Surgery · Hairline Distance

Forehead Reduction in Centimeters

The number is measured on your scalp, then agreed

Apgujeong, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Proportion-led design · Endotine fixation · KHIDI-registered for international patients

Measured on Your Scalp Measured on Your Scalp Measured on Your Scalp Measured on Your Scalp
Distance

How far the hairline moves

How many centimeters can the hairline be lowered in one forehead reduction?

The direct answer

There is no fixed number, and Rewind does not publish one. How far your hairline can come down is decided by how much the scalp behind it will move forward and by what distance suits the proportions of your face, and both are assessed in person before a figure is agreed. For a sense of scale, the largest published series on this operation in Asian patients, 641 cases, removed an average of 16.64 mm of forehead skin at the centre and about 15.3 to 15.4 mm at the lines above each pupil. That is roughly 1.5 to 1.7 centimeters, an average across many people and never a promise for one.

The clinic's Korean surgical page for forehead reduction supplies the method described here and gives no centimeter figure, so none is invented for it. The averages above are quoted from the abstract of the study listed at the foot of the page. Your own number is confirmed at the consultation.

The question usually arrives as a single figure: two centimeters, two and a half, three. A figure on its own is the wrong unit. A forehead that looks long on a short face may need less than one that looks long on a long face, and the same distance can suit one person and look pulled on another. Rewind describes designing the new line against the balance of the whole face, with forehead length as one input, and that is the frame in which a number is chosen.

A forehead can also look long because the brow has dropped. Lowering the hairline does not raise a brow, and that finding belongs to the separate forehead lift. The operation as a whole, including technique and recovery, is on the main forehead reduction page.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi assessing a patient's facial proportions at a consultation desk at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 01 · The distance is read on the face in front of the surgeon
Inputs

What the figure depends on

Four measurements taken ahead of any forehead reduction figure

A figure given without these four is a guess. Each is checked at the examination, and together they explain why two people asking for the same number can be told different things.

input 01
Forehead height at more than one point
The distance from hairline to brow differs across the forehead. The 641-case series measured it at the centre and above each pupil, and the average skin removed was not the same at those points.
input 02
How far the scalp will move
Some scalps slide forward readily, others are tight against the skull. This is the practical ceiling, because the border can only advance as far as the tissue behind it allows without strain.
input 03
Where the brow sits
If the brow has descended, shortening the forehead from above narrows the space from both ends. The surgeon checks brow position to decide whether the question is length, brow, or both.
input 04
The thirds of the face
Rewind's stated aim is balance across the upper, middle and lower face. The target is the length that brings the upper third into step with the other two, which is not always the largest length available.
Method

From measurement to theatre

How the forehead reduction distance is set, removed and then held

Rewind publishes three operative steps for forehead reduction. Read with the centimeter question in mind, each one either fixes the distance or protects it.

01Plan

The line is marked ahead of surgery

The clinic's first step is identifying the forehead line that suits the face. This is where the distance is agreed with you, drawn on the skin, and checked against the scalp's give. The distance marked here is the one the operation aims for.

02Open

The hairline is cut on a 45-degree angle

The incision runs along the existing hairline at an oblique angle, which keeps the scar at the new border. Nothing about the angle changes the distance; it changes how the line heals.

03Advance

The scalp is freed and the surplus skin removed

With the scalp undermined, the hair-bearing border is brought forward and the strip of forehead skin it now overlaps is excised. The width of that strip is, in practice, the shortening you see. The published averages quoted on this page are measurements of exactly this strip.

04Hold

Endotine keeps the advanced scalp in place

The advanced tissue is fixed with Endotine before closure. Rewind states the device is approved in Korea and by the US FDA as a forehead reduction material and is absorbed over about nine months. Its job is to stop the scalp drawing back while it heals.

05Unpublished

Figures this page does not supply

A maximum or minimum distance, the anaesthetic used and how long the operation takes. Rewind's surgical page states none of them. The first is measured on you; the other two are confirmed by the surgeon at the consultation.

Plastic surgeon operating under loupes and a headlight at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 02 · The strip removed in theatre is the distance gained
Rewind

Why here

Why Rewind will not quote a forehead reduction distance until it has examined you

A number sent back in reply to a photograph is easy to give and hard to keep. The clinic's approach is to name the distance once the tissue has been examined and the proportions measured.

01Tissue

The scalp sets the ceiling, and it is assessed in person

How freely your scalp moves over the skull cannot be judged from a picture. It is assessed at the examination, and a request that goes past what the tissue will give is declined, since forcing extra distance puts strain on the scar and on the hair along it.

02Proportion

A shorter forehead is only better up to a point

The target is balance with the middle and lower face. Past that point, extra centimeters make the upper face look compressed. Deciding where that point lies is a design judgement made with you at the consultation.

03Surgeon

The person who measures is the person who operates

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, a board-certified plastic surgeon with ten peer-reviewed papers, marks the line and performs the operation himself. The figure you agree at consultation is not handed to anyone else to carry out.

Journal of Craniofacial Surgery article co-authored by Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Fig. 03 · One of Dr. Choi's papers in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
Consult

Where the number is agreed

Measuring a forehead reduction at the consultation in Apgujeong

Private consultation room with a desk and mirror at Rewind Plastic Surgery

Fig. 04 · A consultation room with a mirror, for agreeing the line together

Waiting lounge with long curved seating at Rewind Plastic Surgery

Fig. 05 · The lounge on the clinic floor

Consultations take place at the clinic on the fourth and fifth floors of the Richro Building in Apgujeong, Gangnam, Seoul, by appointment on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00. Photographs you send before travelling help the surgeon understand the question, but the distance itself is only confirmed once your forehead has been measured and your scalp examined. Ask for the agreed figure to be written into your plan so you can compare it with the result later.

Forehead height checked at several points
Scalp mobility assessed in person
Brow position checked
Proportion of the facial thirds considered
Hair direction at the border noted
Your figure: confirmed at consultation
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon

Board-certified plastic surgeon

Each forehead reduction distance is measured and agreed by Dr. Jonghwan Choi, whose Korean specialist certification is in Plastic Surgery. Rewind treats international patients as a KHIDI-registered institution, Reg. M-2025-01-08-09288.

Cost

Pricing

Forehead reduction pricing at Rewind, listed per operation

Rewind's schedule lists forehead reduction as one operation, with the combined forehead lift as a separate line. The listing is not expressed per centimeter.

Forehead reduction with Endotine fixationHairline advanced by the distance agreed at consultation, fixed with Endotine
₩4,500,000
Forehead lift with forehead reductionWhere the examination finds a long forehead and a descended brow together
₩8,500,000

Prices are list prices that already include anaesthetic fees; VAT is charged on top and is not included in the figures shown. Which line applies is decided once your forehead, brow and scalp have been examined, and the quote is confirmed at that point.

Fit

Realistic distances

When a forehead reduction can move the hairline further, and when the figure will be modest

More distance tends to be available when

  • The scalp moves freely over the skull at the examination
  • The front hairline is dense, so the advanced border looks natural
  • The brow sits in its normal position and the length is in the forehead itself
  • There has been no earlier surgery or scarring on the scalp
  • The distance you want matches what your proportions call for

The figure is likely to be smaller, or the plan different, when

  • The scalp is tight, which caps how far the border can travel without strain
  • The hairline is receding or thinning, where moving it relocates a sparse edge
  • The brow has descended, so part of the length is a brow question for the forehead lift
  • The number in mind is larger than your facial balance supports
  • You smoke, have bleeding or healing problems, or are pregnant or breastfeeding
Keep

After surgery

Keeping the forehead reduction distance you gained

The centimeters are set in theatre. What happens in the weeks after decides how much of that distance stays put, and the published follow-up data show that some change is normal.

First days
Compression on
Rewind asks for a compression dressing for one to two days. Swelling makes the forehead look different from the final result at this stage, so this is not the moment to measure anything.
While healing
No pull backwards
The clinic asks you not to pull the tissue opposite to the direction it was fixed in. Tight ponytails and hard brushing back work directly against the distance just gained.
Over time
A little give is expected
In the 641-case series, 85 patients were measured again two years later. Their foreheads were about 2 to 2.5 mm longer than just after surgery, an average of 11.5 to 15.8 percent across the three points measured.
Longer term
Measured in years
Rewind records the result as holding for five years or more, varying with tissue elasticity and the extent of the surgery. Sauna, strong massage, alcohol, smoking and hair dye are avoided for a period at the start.

Pushing for more distance than the tissue allows raises the risks that matter here: a scar that widens under tension, hair loss along the incision, numbness or altered sensation of the scalp behind the line, asymmetry between the two sides, bleeding, infection and a result that later needs revision. Wound problems are more common in people who smoke. Outcomes differ between individuals, and no specific number of centimeters can be promised.

Doctor

Professional

At Rewind, one board-certified plastic surgeon carries every case — from the first consultation to the final follow-up. Because a face is a story, and a story deserves a single author.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeonRewind,
Dr. Jonghwan Choi presenting at an academic session
Fig. 06 — Academic presentation, lifting session

Rewind's Doctor

Dr. Jonghwan Choi Medical Director

One surgeon, from the first
consultation to the last follow-up.

A board-certified plastic surgeon devoted to anti-aging lifting — with the precision and restraint built through years of craniofacial practice.

Board-certified plastic surgeon (Plastic Surgery)
10 peer-reviewed publications
Medical Director, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Korean Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Former chief director, Apgujeong Y&T Plastic Surgery
Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
J Craniofac Surg · JKMS · Arch Craniofac Surg
Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
Ask

Questions

Forehead reduction in centimeters: the questions about distance

How many centimeters can the hairline be lowered in one surgery?
There is no set figure. It depends on how far your scalp moves and what suits your face, and Rewind confirms it at the consultation. For scale, a 641-case Asian series removed an average of 16.64 mm of skin at the centre, roughly 1.7 centimeters, as a group average only.
What limits how far the scalp can be advanced?
Mainly the mobility of the scalp behind the hairline: the border can only come forward as far as the tissue allows without strain. Hair density at the front, brow position and your facial proportions then decide how much of that available distance is sensible to use. All four are checked in person.
Does the forehead stay as short as it is on the day of surgery?
Not entirely. In the 641-case series, 85 patients measured two years later had foreheads about 2 to 2.5 mm longer than just after surgery. Rewind fixes the advanced scalp with Endotine to hold it while it heals and asks patients not to pull the tissue backwards.
Can I ask for a specific number of centimeters?
You can say what you hope for, and it is part of the conversation. The figure agreed is the one your scalp and proportions support. If the request goes beyond what the tissue will give, Rewind declines that part, because the extra tension falls on the scar and the hair beside it.
Is the reduction the same across the whole forehead?
Not necessarily. The published series measured the skin removed at the centre and above each pupil, and the averages differed slightly between those points. Rewind designs the new line to suit the face and the direction of hair growth, so its shape is planned along with its height.
If my brow is low, does that change the figure?
Yes. Part of what looks like a long forehead can be a brow that has dropped, and lowering the hairline does nothing for that. The surgeon checks brow position first. When both are present, Rewind lists a forehead lift combined with forehead reduction as a single operation.
What if one operation cannot lower my hairline as far as I want?
The surgeon tells you what the single operation can realistically reach and whether the gap left is noticeable in your proportions. Rewind's forehead reduction page describes one operation and does not describe staged approaches, so any other option is discussed only after your examination.
How is the result measured afterwards?
By comparing the same landmarks before and after, from the hairline to the brow at matching points. Published series measure this way on standardised photographs. Ask for your agreed figure to be recorded at consultation so the result can be checked against it at review.
Voices

Google Reviews

What our patients say.

G 5.0 ★★★★★ 51 Google reviews · Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong — live-synced from Google Business Profile
★★★★★

Came to REWIND to get my facial treatment and i'm absolutely obsessed about it💞 the doctor is so kind and is an expert! Everyone must visit!

YunHee Hong2 weeks ago
★★★★★

There are just way too many cosmetic clinics in Korea and I'm so happy I found Rewind Clinic in Gangnam. Dr. Choi was so kind and patient while explaining the different face-lifting options, from threads to mini-lifts to deep-plane lifts…

J. S.5 months ago
★★★★★

I found Rewind clinic through a Korean chat forum and many local clients highly recommended it. The clinic is brand new, featuring large, clean rooms and many private waiting areas so it doesn't give off that "factory" clinic vibe. All the…

J. Siou5 months ago
★★★★★

Really nice environment. Doctor is easy to communicate and understands my visions. Waited two weeks to make a review and I confirm the results exceeded my expectations and I am super happy with it. Can't wait to come back!! :))

Kristie Chu5 months ago
★★★★★

I received a thread lift at Rewind Plastic Surgery. The clinic was clean and the atmosphere was comfortable. The consultation was thorough, and I felt confident because they kindly explained everything tailored to my facial condition. They…

한주연2 weeks ago · Translated by Google
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Location
Apgujeong, Gangnam
4F & 5F, Richro Building,
812 Nonhyeon-ro,
Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Hours
Mon·Tue·Wed·Fri 10:00–19:00
Sat 10:00–16:00
Closed Sundays & Thursdays
Lunch 12:00–13:00
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Interpreter-assisted
consultations available
Registration
KHIDI Registered
Registered institution for
international patients
Reg. M-2025-01-08-09288

Scientific evidence

Research on how far hairlines are lowered, on measuring faces in photographs and on consultation in a shared language

The first paper is the source of the distances on this page: in 641 Asian patients operated on through an incision just in front of the hair, the authors report the average skin removed at three points and the change in forehead length two years later in 85 of them. The second sets out how facial surgery photographs should be standardised so that measurements taken before and after can be compared. The third reviews what happens to quality of care when patient and doctor share a language, which matters when a distance in millimeters is being agreed. The averages come from other surgeons' patients and describe neither Rewind's own results nor the figure your examination will give.