Forehead Reduction Surgery - What is Hairline Lowering?

Cosmetic Surgery

Hair Transplant

It’s thought that around half of all men will experience some degree of hair loss by the time they reach the age of…

For some people, having a large forehead can be the source of embarrassment, and a forehead that appears out of proportion with the rest of the face can have a negative impact on a person’s self-esteem.

Someone who feels self-conscious about the size of their forehead may resort to wearing hats or scarves in an attempt to cover up a high hairline. They may style their hair in a way that camouflages their forehead. They may even avoid certain activities, such as swimming or going outdoors in windy weather, in order to keep their big forehead out of sight of others. This can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life and interpersonal relationships, and in some cases, this can lead to anxiety and depression.

But a big forehead is not something that you have to put up with. Luckily there are effective forehead reduction treatments available that can help to reintroduce balance to the face and restore self-confidence.

Hairline lowering is a surgical procedure that involves ‘moving’ a naturally high hairline downwards. This results in the reduction of a big forehead and gives the appearance of a fuller head of hair covering more of the head.

There are different ways that this can be done. Forehead reduction surgery is one method of hairline lowering that involves bringing the hair-bearing scalp tissue downwards, resulting in a lower hairline. In this particular treatment, the surgeon will carefully cut out along the hairline and an area of the forehead before removing a strip of skin. The incision along the hairline is then pulled down to join the other incision and the two are sutured together. An alternative method of forehead reduction involves a hair transplant, a cosmetic procedure commonly used to tackle the problem of male pattern baldness. Both these treatments are effective ways to reintroduce balance to the face.

Which begs the question, what does a perfectly-balanced face look like? The face is divided up into thirds and ideally, all of these should be the same size. These three portions are the lower face (the area from the chin to the bottom of the nose), the middle face (from the bottom of the nose to the eyebrows) and the upper face, stretching from the eyebrows and up to the hairline. If one of these thirds is bigger than the rest, it can throw out all of the other features on the face. This is the case if a high hairline is present. Ideally, a woman’s hairline should be 5cm to 6.5cm above the eyebrows. If the hairline sits any higher, then the balance is thrown out. Treatment to reduce a big forehead can bring these facial features back into proportion, rejuvenating the appearance of the whole face.

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Here at the Cadogan Clinic, we recommend a hair transplant as the best method of forehead reduction.

In this particular form of hairline lowering, the donor's hair is taken from thicker areas of the scalp and transplanted in the affected area. There are two different hair transplant techniques that are carried out at the clinic - Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). FUE involves removing individual hairs from the back of the neck and transplanting them using a specialist micro surgical needle. FUT involves the harvesting of a strip of hair from the back of the head. With hair transplant surgery, the hairline can be recreated in a shape as desired by the patient, for example, the surgeon can straighten or round a hairline or create a V-shaped hairline if that is what is required. Forehead reduction surgery does not offer this flexibility.

Another benefit of a hair transplant over forehead reduction surgery is that a transplant offers patients with thinner or thinning hair on their hairline the chance of thicker hair on their hairline as well as the solution to a large forehead.

When it comes to forehead reduction surgery, it is crucial that the patient has good scalp laxity in order for the skin to stretch. This is less important when it comes to a hair transplant, as long as there are strong ‘donor sites’ available from where the surgeon can harvest the hair to be used to lower the hairline. This treatment is popular for men who are suffering from a receding hairline, but it is also suitable for women too.

Forehead reduction surgery leaves behind a scar in the hairline, but a hair transplant with a skilled surgeon will leave behind minimal scarring. FUE transplant will leave no visible sign of scarring at all on either the donor or the transplant site.

The downside of hairline lowering with hair transplants is that it can take at least six weeks for the initial results to show, whereas with forehead reduction surgery the result can be seen immediately. However, many who have undergone a hair transplant procedure argue that this is a small price to pay for the lack of scarring and the promise of a lower hairline, which can be made stronger or thicker or even reshaped if desired.

To conclude, forehead reduction surgery is an effective way of lowering the hairline, but it carries a risk of scarring and the risk of complications is higher than with hair transplant treatment.

Hair transplants are safe and effective and with more than 100,000 hair transplant procedures successfully carried out in Europe every year, this treatment is enjoying a huge surge in popularity. We highly recommend a hair transplant as an effective method of forehead reduction.

Alternatively, if a big forehead is giving you cause for concern, you may also wish to consider a brow lift as an alternative form of treatment. This surgical treatment lifts a sagging brow, tightens and smoothes forehead skin and raises eyebrows, all of which can help to reduce the appearance of a big forehead.

Book a consultation with one of our expert surgeons here at the Cadogan Clinic who will be able to discuss the available treatments with you.

Words from our clients:

“I was treated with care and provided with thorough knowledge about the procedure I was undertaking. My surgeon was very methodical (a perfectionist) and I felt I received A class treatment."

Courtney O'Sullivan

"Outstanding experience from the first appointment to being discharged. Very professional, friendly and a fantastic outcome."

Gemma Stevenson

"There is nothing that I feel could be improved at Cadogan Clinic. I was treated and looked after very well the place was very clean. Perfect. Thank you."

Emma Grant

"The treatment was for my daughter and the aesthetic practitioner couldn't have been more helpful and informative all through the course of treatment, it was a great treatment with a brilliant outcome. The whole experience was very professional and any worries we went in with were soon taken away after the team greeted us and treated us."

Jessica Yates

"Reception staff very welcoming and efficient. Both nurses who I dealt with were fantastic, and the whole team (anaesthetist, surgeon etc) were friendly but professional, and really put my mind at ease. That I was able to stay later than I perhaps needed after my surgery to fit in with my husbands schedule was greatly appreciated."

Emma Davies

Treatments mentioned in this article

It’s thought that around half of all men will experience some degree of hair loss by the time they reach the age of 50, with some first noticing receding hair in their teens or twenties. Androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) is the primary cause. This hereditary condition first sees patients lose hair in the crown area, after which the hairline and temples are affected. Stress, illness and medication can also play a part in male baldness, a condition that can seriously affect self-confidence.

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Hair Transplant

It’s thought that around half of all men will experience some degree of hair loss by the time they reach the age of 50, with some first noticing…

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