What Is Hairline-Lowering Surgery? Experts Explain

Vogue

2 days ago

Chrissy Teigen recently revealed that she's struggled with hair loss since giving birth to her first child in 2016. Teigen, now a mother of four, revealed her solution to fix the appearance of the obvious thinning on Instagram on May 23rd: hairline-lowering surgery.
'Hi friends! [A] lot of you have been wondering about my hospital pic which is very understandable as I gave no explanation lol. I had a hairline-lowering procedure,' she wrote in the post. 'Lost a lot in the front from babies and it's just very thin up there. When you see it on a carpet, it's ALWAYS extensions.'
Pre- and postpartum hair loss is extremely common; the American Pregnancy Association says that it affects about 40% to 50% of mothers. Options to address the hair loss, if you so choose, include supplements or hair restoration treatments, as well as the more invasive hairline-lowering surgery. But you should look into the procedure before going under the knife.
What is hairline-lowering surgery?
Hairline-lowering surgery, also known as forehead reduction, is a cosmetic surgical procedure that shortens the forehead. To achieve this, Lesley Rabach, MD, board-certified facial surgeon and co-founder of LM Medical NYC, explains that a surgeon will advance the hairline forward towards the brows and remove the excess forehead skin.
'The main goal of a hairline lowering is to reduce the height of the forehead, which creates a more proportionate upper third of the face,' says Dr. Rabach. 'If we think about the horizontal face from the hairline to between the eyebrows, between the eyebrows to under the nose, and under the nose to the bottom of the chin, generally speaking, each section should be about a third [of the face]. If the hairline to the brow is larger than a third, the proportion can create an elongated upper third.'
David Shafer, MD, FACS, double board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue, agrees and says that you can think of the 4-finger method to determine if hairline-lowering surgery is something to consider. If you can fit four fingers between your hairline and the top of your brows, there may not be a need to move the hairline. If you can fit five or six fingers, he says this treatment is better suited for you if it's something you truly want.
The Benefits
Most—if not all—the benefits of getting hairline-lowering surgery are cosmetic. It's a relatively short surgical procedure, says Dr. Rabach, and can help balance proportions. Added cosmetic benefits to this treatment also include giving your eyes a more awake appearance and a more rejuvenated look overall, says Dr. Shafer.
The Downsides
Downsides are minimal if you're the ideal candidate (Dr. Rabach recommends it for those with already thick hair) for this treatment. Side effects include a mild headache for the first 24 hours post-surgery, but she says that extra-strength Tylenol should be enough to help calm that. Dr. Shafer adds that you might have to wear a light wrap around your head and ice your eyes until your checkup to help with any swelling and bruising around the eyes.