What Is Involved In Brow Bone Reduction?

Q: Hello, I am a 28-year old male with very prominent brow bones and I would like to have them reduced to a normal size and shape.  What is involved in doing this kind of plastic surgery? Are there any significant risks and do you think the results will be worth it? Thank you very much and I look forward to your reply.

A: Brow bone reduction is more than just burring down thick brow bone ridges. It actually involves removes the outer plate of the frontal sinus, reshaping it, and putting it back on. A prominent brow bone is really not bone, it is an overgrowth of the frontal sinus. Brow bone reduction is really about reducing the size of the air space of the frontal sinus, in essence making a room smaller by lower ing the height of the roof.

Brow bone reduction must be done through a scalp incision. While the operation is not complex or dangerous for those trained in craniofacial plastic surgery, it requires that expertise and training to be very comfortable doing it. The key aspect in the decision to have the operation, in my opinion, is the acceptance of a scalp scar. One should have a good density of scalp hair and some confidence that all hair on the top of the scalp may not be eventually lost.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana