Forehead Reduction Recovery Day by Day
After forehead reduction in Istanbul you are up and walking the day after surgery. The plaster comes off on day 4 at the Ataköy practice, and you can fly home after that check. Most people return to work after 5 days and resume strenuous exercise after 6 weeks. Swelling settles in 4 to 5 days, numbness takes a few months and the scar matures over about one year.
Send your photos on WhatsAppRead about the scar
Before and after, forehead reduction. Results vary.
Before and after, forehead reduction. Results vary.
Before and after, forehead reduction scar before surgery, at day 4 and at 1 year. Results vary.
Ratings as of November 2026
Acıbadem Bakırköy
where Dr. Dilber operates, with one night of hospital care
1 year
of follow-up after surgery, in person or on WhatsApp
Licensed
for international health tourism by the Turkish Ministry of Health
What happens each day after forehead reduction?
This is Dr. Dilber's standard plan for patients who travel to Istanbul for forehead reduction. If your written instructions differ, follow them.
Day before surgery: consultation in Ataköy
Dr. Dilber examines you in person at his practice in Ataköy, goes through the risks, takes your consent and marks the new hairline. Tests follow at Acıbadem Bakırköy Hospital. You should have stopped smoking, vaping and blood thinners at least 10 days earlier, and you fast for 8 hours before surgery.
Day 0: surgery and one night in hospital
The operation takes 1.5 to 2 hours under general anaesthesia. The incision is covered with plaster. Dr. Dilber sees you before and after surgery, and you stay one night under observation. You can eat and drink 3 hours after the operation, and the hospital provides meals.
Day 1: up and walking, back to the hotel
You are up and walking the morning after surgery and return to your hotel. The forehead feels tight and mildly painful; take the antibiotic for 5 days and the painkiller for 4 days as Dr. Dilber prescribes. Rest with your head on 2 to 3 pillows and drink about 3 litres of water a day. A soft head band can be worn from day 1 over the plaster.
Day 2: first shower
You can shower from day 2 with warm or cold water, keeping hot water and hot air off the scalp, so no hot blow-drying. Keep the plaster in place and use shampoo only, with no conditioner or hair oils.
Day 3: rest and watch for changes
Forehead swelling is most noticeable in the first days, may spread towards the eyelids and usually settles in 4 to 5 days. Walk gently, avoid bending and lifting, and report increasing pain, bleeding or fever to the team. Some pressure or headache in the forehead is usual for the first weeks.
Day 4: plaster off, then fly home
The plaster is removed at the Ataköy practice and Dr. Dilber checks the wound. You receive written aftercare instructions and an operation summary in English and Turkish, and you can fly home after this check. From now on apply the antibiotic cream Dr. Dilber prescribes twice a day for 15 days, then the scar gel twice a day for at least 2 months.
Day 5: back to work
Most people return to work after 5 days, and sexual activity can resume after 1 week. Make-up on the face is fine; on the scar, wait 3 to 4 weeks. If your job is physically heavy, ask Dr. Dilber when to go back.
Week 2 to week 6: back to normal life
Scabs come off in about 2 weeks, and swimming is fine after 4 weeks. Avoid strenuous exercise, smoking, ponytails or tight hairstyles and any knock to the forehead for 6 weeks; hair dye can follow after that, and anti-wrinkle injections after 1 month. Numbness on top of the scalp fades over several months, and thinning that appears around month 3 mostly recovers by month 6. Send photos of your hairline on WhatsApp at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.
Forehead reduction results
Before and after photos of Op. Dr. Ahmet Dilber's patients, from @drahmetdilber on Instagram. Results vary.
Your stay in Istanbul
You see Dr. Dilber at his practice in Ataköy, have surgery at Acıbadem Bakırköy Hospital and can stay at a nearby hotel.
The practice in Ataköy 
Acıbadem Bakırköy Hospital 
Patient room 
Hotel room, on request
When can you do what after forehead reduction?
The milestones in the table come from Dr. Dilber's protocol and describe an uncomplicated recovery. The day number alone does not clear you for an activity; what matters is how your wound looks at each check. If the incision opens, bleeds or becomes red and warm, the timetable pauses until Dr. Dilber has reviewed photos. Light walking is fine from day 1. Anything that strains the forehead, raises your blood pressure sharply or risks a knock waits. The scar page covers how the incision changes in later months.
Any cosmetic surgery carries risks. For forehead reduction they include bleeding, infection, numbness or altered sensation behind the hairline, a visible or widened scar, hair loss along the incision, an uneven hairline and the need for revision. Dr. Dilber explains each one in person at your consultation in Ataköy the day before surgery, before you agree to it. Following the timetable and sending your follow-up photos helps spot problems early.
Forehead reduction recovery milestones
Up and walking; leave hospital
When: Day 1
Note: After one night in hospitalShower
When: From day 2
Note: Warm or cold water; keep the plaster onPlaster removed, wound checked
When: Day 4
Note: At the Ataköy practiceFly home
When: Day 4
Note: After the checkBack to work; sexual activity
When: After 5 days
Note: Sex after 1 week; heavy jobs laterStrenuous exercise
When: After 6 weeks
Note: Avoid knocks to the forehead until then
What is normal while you heal?
Swelling, numbness and hair washing cause the most questions in the first weeks. Each is expected to some degree; tell the team if it gets worse rather than better.
Swelling and bruising
Swelling across the forehead is common after surgery and can move down towards the eyelids in the first days. It usually settles in 4 to 5 days. Resting with your head on 2 to 3 pillows and avoiding bending and heavy lifting help. Pressure or a headache in the forehead is usual for the first weeks. Swelling that is sudden, one-sided or painful should be reported straight away with a photo on WhatsApp.
Numbness behind the hairline
The scalp behind the incision often feels numb or tingly, because small sensory nerves are affected when the scalp is moved forward. Numbness on top of the scalp usually lasts several months while the nerves reconnect, sometimes with itching as feeling returns. In some people altered sensation lasts longer. Mention any numbness at your follow-up photo checks so Dr. Dilber can follow it.
Washing and hair care
You can shower from day 2 with warm or cold water while the plaster stays on; keep hot water and hot blow-drying off the scalp. After the plaster comes off on day 4, wash around the incision gently without rubbing or scratching, using shampoo only, with no conditioner or hair oils, for the first month. Brush your hair forward, avoid ponytails, tight styles and flat irons for 6 weeks, and wait 6 weeks before hair dye.
When can you fly home after forehead reduction?
You can fly home on day 4. That day the plaster is removed at the Ataköy practice and Dr. Dilber checks the wound; once he is satisfied, you can leave Istanbul. Your surgery and travel dates are agreed together with you when the plan is made, so you can book flights around the day 4 check.
Before you leave you receive written aftercare instructions and an operation summary in English and Turkish. Keep them with you and show them to a doctor at home if needed. One companion can stay with you in your hospital room, and a hotel and transfer package can be arranged on request, with Hyatt Regency Istanbul Ataköy as the partner hotel. See the travel guides for patients from the UK and from the USA.
What happens if a problem appears after you return home?
Follow-up continues after you leave Istanbul. You send photos of your hairline on WhatsApp at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, and Dr. Dilber and his assistants review your healing and adjust creams or medication if needed. Patients who live in Istanbul are seen in person instead. Keep the photos consistent: front, left and right, with your hair pulled back, in similar light.
If you notice redness, warmth, discharge, bleeding, an opening wound or increasing pain, send photos straight away on WhatsApp (+90 536 296 93 16, answered 07:00 to 24:00 Istanbul time) rather than waiting for the next check. Dr. Dilber advises on treatment and tells you whether you should see a doctor locally. For fever or rapidly worsening symptoms, contact local medical services first, then tell the team. Read aftercare after you fly home.
Frequently asked questions about forehead reduction recovery
Strenuous exercise can resume after 6 weeks and swimming after 4 weeks in an uncomplicated recovery, but surfing adds sea water, strong sun on a new scar and the risk of a knock from the board. Send photos before you book. Dr. Dilber checks that the wound has fully closed and advises on protecting the scar with SPF 50+ and from impact.
Answer comes with the content seed.
Answer comes with the content seed.
Answer comes with the content seed.
Answer comes with the content seed.
Answer comes with the content seed.
Answer comes with the content seed.
Explore the practice
Before and after resultsBefore and after photos of Dr. Dilber's patients. Results vary.See the gallery →
Patient guide (PDF)The guide we send every patient: timeline, medication, aftercare.Download the guide →
Send three photos. Plan your recovery with Dr. Dilber.
Photograph your forehead from the front, left and right with your hair pulled back. Dr. Dilber reviews them, and the team replies on WhatsApp with his view and the dates to plan around.
