Hair transplant into the crown is one of the most complicated areas to understand for both patients and for beginning surgeons. In order to comprehend the benefits and limitations of crown hair transplant in a comprehensive and clear manner, it is better to split this into a 5-part series, with each article focused on one particular element of crown hair restoration. This article will focus on the fundamental reason of who should get it, who should not, and why aesthetically hair restoration in the crown area is important.

Hair transplant into the crown is one of the most complicated areas to understand for both patients and for beginning surgeons. In order to comprehend the benefits and limitations of crown hair transplant in a comprehensive and clear manner, it is better to split this into a 5-part series, with each article focused on one particular element of crown hair restoration. This article will focus on the fundamental reason of who should get it, who should not, and why aesthetically hair restoration in the crown area is important.

Young caucasian stylish businessman front side rear view isolate
Crown hair restoration is important to provide visual density from all angles: frontal view, side view, and back view.

First, let’s discuss safety, i.e., who could be a potential patient and who probably should not be. Unlike the frontal area, the crown is a region that takes many more grafts (see the next article) and has the risk of being exposed over time as hair recedes around it in a halo effect. This is why a very young patient probably should not get a crown hair transplant for fear that there will not be sufficient donor hair to cover future hair loss that occurs around the transplanted crown. In general, I like to say I do not like to transplant a crown in anyone under 35 years of age. However, I have violated that rule in certain circumstances in which the person has a relatively smaller crown exposed and has tremendous donor density that would be able to be used to cover future hair loss. Good clinical judgment and discussing everything openly with a prospective patient is the key when deciding to do hair restoration in the crown region for someone. The younger the patient is the more important that the surgeon extend the transplant beyond the confines of the area of baldness to accommodate for future hair loss.

Let’s now discuss objectives for crown hair restoration. The obvious reason to do a crown transplant is to restore the lost hair in the back when someone views you from the backside. However, this is only one reason. Since the upper portion of the crown has hairs that aim upward, they also provide increased visual density when someone is looking at you from the front too. Finally, the side, or profile, view of someone who has crown baldness is obvious because there is a flatness effect on the back where the hair would be. In someone with a full head of hair the crown area is full and rounded. Accordingly, crown hair restoration can help an individual look better from all views: front, side, and back.

Samuel M. Lam, MD, FACS is a board certified hair restoration surgeon in Dallas, Texas. To learn more about Dr Lam’s crown hair transplant procedures please visit our website hairtx.com or call 972-312-8105 to schedule a consultation.