Chrissy Teigen recently revealed that she’s struggled with hair loss since giving birth to her first child in 2016. Teigen, now a mother of four, revealed her solution to fix the appearance of the obvious thinning on Instagram on May 23: hairline-lowering surgery.
“[A] lot of you have been wondering about my hospital pic which is very understandable as I gave no explanation lol,” she wrote in the post. “I had a hairline-lowering procedure. Lost a lot in the front from babies and it’s just very thin up there. When you see it on a carpet, it’s ALWAYS extensions.”
Pre- and postpartum hair loss is extremely common; the American Pregnancy Association says that it affects about 40% to 50% of mothers. Options to address the hair loss, if you so choose, include supplements or hair-restoration treatments, as well as the more invasive hairline-lowering surgery. But you should look into the procedure before going under the knife.
What is hairline-lowering surgery?
Hairline-lowering surgery, also known as forehead reduction, is a cosmetic surgical procedure that shortens the forehead. To achieve this, a surgeon will advance the hairline forward toward the brows and remove the excess forehead skin, explains Lesley Rabach, MD, board-certified facial surgeon and cofounder of LM Medical NYC.
“The main goal of a hairline lowering is to reduce the height of the forehead, which creates a more proportionate upper third of the face,” says Dr. Rabach. “If we think about the horizontal face from the hairline to between the eyebrows, between the eyebrows to under the nose, and under the nose to the bottom of the chin, generally speaking, each section should be about a third [of the face]. If the hairline to the brow is larger than a third, the proportion can create an elongated upper third.”
Try the four-finger method to determine if hairline-lowering surgery is something to consider, according to David Shafer, MD, double board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue: If you can fit four fingers between your hairline and the top of your brows, there may not be a need to move the hairline. If you can fit five or six fingers, he says this treatment is better suited for you if it’s something you truly want.
The benefits
Most—if not all—of the benefits of getting hairline-lowering surgery are cosmetic. It’s a relatively short surgical procedure, says Dr. Rabach, and can help balance proportions. Added cosmetic benefits to this treatment also include a more awake appearance for your eyes and a more rejuvenated look overall, says Dr. Shafer.
The downsides
Downsides are minimal if you’re the ideal candidate for this treatment. (Dr. Rabach recommends it for those with already thick hair.) Side effects include a mild headache for the first 24 hours post-surgery, but she says that extra-strength Tylenol should be enough to help calm that. Dr. Shafer adds that you might have to wear a light wrap around your head and ice your eyes until your checkup to help with any swelling and bruising around the eyes.
Those with unstable hairlines, such as men with male pattern baldness or women with thin hair, may have a harder time concealing the incision line as time goes on. In such cases, experts recommend against undergoing this procedure. “If a patient is balding, then there is nowhere to hide the incision,” says Dr. Shafer. “If they are trending toward hair loss or baldness, then as they lose more hair with aging, it may reveal the incisions.”
What can you expect from hairline-lowering surgery?
First, you’ll have a surgical consultation where your physician will take photos of your face and forehead to mark where they plan to make the cut. Dr. Rabach says she likes to show patients the distance from their natural hairline to where they plan to move it to help determine what would look best. “I assess the thickness of the skin, the density of the hair, and the laxity of the scalp to determine what I think would be realistic,” she says.
You’ll also have labs done of your vitals to make sure you’re nutritionally and medically stable before being sedated or put under anesthesia. Dr. Shafer says the skin is then lifted on both the forehead and behind the natural hairline to the new hairline position. Any excess skin is then removed, followed by sutures and a special surgical glue (and sometimes staples) to hold the tension. He says that at his practice, they often inject PRP at the same time to help promote healing and stimulate hair follicles. A postoperative surgical wrap is placed to hold it all together, and after you wake up, you’ll be taken to the recovery room. The entire surgery takes about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
What does this procedure cost?
While the cost will depend on the location and surgeon you pick for the procedure and the type of anesthesia, this treatment is still a pricey one. Dr. Rabach says that treatment at her practice can range anywhere from $23,000 to $28,000 (not including anesthesia fees). “It is good for all patients—no matter what the surgery or procedure is—to ask for transparent price estimates for costs,” adds Dr. Shafer.
How long is the recovery?
Dr. Rabach says you’ll be asked back the next day so that your doctor can examine the incision line. Your line sutures will stay in for about a week, and you can expect some swelling to last two weeks at most. After six weeks, you’ll be asked to come back to fine-tune the scar with a CO2 or orb laser. After six months, you might be asked to come back for another check-in to see if you might need a treatment like a micro hair transplant to further camouflage the incision and reinforce the natural appearance of the hairline.
Does it help with hair loss in general?
Long story short: Getting this procedure doesn’t guarantee the end of hair loss. In fact, all experts say that hairline-lowering surgery won’t actually stop, prevent, or help hide it in the long run. “If you’re prone to genetic hair thinning, you may still lose hair in the newly advanced area over time,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology. “That’s why patients with active hair loss should approach this surgery with caution. It is not considered a surgery to restore hair.”
“We don’t know where the patient is in their history of hair loss,” adds Dr. Rabach. “I would not want to pull an unstable hairline forward and then subsequently potentially lose hair and [leave] a visible scar.”
For less severe cases of hair loss, Dr. Garshick recommends nonsurgical treatments like minoxidil, oral medications, supplements, or PRP therapy before even considering hairline-lowering surgery. “This type of surgery doesn’t address the cause of hair loss and may not give long-lasting results if thinning continues,” she explains.
And if you’re looking to fully restore hair in certain areas, Dr. Rabach says that a hair transplant like the FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) is a much safer and more effective treatment. However, as with most skin and hair concerns, if you’re experiencing any type of hair loss, it’s best to consult a board-certified dermatologist about your options.
