Forehead Reduction Sydney 2019

I have always wanted to do this procedure. After losing my hair from being on the pill and naturally having a protruding forehead, which is now prominent looking on the side since the hairloss, l have felt really self-conscious ever since. I always edit my photos to make it look smaller and l always have a parted fringe to cover it.

After 2 years looking through these feeds online, l decided to finally do it. I am turning 28 this year so l thought, f*CK it. I am going to do this for me! I don't want to live my life hiding behind my fringe and bronzing the hell out of my forehead to make it smaller or look at hacks to shrink my forehead. You only live once so why not go for it!

It is 7.45pm on Sunday 28 July, Sydney time. My operation is this Saturday 3rd August 2019 and will be down by Dr Martinick and her team. The place is based at Man Cave in the city. I will be posting photos, my experience and post-op updates. I will answer any questions you might have and take you along this journey with me incase you too are thinking of having it done :). Eeik so excited!

Ok, so it is the night before the surgery. Feeling a mixture of emotions: nervous, a tad anxious, but mostly excited! I have prepared myself with the essentials after l get out of surgery. I have a zip up hoodie, scarf and big glasses for when l come out so l can disguise myself from the real world lol. My mum will be picking me up so l just need to make it from the building to the car parked outside and l will be fine. I also purchased benpanthen (scar treatment) from Chemist Warehouse and have a travel pillow for when l need to be kept upright post-op.

My appointment is booked for 8.30am tomorrow. I can’t eat anything in the morning but can have water. I have washed my hair with no products left on (oils/serums) as per the request. They said l should be done by 1pm. I’m hoping l don’t have the drainage tube left in - that’s placed in case there is excessive bleeding. I will need to return the next day if that is the case. But I am repeating positive mantras as l sit here and complete my last round of head massage exercises before the op tomorrow :). I guess l will leave it here until tomorrow/Sunday. Might be out of it tomorrow so let’s see. Can’t wait!

So the surgery went well on Saturday. It is Monday today. I was a bit out of it so l couldn't post but here is a summary of the day of the operation and the day after.
Operation Day (Saturday):
Heading into the centre for the operation l felt a little bit nervous. As l woke up, l made sure to do 15mins of meditation to relax myself and just listened to feel-good music as l headed in via train. I couldn't eat and was only allowed to sip a bit of water that morning.
As l got in, we went over what was going to happen during the procedure and any complications that may occur - this was the only time l felt slightly anxious but l reminded myself to think positive thoughts and know that everything was going to go well. After signing the forms, l was then dressed in a gown and robe and the main Doctor (Jennifer Martinick) came in to draw up the measurements on my forehead. I explained to her what l wanted and as l had massaged my head every night, my forehead was pretty flexible. I was very happy with what we were going to try and achieve. She then took photos and l then headed into the operation room.
Once there, l layed down on the chair and they played music which l requested - jazz music of course, to make me feel relaxed :). They gave me local anesthesia which they explained was the worst part of the procedure because it stings a bit. But as l only had 6 hours of sleep l was pretty tired so l didn't really notice the sensation (good tip if you don't deal well with needles - sleep less the night before haha).
It worked straight away and l was completely out of it. At times l could hear them talking, here and there, but you honestly do not feel anything at all! So if you're worried about that or the thought of feeling something cutting along your forehead, don't even think about it because it feels like you are sleeping, in a dream-like state. The whole procedure went so quickly! They woke me up and l felt nothing! I was able to look at the stitches and it wasn't scary at all! From memory, l was super pleased with the result - l can't really remember as l felt high at the time lol.
After that, l was able to move/walk around. They had the bandage and a netting (which was the compression head piece) wrapped around my head. I had something to eat, which they gave me, and took the first pink tablet to ensure l felt no pain. After dressing, l wore a thin scarf and wrapped that around my head, wore a jumper that had a hoodie along with glasses - bring this! So you don't feel self conscious walking out of the building.
Once my mum picked me up outfront, l was in and out of sleep. I got home but started to feel nauseous. My mum called the doctor and she said for me to sleep on my back facing up. I bought a travel neck rest (definitely get one of these!) Which l wrapped around my neck and slept for a few hours facing up. Not sure if this is for everyone as depending on how swollen you get you should probably rest sitting upwards. I've been sleeping on my back and l haven't got any swelling or bruises under my eyes (which they said is normal after 2-3 days). Oh they also gave me a post-op pack which includes instructions, pills, and scar cream. I bought bepathen scar cream (from Chemist Warehouse) which they said is better to use. I just slept mostly for that day and took the sleeping pill and 2 painkillers that they supplied and had an amazing sleep! I wasn't given any cream/solution for hairloss prevention which they do include in the post-op pack. I'm guessing they decide based on the type of hair you have, how much they remove and extremity of the procedure on whether or not you would be prone to hairloss. I have veeerry thick hair and my procedure was pretty simple which is probably why.
Day 2 Post-Op (Sunday):
Waking up l did not feel any pain. I did feel light on my feet walking around. I had to go back into the clinic to get one of the stitches removed. They checked the incision and removed the head compression so I'm only left with the bandage (as shown in the photos). They told me to leave the bandage on for an extra 2 days to help the healing process. After 2 days l can then wash my hair - using detol hand wash for the top of my hair and normal shampoo/conditioner for the rest of my hair. Felt slightly drowsy yesterday but was able to move around and felt more aware of my surroundings.
I will post again in 2 days time when l get to remove the bandage and see the stitches. I have been drinking heaps of water and have been resting so l don't stretch the area. So far, everything has been pretty good. It wasn't as bad or complicated as l anticipated. It went so quick and l haven't felt any major discomfort at all. So don't feel worried about getting it done. If l can do it, you surely can!
More to come soon ;)