Is forehead reduction surgery dangerous?

Question

Hello, my son is 24 and has always had a high forehead and it's really bothering him. He told me he was thinking about getting a forehead reduction surgery, and today I looked it up online and it seemed like a great surgery for him and he seems like the perfect candidate. But then I stumbled across a forum post and people there were saying that forehead reductions are very dangerous and that people should absolutely avoid it.. Is this true? Can a surgeon please reassure me? Thank you!

Jae Pak, MD · Answer

Think about the question:  A surgeon who performs a forehead reduction surgery for a living will not say "absolutely avoid it".  You can't expect reassurances this way.You need to know what a forehead reduction surgery involves and understand its risks and benefits.  ALL surgeries have its risks and benefits.You son should first make an appointment with a doctor for an exam to make sure a forehead reduction is possible in his particular case.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.

Matthew Richardson, MD · Answer

In general, forehead reduction surgery is very safe. Every procedure has risks, and forehead reduction surgery includes risks of numbness, bleeding, scarring, bruising, swelling, discomfort, asymmetry, temporary hair loss, permanent hair loss (rare), and infection (rare). That being said, most forehead reduction surgeries are very easy to recover from and the risks are small. Forehead reduction surgery is generally reserved for females. Male hairlines should be lowered using hair transplant procedures.All the best,

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

This procedure, in my opinion, should not be done in a male because nof the risk of balding and recession which will explose the scar from the advancement surgery and then require a hair transplant to get around this.   For young men, this chance of this happening is fully 99% over time so a surgical hairline lowering is not the procedure of choice in men for a receded hairline. The scars that appear, are permanent and you need a hair transplant to cover it, burying it in the new hair placed by the hair transplant

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

The operation to reduce the height of the forehead without bony contouring is no more dangerous than a browlift or a hair transplant. The real consideration has to be whether this is appropriate for a young man who may have future hair loss.

Is forehead reduction surgery dangerous?

Answers (4)

Answer: Danger with forehead reduction.

Answer: Danger with forehead reduction.

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Is forehead reduction surgery dangerous?

Answers (4)

Answer: Danger with forehead reduction.

Answer: Danger with forehead reduction.

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Forehead Reduction

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.