Management of Cowlick in Female Hairline Correction Surgery

PURPOSE

To investigate the results of two grafting methods to manage CLs in the FHL of women.

BACKGROUND

The present study was performed to investigate the results of two grafting methods to manage cowlicks (CLs) in the frontal hairline of women.

METHODS

Patients were categorized into two groups based on the grafting method: the matching with the original hair direction (MOD) group and the matching with the CL hair direction (MCD) group. Satisfaction ratings were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Among 80 patients, 77 had a single CL and 3 had a double CL. In the MOD group, 7 of 12 (58.3%) patients underwent a touch-up procedure for density enhancement with an average of 123 follicular units; the average patient and physician satisfaction ratings were 4.84 and 4.60, respectively. In the MCD group, 7 of 68 (10.3%) patients underwent a touch-up procedure for density enhancement around the CL; the average patient and physician satisfaction ratings were 4.64 and 4.50, respectively.

CONCLUSION

In female hairline correction surgery, the surgeon must choose between MOD and MCD by considering the location, shape, and pattern of the CL; the facial shape; and the patient's preference. Delicate graft placement is required to obtain natural-looking results.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors. www.springer.com/00266 .

Gender-Affirmation Hair Transplantation Techniques

Hair restoration can play an important role for transgender patients seeking gender-affirmation procedures. In our clinic, we have seen an increase in transgender patients seeking hair restoration. The most common hair restoration procedures performed in our clinic for the transgender patient are hairline lowering procedures, facial hair restoration procedures including eyebrow and beard transplantation, and body hair transplantation.

Facelift thyroid surgery: a systematic review of indications, surgical and functional outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To investigate indications, surgical and functional outcomes of robotic or endoscopic facelift thyroid surgery (FTS) and whether FTS reported comparable outcomes of other surgical approaches.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus.

REVIEW METHODS

A literature search was conducted about indications, clinical and surgical outcomes of patients who underwent FTS using PICOTS and PRISMA Statements. Outcomes reviewed included age; gender; indications; pathology; functional evaluations; surgical outcomes and complications.

RESULTS

Fifteen papers met our inclusion criteria, accounting for 394 patients. Endoscopic or robotic FTS was carried out for benign and malignant thyroid lesions, with or without central neck dissection. Nodule size and thyroid lobe volume did not exceed 6, 10 cm, respectively. FTS reported comparable outcome with transaxillary or oral approaches about operative time, complication rates or drainage features. The mean operative time ranged from 88 to 220 min, depending on the type of surgery (endoscopic vs robotic hemi- or total thyroidectomy). Conversion to open surgery was rare, occurring in 0-6.3% of cases. The most common complications were earlobe hypoesthesia, hematoma, seroma, transient hypocalcemia and transient recurrent nerve palsy. There was an important disparity between studies about the inclusion/exclusion criteria, surgical and functional outcomes.

CONCLUSION

FTS is a safe and effective approach for thyroid benign and malignant lesions. FTS reports similar complications to conventional thyroidectomy and excellent cosmetic satisfaction.

Postauricular incision versus conventional transcervical incision in submandibular gland excision: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Surgical removal of the submandibular gland is indicated for different conditions affecting the gland, such as neoplasm, sialadenitis, and sialolithiasis, and different types of surgical approaches have been reported. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the differences between the postauricular approach and conventional transcervical approach in submandibular gland excision. A systematic review was performed using PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library to identify studies comparing outcomes of submandibular gland surgery via the postauricular approach and conventional transcervical approach. The data of interest were analyzed with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (version 3; Biostat, Englewood, NJ). Dichotomous data and continuous data were analyzed by calculating the risk difference (RD) and the mean difference (MD) with the 95% confidence interval (CI), respectively. The results show that the postauricular incision is a feasible approach to access the submandibular gland, and compared with the conventional transcervical approach, it requires a longer operative duration but has a similar complication rate and yields better cosmetic outcomes.

Expanded scalp flap combined with laser hair removal to reconstruct facial defects around the hairline

BACKGROUND

Congenital and acquired facial lesions around the hairline can bring huge physical and psychological trauma to patients. At present, reconstruction of this area remains a challenge. In this study, we present an alternative technique to reconstruct the aesthetic units using an expanded scalp flap combined with laser hair removal.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 25 cases of facial lesions around the hairline reconstructed with this surgical technique between May 2014 and May 2020. Expander was implanted under the scalp as designed before the operation. After the expander was fully expanded, the lesion was removed and the scalp flap was transferred. Laser hair removal was performed on the transplanted skin flap 2 weeks after flap transfer.

RESULTS

There were ten cases of postburn scar, nine cases of congenital nevus, four cases of traumatic scar, one case of haemangioma, and one case of nevus sebaceous. The median times of laser treatment was 3 (range, 1-8). The median follow-up time was 11 months, ranging from 1 to 27 months. The colour and texture of expanded flaps were similar to adjacent tissue in all cases. The direction of reserved hair in transferred flaps was consistent with the direction of hair in the recipient area or contralateral hair. There were no complications, such as infection, blistering, discolouration, and ulceration. All patients were satisfied with the appearance of the reconstructed hairline and the surgical outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The expanded scalp flap combined with laser hair removal is a feasible and effective technique to reconstruct both sides of the hairline simultaneously from a single donor site with a good colour match and a similar texture and thickness.

Forehead Reduction Surgery via an Anterior Hairline Pretrichial Incision in Asians: A Review of 641 Cases

BACKGROUND

Forehead reduction is gaining in popularity, as facial proportions that include shorter upper and lower thirds are currently more aesthetically pleasing. In this first large-scale study, we present an analysis of several important aspects of surgical design and postoperative complications associated with forehead reduction performed via a pretrichial skin excision.

METHODS

Patients who underwent surgery from 2006 to 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Data included the amount of skin excised, postoperative complications experienced during the first three months, and forehead length measured 2 years postoperatively. Objective outcomes reported by three independent surgeons and subjective satisfaction reported by patients at three months postoperatively were evaluated on 5-point Likert scales that addressed both postoperative scarring and overall aesthetics.

RESULTS

A total of 641 patients underwent forehead reduction surgery. The average lengths of the skin excisions were 16.64 mm, 15.36 mm, and 15.33 mm from regions at the center and at the left and right mid-pupillary lines, respectively. Long-term follow-up of 85 patients revealed forehead lengthening that exceeded the initial postoperative measurements by 2.44 mm (15.04%), 1.98 mm (11.53%), and 2.51 mm (15.8%) at the left, center, and right, respectively. Means (standard deviation [SD]) for subjective and objective measures of postoperative scarring were 1.32 (0.49) and 1.78 (0.66), respectively. The means (SD) for subjective and objective postoperative aesthetic scores were 4.38 (0.47) and 3.98 (0.39), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Forehead reduction surgery via a pretrichial skin excision is a straightforward procedure that is easy to perform, has few complications, and result in high rates of patient satisfaction.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Aesthetic forehead reduction in female patients: Surgical details and analysis of outcome

INTRODUCTION

Primary aesthetic hairline lowering, also known as forehead reduction, is a relatively unexplored procedure, and the perceived satisfaction with outcome has not been previously discussed in scientific literature. The objectives of this study were to review the surgical technique and to analyze outcome assessing objective reduction, improvement of facial balance, patient satisfaction, and complications.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study of patients seeking aesthetic forehead reduction since 2010. Inclusion criteria were as follows: women with a high but stable hairline. We excluded smokers, those seeking combined surgery, and those who had history of scalp surgery or hair loss. All patients were operated following the same protocol. Forehead reduction was measured comparing the pre- and postoperative distance from the glabella to the trichion. Improvement in facial balance was assessed comparing the pre- and postoperative quotient between the upper and middle thirds of the face. The forehead FACE-Q tool and the Vancouver Scar Scale were used to assess patient satisfaction. All complications were registered with a minimum follow-up of 6 months.

RESULTS

Twenty-six women aged 16 to 56 years were included. The average reduction was 2.03 cm. The facial balance quotient improved from 1:1.44 preoperatively to 1:1.05 postoperatively (p < 0.01). Both the forehead FACE-Q and the Vancouver Scar Scale showed significantly positive results. Complications included transient scalp numbness in 23 subjects, small areas of scar widening in 3 patients, and minor seroma in 1 patient.

CONCLUSION

With meticulous execution, aesthetic forehead reduction in female patients is effective and safe, resulting in high patient satisfaction. The FACE-Q is owned by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and was used with permission for this research.

Masking the Close Eye Appearance in the East Asian Female Population: Infratemporal Hairline Reduction with Hair Grafting

Purpose

To investigate the effectiveness of hairline advancement in treating patients with perceived close-set eyes due to a wide infratemple area.

Materials and Methods

Infratemple area hairline advancement was performed in 19 patients with perceived close-set eyes caused by a wide infratemple area; all were women with a mean age of 29.4 years.

Results

The wide infratemple area was effectively narrowed in the frontal view in all patients. The mean reduction in the distance between the bilateral infratemple hairlines in the frontal view was 5.2 mm (range 3.9–6.3 mm). The appearance of close-set eyes was ameliorated, and patient satisfaction was high. No side effects, such as asymmetry or wound infection, were encountered.

Conclusion

Hairline advancement surgery appears to be a safe and effective means of treating patients with perceived close-set eyes due to a wide infratemple area.

Level of Evidence IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Hairline design and frontal hairline restoration

Creating a natural hairline is one of the most important elements of a successful hair transplant. This article discusses the key skills needed to design a natural hairline. These are locating borders of the hairline as well as understanding and being able to mimic the visual characteristics of a hairline. Methods to locate the major borders and how to adjust them based on donor/recipient ratio are discussed. The visual characteristics of different hairline zones are described as well as techniques to recreate these characteristics using follicular unit grafting.