Do Transplanted Hairs Grow Slower in the Crown (Vertex) Region of the Scalp?

This question, which was answered by Coalition Surgeon Dr. Cam Simmons, was asked by a member of our Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums:

Several years ago I underwent a hair transplant procedure to fill out the hairline and frontal 1/3 of my scalp. Recently, I had a second procedure dedicated exclusively to the crown (vertex) region, and I’ve noticed that the transplanted follicular unit grafts are growing slower than last time. Am I imagining this? Do transplanted hairs grow slower in the crown region of the scalp?

I don’t think that crown transplants take longer to grow than frontal or midscalp transplants. However, there can be variability in the same patient from one transplant to the next (especially if you are only several months post-operative).

At the same transplanted density, crown hair transplants tend to look thinner than frontal hair transplants. The crown is on a more vertical part of the skull and the hair direction away from the whorl reduces the shingling (or overlapping) effect. On top of that, many hair transplant surgeons purposely don’t transplant the crown as dense as the front to save donor hair and reduce commitment to future hair transplantation. Once the crown is transplanted you are committed to transplanting from the hairline to the crown and joining up the sides (if you have ongoing loss).

Cam Simmons, MD, ABHRS

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Blake – aka Future_HT_Doc

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