure over your lifetime.  

I think the main question to answer here is whether this type of high hairline has been present all along, or is this something that has developed recently.  If the answer for the first question is yes, then the best corrective option would be hairline lowering surgery, where a portion of the forehead skin close to the hairline is excised and the hairline and the rest of the scalp is avanced anteriorly thus decreasing the distance between the hairline and the brows. If the second statement is correct, then this is most likely a male pattern baldness, and should be treated as such.  I would then be cautious with the hairline lowering surgery, since it does not prevent further hair loss, and will be a futile procedure with unsightly scar if the hair loss continues.

In men who have hairline lowering surgeries, the risk of male pattern balding is always there regardless of the family history you have. This is the reason I don't recommend a surgical hairline advancement procedures in men, but rather a hair transplant lowering procedure which can be just as good, but if balding or thinning should occur after the procedure as a result of genetic balding, more transplants can follow it back easily. Even in your situation, a hair transplant may become your next step.