Can Forehead Reshaping Removes My Hard Horns?

Q: Dr. Eppley,I am interested in some form of forehead reshaping.  I have two hard-like horns or lumps on my forehead. They have been there since I was a teenager. Now that I am in my early twenties it bothers me greatly. They feel like really hard like bones. They really affect me and bring my self esteem down. I’ve been to my family doctor and I was told it was really nothing. I am hoping you can help me. I have attached pictures from different angles for your assessment.

A: One of the most minor forms of forehead reshaping is reduction of prominent bulges. Your pictures show a very classic example of them and how protuberant they can be. Thank you for sending your pictures. They are the type of forehead bulges/osteomas/horns that I have seen many times. They are common excess growths of the forehead bone and are almost always on both sides.They are benign and normal but obviously not aesthetically desireable. They can be burred down to make for a more smooth confluent forehead contour. Depending upon the shape of the rest of your forehead and how much they can be burred down, it is sometimes also helpful to build up with bone cement around the area to get a really smooth forehead shape. That shaping consideration aside, the only other issue to consider is one of surgical access. You have to have an incision somewhere to gain access and this would be back in the scalp. Thus one has to accept a very fine line scalp incision to do it. Fortunately even in men with thinner or thinning hair cover, the scalp incision heals well with very minimal scar.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana