“Forehead reduction for balanced, natural facial proportions.”
Hairline Lowering
Hairline lowering, also known as forehead reduction, is a surgical procedure that advances the hairline forward to reduce the vertical height of the forehead. This creates more balanced facial proportions and a more feminine or youthful frame for the upper face.
Dr. Truesdale performs this procedure using a trichophytic incision technique that allows hair to grow through the scar line, making it virtually invisible once healed. The procedure is typically performed under MAC (monitored anesthesia care) with IV sedation and takes approximately 2 hours.
Results are immediate and permanent. Patients typically return to social activities within 10–14 days.
Are you a good candidate?
What to expect, step by step
Consultation
Comprehensive analysis of forehead proportions and hairline position
Surgery Day
2-hour procedure, typically under MAC with IV sedation, at True Surgical Center
Recovery
Staples removed at Day 7. Light cardio is OK at Day 14. Avoid massage, rubbing, or any tension on the new scar for at least 4 weeks. Avoid hot showers, saunas, and jacuzzis for 1 month. Return to normal activities in 10–14 days. Daily SPF 50+ for at least 6 weeks.
Results
Immediate visible reduction in forehead height with permanent results
Hairline lowering in Beverly Hills: the essentials
- Your surgeon
- Dr. Truesdale personally.
- Where
- True Surgical Center, the AAAHC-accredited surgical center at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 220, Beverly Hills.
- Anesthesia
- Typically MAC (monitored anesthesia care) with IV sedation, given and watched throughout by a board-certified anesthesiologist.
- Time in surgery
- About 2 hours. Longer when a brow lift or other procedures are added in the same session.
- Going home
- Back to your hotel or home the same day with an adult who stays with you. Someone stays with you for the first 72 hours.
- First-week visits
- Day 1 dressing visit, when your bandages come off · Day 7 staples out with Dr. Truesdale.
- If you travel
- Arrive the day before surgery and plan on about a week, flying home after your Day 7 visit.
- Back in public
- Most patients return to social activities within 10 to 14 days.
- Exercise
- Light cardio at 2 weeks; heavier exercise at about 3 weeks, once Dr. Truesdale clears you.
- Final result
- The shorter forehead shows right away; swelling settles over the first weeks and full healing takes about 6 months.
The facts patients ask about first. Every plan is personal, so Dr. Truesdale confirms each of these for you at your consultation. Recovery, week by week
What happens on surgery day
Hairline lowering moves the hairline forward to shorten a tall forehead, through an incision placed along the hairline. Here is what the day looks like for you.
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01Before you go in
At your consultation Dr. Truesdale measures your forehead proportions and your current hairline, and plans how far it can come forward. On surgery day you arrive at True Surgical Center and go over the plan with him before you go into the operating room.
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02An incision along the hairline
Dr. Truesdale uses a trichophytic incision, shaped so that hair can grow through the scar line as it heals.
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03Bringing the hairline forward
The scalp is advanced forward to lower the hairline, typically by 1.5 to 3 centimeters, depending on how much your scalp moves and on your own anatomy.
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04Closing and going home
The incision is closed with staples, which stay in until your Day 7 visit, and compression bandages are wrapped around your head until your Day 1 visit. You go back to your hotel or home the same day with an adult who stays with you.
Hairline lowering recovery, week by week
This is the same protocol our patients receive in writing before surgery. The detailed instructions below come straight from it, so they change only when Dr. Truesdale changes them.
Swelling and bruising in the forehead and brow. Tightness, numbness, tingling and a dull ache at the scalp are normal, and mild headaches usually improve with your medication. Office visits on Day 1, when your bandages come off, and Day 7, when your staples come out. Sleep on your back with your head raised, ice around the eyes 20 minutes on and 20 off, and don’t run a comb or brush through your hair until your staples are out. Driving can resume between Day 7 and Day 10, once you are off narcotic pain medication.
Keep your head raised when you sleep through the end of week 2. Light walking is encouraged after the first 24 hours, and light cardio can start on Day 14. Your brows may look slightly high for 2 to 3 weeks before they settle. Most patients return to social activities within 10 to 14 days.
No bending, straining or weightlifting until 3 weeks; heavier exercise then, once Dr. Truesdale clears you. No rubbing, massage or tension on the incision, and no tight hairstyles, for at least 4 weeks. Hair color from 1 month. Some hair loss or shedding around the incision is possible; it may be temporary or permanent. SPF 50 and limited sun for 6 weeks.
The scar keeps softening and full healing takes about 6 months. Follow-ups at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months.
Your detailed instructions
Compression bandages wrapped around the head until your Day 1 dressing visit, when they come off. Swelling and bruising in the forehead and brow region. Tightness, numbness, tingling, and dull pain at the scalp are normal. Mild headaches are common but should improve with medication. Ice around the eyes 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off for 5 days to a week. Sleep on your back with head elevated on 2–3 pillows for the first 2 weeks.
Return to the office for your Day 1 dressing visit; your bandages come off.
Shower OK; be gentle around scalp incisions. Do not scrub the incision or run a comb or brush through your hair until staples are removed.
If you have staples in your hairline or scalp, they stay in until your Day 7 visit. Keep them clean with mild soap and water. Don't let blood dry or crust on the incisions — soften and rinse it away with water, without scrubbing or picking. Apply a very light layer of Aquaphor along the incision line. Be gentle with the hair around it: no tight hairstyles, ponytails, or anything that pulls on the scalp.
Staples are removed at your Day 7 visit with Dr. Truesdale.
Driving may resume Day 7–10 once off narcotics.
Light cardio at Day 14. Avoid bending, straining, weightlifting for at least 3 weeks. Light walking encouraged after 24 hours.
Some dryness, irritation, or mild discomfort may persist. Temporary eye dryness is common — natural tears or saline drops can help. Hair loss around the incisions is possible; it may grow back or be permanent. Brows may appear over-elevated for 2–3 weeks and settle into a natural position over the following months. Makeup OK as incisions are within the scalp.
Avoid coloring or chemically treating hair for at least 1 month. Avoid rubbing, massaging, or tension on the incision area for at least 4 weeks. No tight hairstyles.
Avoid sun exposure for at least 6 weeks; daily SPF 50+. Full healing through 6 months.
Full post-operative care guide · Preparing for surgery · Traveling for surgery
Hairline lowering risks, and how we keep you safe
Every operation carries risk. Dr. Truesdale goes through the risks that apply to your plan at your consultation, and each one is written in the consent you read and sign. For hairline lowering, the consent lists:
- Hair Loss. Hair loss along the incision, or shedding of hair behind it, is possible; it may be temporary or permanent, and a small bald area may need repair.
- Visible Scar. A visible scar at the hairline is possible.
- Numbness and Itching. Numbness or itching of the scalp is possible and may last months; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Nerve Injury. Weakness of the forehead from injury to a nerve is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Scalp Tightness and Headache. Tightness of the scalp and headache are possible for the first days.
- Hairline Position. Asymmetry is possible, and the hairline may settle back slightly.
- Loss of Scalp Skin. Loss of a small area of scalp skin is possible.
- Bleeding on the White of the Eye. Bleeding on the white of the eye (subconjunctival hemorrhage) is possible and clears within about 3 weeks.
- Hairline Height. The hairline may not come as low as hoped, and a second stage may be needed.
Risks of any operation
- Bleeding. Bleeding during or after surgery is possible. A collection of blood under the skin (hematoma) may need drainage or a return to the operating room, and severe bleeding may need emergency treatment or a blood transfusion.
- Infection. Infection is possible and may need antibiotics, drainage or further surgery.
- Bruising and Swelling. Bruising and swelling are expected. They may last several weeks, and swelling or discoloration may persist longer.
- Scarring. Every incision or entry point leaves a permanent scar. A scar may be raised, widened, darker, lighter or more visible than expected, and takes at least 3 months to mature.
- Keloid or Raised Scar. Itching, thickening, pain or a growth along any incision can be the first sign of a keloid (a thick, raised scar). Let us know right away so it can be injected with a steroid to stop the keloid from forming. A keloid is more likely if you have had one before and may need further injections or treatment.
- Change in Skin Sensation. Numbness, tingling or a change in skin sensation around the treated areas is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Delayed Healing. Delayed healing or separation of an incision is possible and much more likely with nicotine in any form.
- Allergic Reactions. Allergic reactions to tape, sutures, skin cleansers, latex or medications are possible.
- Blood Clots. Blood clots in the legs or lungs (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) are possible and more likely with longer surgery; your surgical team uses the clot-prevention plan chosen for you.
- Anesthesia. Risks of anesthesia and sedation are possible; the anesthesia provider reviews them with you separately.
- Pain. Pain after surgery is expected and should settle over several days; pain that lasts longer is possible.
- Result and Revision. A result that does not meet your expectations is possible: healing differs between people, no result is guaranteed, and a revision may be advised, with the fees described in your patient policy.
- Serious Complications. Serious complications, including death, are possible with any surgery or anesthesia.
- Heart and Lung Problems. Heart or lung problems, such as pneumonia or an irregular heartbeat, are possible after surgery and anesthesia.
- Medication Side Effects. Side effects of the medications used during and after surgery, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness or trouble urinating, are possible.
- Injury to Deeper Structures. Injury to deeper structures, such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles or glands, is possible.
- Persistent Sutures. A deeper stitch may work its way to the surface and need to be removed.
How we keep you safe
- Surgery only at True Surgical Center, an AAAHC-accredited surgical center.
- Medical clearance, and blood-clot risk screening, before surgery.
- No nicotine in any form for 3 weeks before surgery and 3 months after.
- Someone with you for the first 72 hours, office visits on Days 1 and 7, and a direct line to the team the whole time.
When to call us right away · Before & after gallery · Brow lift · Request a consultation
Hairline Lowering FAQ
How much can the hairline be lowered?
Typically 1.5 to 3 centimeters, depending on scalp laxity and individual anatomy.
Will there be a visible scar?
Dr. Truesdale uses a trichophytic technique that allows hair to grow through the incision line, making the scar virtually undetectable.
Can this be combined with other procedures?
Yes. Hairline lowering is commonly combined with brow lift, forehead contouring, or other facial procedures.
When do the staples come out after hairline lowering?
Your bandages come off at your Day 1 visit, and Dr. Truesdale removes your staples at your Day 7 visit. Until then, keep the staples clean with mild soap and water, rinse away any dried blood without scrubbing or picking, and don’t run a comb or brush through your hair.
How should I sleep after hairline lowering?
On your back with your head raised on two to three pillows for the first two weeks. Avoid rubbing or putting tension on the incision for at least 4 weeks.
When can I color my hair or wear it up after hairline lowering?
Hair color and other chemical treatments can resume at 1 month. Avoid tight hairstyles, ponytails or anything that pulls on your scalp for at least 4 weeks. Some hair loss or shedding around the incision is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
When can I exercise after hairline lowering?
Light walking is encouraged after the first 24 hours. Light cardio can start on Day 14. Bending, straining and weightlifting wait until about 3 weeks, once Dr. Truesdale clears you at a follow-up.
What are the risks of hairline lowering?
The consent you sign lists these possible complications: hair loss along the incision or shedding behind it, numbness or itching of the scalp, and weakness of the forehead, each of which may be temporary or permanent; a visible scar at the hairline; tightness of the scalp and headache for the first days; asymmetry or a hairline that settles back slightly; loss of a small area of scalp skin; bleeding on the white of the eye; and a hairline that does not come as low as hoped, when a second stage may be needed. It also lists the risks of any operation, including bleeding, infection, blood clots and the risks of anesthesia. Dr. Truesdale reviews each one with you. See hairline lowering risks and safety.
Related Procedures
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