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 [tag]Hair Restoration[/tag] Social Community and Discussion Forums:

Several years ago I underwent a [tag]hair transplant[/tag] procedure to fill out the [tag]hairline[/tag] and frontal 1/3 of my scalp. Recently, I had a second procedure dedicated exclusively to the [tag]crown[/tag] ([tag]vertex[/tag]) region, and I’ve noticed that the transplanted [tag]follicular unit grafts[/tag] 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 [tag]crown transplants[/tag] take longer to grow than frontal or [tag]midscalp transplants[/tag]. 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, [tag]crown hair transplants[/tag] tend to look thinner than [tag]frontal hair transplants[/tag]. 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 [tag]hair transplant surgeon[/tag]s purposely don’t transplant the crown as dense as the front to save [tag]donor hair[/tag] and reduce commitment to future [tag]hair transplantation[/tag]. 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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