The Technique of Hairline Lowering

The technique of hairline lowering is becoming increasingly popular with both men and women across the country. A receding hairline is a strong visual sign of aging, whether the person is chronologically old or not. It can be due to a number of factors including:

 

·       Premature aging,

·       Long term use of certain medications,

·       A genetic issue that has affected an individual since birth.

 

Regardless of the underlying cause there are now numerous surgical procedures that help to bring the hairline closer to the brow. This article discusses two of the most popular hairline lowering procedures.

 

Surgical scalp transfer is one of the quickest growing forms of plastic surgery in the United States. It is also the method of choice for hairline lowering in women, simply because the surgery is barely noticeable. During the procedure, an incision is made into the scalp, just above the natural hairline. A thin strip of scalp tissue is then removed intact and the skin is pulled forward over the skull so that the hairline sits lower on the forehead. Once this is done the incision is sutured in such a way that the scar is mostly hidden by the new, lowered hairline.

 

 

The major advantage of this type of hairline lowering surgery is that the hair continues to grow normally and the results are virtually instantaneous. The scar often heals completely so that the scalp looks as natural as it did before the incision was made and if it does not then the hair can be worn in a style that masks what is left of the scar. Many women have reported returning to work less than a week after the surgery. This particular hairline lowering procedure is also much cheaper than hair transplantation, but it does require you to have a full hairline with which to work i.e. you need a thick hairline to be able to pull it forward. The major disadvantage of surgical scalp transfer is that pattern baldness usually means that the hairline will recede further over time. Therefore this hairline lowering treatment may not be permanent.

 

 

Hair transplantation is a form of cosmetic plastic surgery which uses a procedure called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). The plastic surgeon uses donor hair from other areas of the body and grafts the entire hair plus the follicle into a micro incision made in the section of scalp that lacks hair. The donor hair can be taken from the back of the scalp, the patient’s back or even the chest, if the texture and thickness of the hair is suitable.

 

This hairline lowering procedure allows hairs to be transplanted into the front of the scalp so that the hairline is effectively lowered. It can take several day-long procedures to transplant the required number of hairs—each procedure is performed at least 6 months apart. This means that it can take 2-3 years to achieve a hairline lowering using this approach.

 

Because this type of hairline lowering surgery is so labor intensive, it is also very costly. The average price of hair transplantation to lower the hairline is four times that of surgical scalp transfer.  A qualified plastic surgeon will be able to advise you on the risks, benefits, and costs of various hairline lowering procedures.