Who would have ever guessed that having a taller or longer skull would one day be considered a coveted facial feature? And yet, here we are! An unusual beauty trend known as ‘high skull’ has people injecting large quantities of hyaluronic acid under their scalp and even undergoing dangerous surgical procedures to change the shape of their heads.
The concept behind the bizarre ‘high skull’ trend is pretty straightforward – if the distance between your hairline and the top of your skull is longer than the distance between your eyebrows and your hairline, you are in luck. If not, you apparently need to do something to achieve this popular face-hugging look.
Often considered the most difficult area to ‘influence’, the crown of the head has recently become the focus of China’s beauty industry. There are special hairclips designed to create the illusion of a taller skull, hairspray to increase hair volume, and even innovative hairstyles to make the top of the head appear taller.
For many, using tricks to create the illusion of a taller skull simply doesn’t cut it. Despite a host of risks, they prefer invasive cosmetic procedures like hyaluronic acid injections, plastic implants, and even bone cement, a type of adhesive typically used in orthopedic surgery to fix joints.
“Cranial augmentation” procedures usually involve a 3-6 cm incision in the scalp, followed by separating the periosteum and inserting material underneath to lift the crown into the desired shape. Some high-tech prosthesis like PEEK, a 3D-printed implant that can be designed to fit an individual’s bone structure, titanium plates, or bone grafting.
The use of bone cement for skull heightening is probably the most controversial and dangerous procedure. The surgeon makes a 3cm incision in the scalp, uses a drill to create small holes in the bone, then quickly injects the material and shapes it before it solidifies.
Hyaluronic acid injections are arguably the least invasive way to get a high skull, but they are not without risk. Chinese social media is full of horror stories from people who injected copious amounts of acid under their scalp to boost the top of their heads, only to be left with permanent bald patches.
Medical experts warn that injecting large quantities of hyaluronic acid is a recipe for disaster, as it can cause what is known as tissue crowding, which reduces blood flow to the hair follicles and leaves people with permanent bald patches. Photos and videos on Chinese social media suggest that this is a real issue associated with the high-skull beauty trend.
China followed a variety of bizarre beauty trends over the years, like an obsession with protruding ears, but the high skull is definitely among the weirdest and most disturbing yet.
