Hair transplant for the crown: why it requires different planning, graft requirements and what results look like at 12 months.
Why crown transplant is different from hairline work
Radial hair direction: Crown hair grows in a spiral outward from a central whorl. Each graft must be implanted at an angle matching its position relative to the whorl — direction changing every few degrees across the zone.
Ongoing recession: Crown hair loss typically continues after surgery. A transplant complete at 30 may have continued recession around it by 40 — requiring conservative placement and honest discussion about future sessions.
Graft demand: Full crown coverage requires 1,500–3,000 grafts — often combined with hairline work, with the hairline taking priority in first sessions.
Strategic planning — hairline first, crown second
Dr. Arslan's approach: prioritise the frontal hairline and mid-scalp in the first session (highest visual impact), address the crown in a second session 12 months later when the first result has fully matured. This preserves donor supply, allows accurate assessment of what the crown needs after frontal restoration, and avoids the visual imbalance of a dense crown with a less-addressed frontal zone.
Crown results at 12 months
Crown growth often lags the hairline by 4–6 weeks in onset — achieving 50% density at 7 months vs 6 months for the hairline. By month 12–14, crown result is 85–90% of the frontal hairline density, producing a coherent overall result.
