Crown hair transplant: grafts, growth and results from patients

This page is built from 652 people who wrote on reddit (2014 to 2026) about their own hair transplant and what happened at their crown, the whorl at the back of the top of the head. 471 had grafts placed in the crown (63 of them in a procedure mainly for the crown), 100 planned the crown for a later session and 81 left it out.

Not sure yet whether your crown is thinning at all? See balding crown or just a cowlick? first: what the research and people who asked on reddit say.

In short: of 227 people who said how many grafts went to the crown, the middle figure was 1,000. At 4 to 7 months, 34 of 61 people who judged their crown said it was behind the front; at 12 months or later, 20 of 35 were happy with it. The most common reason to wait was a surgeon's advice (49 people).

How many grafts go into the crown

227 people said how many of their grafts went to the crown specifically. Half had 1,000 or fewer; the counts below are people, each counted once.

< 500 27
500–999 67
1,000–1,499 57
1,500–1,999 29
2,000+ 47

How people said their grafts were split:

  • “3300 grafts (2300 on crown, 1000 on hairline).” (4.5 months, Jul 2024, reddit)
  • “2400 grafts went to hairline and frontal scalp, 400 to mid scalp and 1000 to the crown (approximately).” (Mar 2026, reddit)
  • “1500 crown 3000 front” (1 months, Apr 2026, reddit)
  • “I thought my crown would fill in more overtime on medication so 800 grafts there and the rest in the front and temples.” (7 months, Jun 2026, reddit)
  • “I think it was 3,300 in the front (going back to about mid-scalp, and 900 in the crown - I could have gone more there, and they recommended that, but it was already getting pretty costly, and I was much, much more insecure about my hairline than the crown.” (Mar 2026, reddit)
  • “I’ve been using Toppik for 10+ years and nobody’s ever noticed, so the crown was a distant 2nd priority for me…but he still was able to add about 750 grafts there.” (0 months, Jan 2026, reddit)
  • “However, the doctor decided to go with a higher density of 35 grafts/cm² for the crown, which is what pushed the graft count up” (0.5 months, Jul 2026, reddit)
  • “2500 on the front and 1000 on the crown.” (18 months, Feb 2026, reddit)

Crown plus hairline: total graft counts

Most people had the crown done in the same session as the hairline and front. 377 of them gave the total for that procedure; 151 had between 3,000 and 3,999 grafts in total.

< 2,000 23
2,000–2,999 68
3,000–3,999 151
4,000–4,999 104
5,000+ 31

What 3,000 grafts cover, and cost

Crown growth after a hair transplant, month by month

138 people said how their crown looked at a given month after surgery. Each person counts once, with their latest report. "Behind" means they said the crown was slower than the front but still coming in.

Months after surgeryPeopleHappy with the crownBehind the frontDisappointedMixed
4–761183436
8–1142211164
12+3520357

Few people post a 12-month update, and those who do are not a random sample: treat these as counts, not rates.

Crown behind the front:

  • “For anybody interested, the crown seems to be lagging the hairline growth by a lot.” (5 months, Feb 2026, reddit)
  • “It’s progressing all the time, with the crown being slower than the front and was last to fill in.” (5 months, Apr 2026, reddit)
  • “I definitely need to look back at my monthly photos for the crown, as it is indeed slower than the hairline.” (6 months, Jul 2024, reddit)
  • “The crown's really only just started to yield in the last six weeks or so, so it's still early for it.” (6 months, Nov 2025, reddit)
  • “24 month HT journey Total grafts 5478 Crown is still lagging a bit but otherwise it’s been best decision of my life” (11.5 months, Jan 2025, reddit)
  • “Vertex/crown is lagging as expected.” (4 months, Jun 2025, reddit)
  • “I am hoping the top of my crown will fill in more as time passes as that usually takes the longest but the front of my head has been filling in nicely.” (7 months, Jan 2026, reddit)
  • “The crown is still improving, and I can still feel new little hair stubbles coming in.” (11 months, Nov 2025, reddit)

Crown happy at 8 months or later:

  • “Still, my crown, which was always my worst area and the one I was by far most self-conscious about, has continued to improve and I pretty much don't think about it at all anymore when I leave the house.” (10 months, Mar 2026, reddit)
  • “It was the main concern why I had delayed having a hair transplant… By month 5-6, things started improving, and now, at month 8, the vertex looks much better than I expected.” (8 months, Dec 2024, reddit)
  • “I had growth in the crown around the 5 month mark but it didn’t start to look any decent grown out until around the 9th month” (10 months, Dec 2024, reddit)
  • “Fast-forward 16 months, and the crown did fill in.” (16 months, Jan 2025, reddit)
  • “I had it done about 18 months ago in my crown and am very happy with the results” (18 months, Aug 2024, reddit)
  • “I do understand that the crown takes longer for growth though, but honestly it's more than I couldve ever imagined being that I literally came from having nothing there!” (10 months, Feb 2024, reddit)
  • “Even the crown is finally starting to fill in, which is a relief to see as it was really lagging behind in earlier months.” (8 months, Aug 2025, reddit)
  • “I’m really happy with how the result frames my face and how the crown no longer draws attention the way it used to.” (12 months, Dec 2025, reddit)

When the crown result disappointed

14 people said their crown result was disappointing, thin or worse than before, and 17 more called it mixed. Their reasons, in their words:

  • “The hairline is definitely getting thicker, but the crown seems to look the same or even worse compared to before the hair transplant.” (9 months, May 2025, reddit)
  • “Despite getting about 500 grafts in my crown, there wasn’t a major difference after the first year.” (11 months, Feb 2023, reddit)
  • “Despite the pain everything went to plan, had the early shed, it grew back in from month 4’ish and was looking great (apart from crown, that never really took).” (18 months, Nov 2023, reddit)
  • “My crown is super thin still ( I expected it to be thin but it hardly looks improved) and not to mention my hairline / mid scalp area is still terrible.” (10 months, Oct 2023, reddit)
  • “I think part of the problem is that the grafts were dispersed in such a large area instead of focusing on density in the crown.” (13 months, Apr 2024, reddit)
  • “The results for hairline and midscalp are good, but the crown is empty, as I'd anticipated.” (Oct 2023, reddit)
  • “Unfortunately crown got very little during transplantation.” (10 months, Aug 2024, reddit)
  • “The density in my crown is worse 7 months post-transplant.” (7 months, Apr 2026, reddit)

Why people left the crown for later

181 people had crown thinning but left the crown out of their procedure or planned it for a second session. 105 said why:

  • 49: a surgeon advised waiting or not doing it
  • 32: to rely on finasteride or minoxidil first
  • 26: the front and hairline mattered more
  • 16: to save donor grafts
  • 11: the loss could keep progressing
  • 9: other reasons
  • 1: they were too young
  • 1: cost
  • “I asked the Dr about it when I was there and she said better to hold off on the crown for now and see how things go with the medication , she didn't think the crown really needed any grafts at that time.” (Oct 2024, reddit)
  • “When I arrived, he reassessed and actually advised that my crown didn’t need doing – it was just thinning, not balding.” (Apr 2026, reddit)
  • “When I asked about the mid and crown region, the doctor suggested focusing on medication instead, since there were still some thin hairs present.” (Nov 2025, reddit)
  • “In fact, the report suggested that we focus on the hairline and mid-scalp right now and leave the crown until later (at least one year, if I wanted to proceed with that).” (Jan 2026, reddit)
  • “I had some thinning on the crown at that time too but I opted to focus mostly on the hairline and leave the crown for a later date.” (Dec 2025, reddit)
  • “except I opted out for the crown and am now regretting it.” (Jun 2026, reddit)
  • “Just finished 4100 on the front and mid, with another 2000 planned for the crown in 12 months.” (May 2026, reddit)
  • “Plan is to come back for a 3rd session and sort the crown properly instead of half doing it now.” (Feb 2026, reddit)
  • “I do think they work because my crown closed up completely and I didn’t have any grafts placed there.” (Jun 2026, reddit)
  • “I can go for another HT for the crown, but I don't think I'll do that, since it will involve beard hair and stuff.” (Sept 2025, reddit)

What people reported from medication alone is on finasteride results and minoxidil results.

Crown hair transplant before and after

88 people posted photos of a crown transplant 8 months or more after surgery. The 24 newest threads (they open on reddit):

More before-and-after threads, all areas

What a crown-only procedure cost

The most recent prices people stated for a procedure mainly for the crown, each linked to its thread. They are single reports, not averages: prices depend on the surgeon, the country and the year.

Hair transplant cost by country and doctor

Doctors patients named for crown work

37 doctors were named by at least 3 people who had crown work with them. This is a count of people, not a rating: it follows how much a doctor is discussed on reddit.

What surgeons and studies say

From published reviews, studies and drug labels (archived copies; the quote is the source’s own wording):

  • Hair Transplant Practice Guidelines · Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 2021

    • The guidelines say the vertex takes more grafts than the front of the head. “As compared with the front area of the head, the vertex consumes more number of grafts.”
    • They note surgeons commonly call the vertex a “black hole”. “It is very commonly called as “black hole.””
    • They advise avoiding vertex reconstruction in young patients. “Vertex reconstruction is better avoided in young individuals.”
    • They call restoring the vertex a challenge for every hair transplant surgeon. “Vertex area reimplant is a challenge for every HT surgeon.”

  • Is Every Patient of Hair Loss a Candidate for Hair Transplant? Deciding Surgical Candidacy in Pattern Hair Loss · Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery, 2021

    • The review tells surgeons to be cautious with men in their late teens to early 20s. “Surgeons must be particularly cautious when dealing with young male patients in their late teens to early 20s.”
    • It says hair loss that starts this young is often rapidly progressive. “Often when PHL develops at such a young age, it is both rapidly progressive and emotionally devastating to the patient.”
    • It warns that using up donor hair to thicken the vertex in a young patient can cause problems later. “Giving the patient that low flat hairline and/or overutilizing donor supply to make the vertex hair thick will jeopardize the future for these patients”
    • Without medical treatment, young patients may keep needing more surgery until donor hair runs out. “Without medical therapy, it is probable that these patients will be chasing their progressing balding with a series of surgeries until their donor supply, their doctor, and they are exhausted and unsatisfied.”

  • PRECISE Scale: a quantitative classification for androgenetic alopecia and its application to hair transplantation · Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2024

    • The proposed scale recommends 1,500 follicular units per score point, each point covering about 30 cm2 of bald area. “For hair transplantation, 1500 follicular units (FU) are recommended for each score in the PRECISE scale.”
    • The authors measure the crown from a top-down (vertex) photograph view. “Vertex view: to measure the crown area”
    • They list transplanting low density on the crown as one way to adapt the plan when donor hair cannot cover everything. “This adaptation in surgical planning may include a higher hairline, no temporal restoration and intentionally transplanting low density on the crown area, for example.”

  • “Combination Grafting” of Scalp and Body Hair to Enhance the Visual Density of Hair Transplant and Coverage of Higher Grade of Baldness · Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 2020

    • In younger patients the authors left the crown untreated in the first operation and advised medication. “We did not cover the crown in the first stage of younger patients and advised them to take medicines.”
    • They report chest hair as suitable for the mid-scalp and crown. “Similarly, the use of chest hair is good for the mid-scalp and crown along with the beard and scalp.”

  • Predicting the Permanent Safe Donor Area for Hair Transplantation in Koreans with Male Pattern Baldness according to the Position of the Parietal Whorl · Archives of Plastic Surgery, 2014

    • The whorl position can be used to predict how far vertex hair loss may spread. “The position of the PW could predict the progression range of the total alopecia of the vertex.”
    • In this sample, hair loss mostly stayed within 6 cm of the whorl toward the back of the head. “Alopecia mostly progresses within 6 cm of the PW toward the occipital side.”
    • The authors say the study may not apply to other ethnic groups. “Therefore, more studies are required for assessing whether the same findings reported from the studies of Caucasians are applicable to other race and ethnic groups.”

  • A novel model for designing and performing parietal whorl hair transplantation · Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020

    • The authors describe whorl design as the next challenge for hair transplant surgeons after hairline design. “With the maturing of hairline design skills, parietal whorl design has become the next challenge and no appropriate training models have yet been reported.”
    • On the orange model, 40-50 follicular units per cm2 looked better than 30, and 10-20 looked too sparse. “Transplantation of 10-20 follicular units (FU)/cm2 was too sparse, 30 FU/cm2 achieved a good appearance, but 40-50 FU/cm2 was better.”
    • The recipient sites follow outward-diverging arcs from the centre of the whorl. “Outward divergent arc curves were drawn from the navel of an orange.”

  • Estimating the number of lifetime follicular units: a survey and comments of experienced hair transplant surgeons · Dermatologic Surgery, 2013

    • There is a finite number of permanent hair follicular units available in any patient. “There are a finite number of FUs containing permanent hairs in any patient.”
    • Surgeons estimated about 6,404 follicular units for an average-density man expected to reach Norwood type V. “Patients with average hair density and destined to develop Type V MPB were estimated to yield an average of 6,404 FUs”
    • The authors want the figures used to avoid overly aggressive goals. “The results of this survey provide a guideline that should be helpful in avoiding inappropriately aggressive goals such as creating overly dense or overly anterior frontal and temporal hairlines”

  • Progression of hair loss in men with androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss): long-term (5-year) controlled observational data in placebo-treated patients · European Journal of Dermatology, 2008

    • Men on placebo with mostly vertex-pattern hair loss lost hair continuously over 5 years. “We found that scalp hair loss continued in a progressive manner over a 5-year period in placebo-treated men with AGA.”
    • The hair count in the target area fell by 239 hairs, 26.3%, over 5 years on placebo. “with a loss of 239 hairs from baseline (26.3% decline in hair density) measured in the target area at 5 years”
    • 75% of placebo patients were rated worse than at the start. “with 75% of placebo patients rated as worsened from baseline at 5 years”

  • Finasteride in the treatment of men with androgenetic alopecia · Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1998

    • Hair was counted in a 5.1 cm2 circle of balding vertex scalp. “measured in a 1-inch diameter circular area (5.1 cm2) of balding vertex scalp”
    • Finasteride-treated men had 107 more hairs than placebo at 1 year and 138 more at 2 years in that area. “(107 and 138 hairs vs placebo at 1 and 2 years, respectively; P < .001)”
    • Men on placebo kept losing hair. “Treatment with placebo resulted in progressive hair loss.”

  • PROPECIA (finasteride) tablets prescribing information · DailyMed (US National Library of Medicine), FDA label

    • Two of the three trials enrolled men with mostly mild to moderate vertex hair loss. “Two of the studies enrolled men with predominantly mild to moderate vertex hair loss (n=1553).”
    • A 48-week study of 212 men with vertex baldness counted hairs in a 1 cm2 area. “A 48-week, placebo-controlled study designed to assess by phototrichogram the effect of PROPECIA on total and actively growing (anagen) scalp hairs in vertex baldness enrolled 212 men with androgenetic alopecia.”
    • The label says efficacy in bitemporal recession has not been established. “Efficacy in bitemporal recession has not been established.”

  • MINOXIDIL 5% (FOR MEN) topical foam, Drug Facts label · DailyMed (US National Library of Medicine), over-the-counter Drug Facts

    • The label says the foam is for the top of the scalp (vertex only). “Use to regrow hair on the top of the scalp (vertex only, see pictures on side of this carton)”
    • The label says the foam is not intended for frontal baldness or a receding hairline. “5% minoxidil topical foam is not intended for frontal baldness or receding hairline.”

  • Complications in follicular unit excision hair transplantation: current evidence and practical approaches · Frontiers in Medicine, 2026

    • General timeline (not crown-specific): shedding of native hair around the implants typically happens in the first 2-8 weeks, with regrowth beginning around 3 months. “It typically occurs within 2–8 weeks after surgery, with regrowth usually beginning around 3 months postoperatively.”
    • General timeline (not crown-specific): final growth is typically reached around 12 months after surgery. “Secondary procedures or touch-up sessions should only be considered once final growth is achieved, typically around 12 months after surgery”
    • One cause of dissatisfaction named is delayed regrowth in the first months. “The main causes of dissatisfaction are unrealistic expectations, perceived insufficient density or delayed regrowth during the first postoperative months.”

Related

How this page was made

We took 1,045 reports by patients in reddit threads about their own transplant that mention the crown (from our extraction of hair-transplant threads per doctor), added each person's own sentences about the crown, and had each report read and classified: crown grafted or not, grafts in the crown, how the crown looked and when, and why it was left out. Counting is per person. Quotes are copied verbatim and checked against the original post or comment; doctor and clinic names are left out of quotes. Built Oct 2026.

Reports are what patients chose to post; they are not a clinical study. Ask your surgeon how many grafts they plan for the crown and why.