What to Expect during Forehead Reduction Recovery
If you constantly feel the need to hide your forehead under hats, scarves, or your hair, forehead reduction may be right for you. Forehead reduction surgery can decrease the size of a big forehead, bringing it into proper proportion with the rest of the features of the face.
Before undergoing forehead reduction, it is important to understand what to expect during recovery. Dr. Sahar Nadimi thoroughly explains what to expect during forehead reduction recovery during patient consultations at our Chicago, IL practice. For answers to your questions about forehead reduction recovery, we welcome you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Nadimi.
The Forehead Reduction Procedure
Forehead reduction, also called hairline lowering, is a procedure used to reduce the size of the forehead by surgically lowering the hairline. During the forehead reduction procedure, an incision is made along the hairline. Excess skin is removed from the forehead and the hairline is lowered and sutured in place. Sutures are removed about a week after surgery.
Recovery after Forehead Reduction
After forehead reduction, patients should expect some amount of swelling and bruising around the forehead and scalp. Some patients may develop a small amount of bruising or swelling around the eyes or cheeks. Patients should also expect to feel some amount of discomfort in the initial recovery phase.
Pain medication is generally prescribed to help ease discomfort and ice compresses are typically recommended to help reduce swelling. Keeping the head elevated for the first 48 hours after surgery can also help reduce swelling. Swelling, bruising, and pain should subside as the forehead heals.
Patients should plan some time for recovery before returning to work or strenuous activity. It's important to avoid strenuous activity as well as bending below the waist to prevent complications or make swelling worse. Most patients are recovered enough to return to work about a week after surgery. However, some patients may be recovered enough to return sooner. In most cases, patients are able to return to strenuous activities after two to three weeks following surgery and upon doctor approval.
Possible Side Effect of Forehead Reduction
During recovery, patients may experience some minor side effects from forehead reduction surgery. Numbness within the forehead and scalp near the incision site may occur. In most cases, numbness will resolve within a couple of weeks, though some may find it takes several months.
Some patients may experience some shedding of the hair along the front of the scalp within the first few weeks of recovery. This hair typically grows back within a few months. In the rare event that hair does not grow back, hair grafting may be performed to restore the hairline.
Tips to Help with Recovery
Follow these tips to help with recovery after forehead reduction surgery:
- Apply ice compresses to your forehead for several minutes at a time throughout the first few days of recovery to reduce swelling and ease discomfort.
- Keep the head elevated for the first day or two after surgery to reduce swelling.
- Have a selection of button up shirts ready to wear during recovery to prevent irritating the scalp.
- Follow all post-operative instructions and attend all post-operative appointments.
Schedule a Consultation
For more information about recovery after forehead reduction or to find out if forehead reduction is right for you, we welcome you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Nadimi today.