Hairline

[Julius]

Hi there I was wondering how far from the eye brows can a hairline be before it starts to look odd on a Caucasian male? I know it is probably different on each person according to their cranium, but I found an article concerning Da Vinci's Vitruvian man who is supposed to have ideal human proportions, saying ???the distance from the hairline to the eyebrows is one-third of the length of the face???, which apparently Dr Armani uses this on his patients. I am mostly wondering because a high Vince Vaughn type hairline I believe would save grafts allowing for dense packing which I think is a good idea. Cheers

[Wright89]

From what I've read on these forums, I hope your not getting your HT from Armani

[Forrest Gump]

Originally posted by Julius:

???the distance from the hairline to the eyebrows is one-third of the length of the face???,

 

That sounds about right. This is what I have been told: From the bottom of your face to the tip of your nose would be one-third, from the tip of the nose to the eyebrow an equidistant one-third, and from the eyebrow to the hairline another equidistant one-third.

 

Someone told me about the rule of "four fingers." The width of the 4 fingers (excluding the thumb) lined together would give the ideal distance for each of the points (from hairline to eyebrow, etc.).

 

Perhaps a doctor or someone more knowledgeable can weigh in on this.

[Sparky]

I've read it should be about 7cm, mines 5cm which is too low, but the front of my hairline has always been low, so nothing I can do about it.

[mattj]

Personally I wouldn't worry myself with formulas and measurements and supposedly perfect proportions. Being sensible with your donor potential and planning ahead are far more important things to think about.

A thing or a person can look good without being perfect.

[rpachigo]

This is a good approximation of where the hairline should start:

 

http://www.utmb.edu/otoref/Grn...5/Aesthetic-0005.pdf

[Julius]

Thank you all for your replies.

[Al - Moderator]

I've heard 4 fingers back when I had my HT, so that's where mine is and it seems about right to me. But what also contributes to making the hairline look higher or lower is the corners and temples.

[Cam Simmons MD ABHRS]

Originally posted by Julius:

Hi there I was wondering how far from the eye brows can a hairline be before it starts to look odd on a Caucasian male? ... I am mostly wondering because a high Vince Vaughn type hairline I believe would save grafts allowing for dense packing which I think is a good idea. Cheers

 

Hi Julius

 

There are many different guidelines, including Da Vinci's Rule of Thirds, that you described.

 

The glabella is the ridge between the eyebrows that is one of the reference points. I actually find that the distance from the glabella to the tip of the nose is often a little less than the distance from the nose to the chin or the glabella to the hairline. ( I don't use Da Vinci's rule as a starting point but do use it as a rough check of the drawn hairline.)

 

Guidelines are just guidelines and not rules. In the end someone's hairline has to match the shape of their face and their head and their facial features. It should also be adjusted to reflect their projected future hair loss. While I may start by using a guideline, I always fine-tune the hairline by eye.

 

If you are happy with a slightly higher and more receded hairline and it would suit you, go for it. You are absolutely right that you would require fewer grafts if you started higher. It is always safer and easier to deal with a transplanted hairline that is higher than you would like than one that is too low. Of course it is best to get it right the first time.

[Julius]

Very insightful, thankyou doctor.