Should I go for a Hairline Lowering or Hair Transplant?

The ability to lower the hairline surgically relates to your scalp elasticity and the anatomy of your hairline.  The photos from the side view are a bit limited but it does appear that you have a little recession in the temple area.  This would then favor the use of hair grafting to lower your hairline.  

There are advantages and disadvantages of any surgical procedure.  It is best to see a doctor for a consultation to find out which type of surgery is best for your particular case. Scarring is one disadvantage of hair line lowering surgery but in most instances it is not significant.  

 Hairline advancement without a noticeable scar for a high hairline. Having  created the procedure for treating this problem 35 years ago we feel that the advancement is faster, cheaper, and does not leave a noticeable scar if properly done.  With one procedure the surgery can lower your hairline if there is enough elasticity in your scalp without using a tissue expander. How far the hairline would be lowered would be determined by the elasticity of your scalp. See a very experienced surgeon who does this and look  at his results of the hairline and you should not see a visible scar.  The results are immediate without waiting a year or more for hair to grow and there is no hair texture change as is seen with grafting. 

I believe that in the right hands, hairline lowering in females is an excellent procedure.  The hairline scar generally heals quite fine.  Hair line lowering can be done in a single procedure where as grafts may require more than one procedure.  Grafts on the other hand are a much less invasive procedure with far fewer risks.  I believe that both are a good option for you in the right hands.  

Whether
you chose a hairline advancement or a hair transplant either can achieve your
desired result.  I recommend speaking
with a hair transplant specialist that does both procedures so you can hear the
pros and cons of both.   My preference is
follicular unit extraction (FUE) as there would be less pain, essentially no
downtime and no linear scar.

In skin of color, you have to consider the scarring potential of any procedure. Your skin may be more prone to keloids and you at risk for pigmentary changes (hyperpigmentation) after procedures. Hair transplantation is less traumatic to the hairline. If you compare inserting grafts with small needles vs. incising and sewing the skin back together the entire length of the hair line you are less like to get keloids and hyperpigmentation through hair transplantation.  Assuming you have adequate donor hair and a trustworthy surgeon, you can get an idea of the amount of coverage or advancement of the hairline you could get in one session of transplantation. Having a consultation for both procedures is never a bad idea but make sure your doctor is comfortable working on patients who look like you.

You do appear to have some thinning on the sides, which is better served with a hair transplant. You can have the hairline lowered, and depending on how much you want to lower it, may require more than one transplant to increase density. Have a consultation with a hair restoration surgeon to see what your options are.

Both are excellent options for lowering your hairline. Traditionally, the high hairline has been addressed by hair transplantation. Hair grafts can look natural here but may require a number of procedures, depending on the density and the amount of lowering required. Perhaps two years would need to pass before the process is completed. Hairline lowering or advancement (also known as forehead reduction) is an efficient and effective method of reducing the forehead with immediately noticeable results. The ideal patient for the hairline advancement procedure is typically female who is born with a high hairline and no personal or familial history of progressive hair loss.



To select appropriate candidates for this procedure, a thorough examination of the scalp must be performed with a focus on scalp laxity, direction of hair exit, and frontotemporal points and recessions. These key elements are important for selecting appropriate candidates for hairline lowering surgery. Forward-growing hairs at the hairline allow for hair growth through the scar and the highest probability of scar camouflage. Patients with backwards exiting hairs at any point along the hairline (as seen in those with cowlicks) should understand that they might require future hair transplantation to disguise the scar and achieve optimal results. Hair grafting can be performed for individuals who desire coverage of deep temporal recessions or advancement of the downward-facing temple hairs. 

Adequate scalp laxity can be determined by the relative ease of moving the hair-bearing scalp forward and backward and the pinching of forehead skin. For patients with relatively tight scalps, massaging the scalp in a backward-forward movement for a month before the surgery can improve the forward advancement achieved.

In order to determine which procedure is ideal for you, a proper examination is necessary. Good luck! 

I advice you have a FUE; you would get the desired hairline in just one sesssion of dense packing hair transplant. Hair grafting/ transplant can be an option or forehead reduction and correcting  asymmetry on your frontal hair line/forelock.

A hairline advancement will put a scar at the front of your hairline.  Because you wear your hair back, it would be noticeable -- so you would likely do some hair transplants to hide the scar.  Just skip the first step! It may take 2 sessions to get the density to your liking, but I think it's a good option for you.  Good luck!