Hair transplant
Crown / Vertex Restoration
The most graft-hungry zone on the head — planned conservatively, executed precisely, and only attempted when your donor budget supports it.
Session length
6–9 hours
Grafts per session
1,500 – 3,500
Recovery (visible)
7–14 days
Final result
14–18 months
Technique
Sapphire FUE or DHI
Donor demand
High — careful planning required
The crown is the hardest zone on the head to restore convincingly. Hair grows in a spiral whorl, follicle directions vary across just a few centimetres, and the area visually requires more density per square centimetre than any other zone to look "covered."
For many cases, a crown-only transplant is not the right use of donor capacity — SMP density work, or a combined SMP + transplant plan, often gives a better visual result for the same total cost. We will tell you so honestly at intake.
Why the Crown Is Different
A natural crown has hairs growing in a clockwise (most commonly) spiral whorl. The angle changes every few millimetres. To recreate that pattern, the surgeon must place grafts following the spiral exactly — angle and direction varying continuously across the area. It takes longer per graft than any other zone.
The Donor Math
A bare crown of 80–100 cm² typically needs 1,500–3,000 grafts to look meaningfully restored. Combined with a hairline rebuild (2,000+ grafts), you are spending a large fraction of your lifetime donor budget in a single session. That math is why we ask everyone considering crown work whether SMP or a combined plan is a better use of their resources.
When Surgery Is the Right Choice
Surgical crown restoration makes sense when:
- Donor density is high (>70 follicles/cm²) and the donor is stable
- Crown loss has been stable for at least 12 months
- The patient is committed to medical management (finasteride/minoxidil) to prevent future progression
- The patient understands the donor budget being spent
When Surgery Is Not the Right Choice
For Norwood VI–VII cases with limited donor, a sparse crown transplant looks worse than no transplant — thin coverage emphasises the contrast with bald skin. SMP density work gives a more convincing visual outcome for these cases, often at lower cost and with no surgical risk.
Suitability
Is this the right procedure for you?
Best for
- Stable crown loss with strong donor (Norwood IV crown)
- Combined hairline + crown plans with adequate donor
- Patients on stable medical hair-loss management
Not the right fit when
- Norwood VI–VII patients with thin donor
- Patients unwilling to take finasteride/minoxidil long-term
- Active diffuse alopecia of any type
The package
What is included
The figure you sign at intake covers everything below. No itemised invoices, no surprise add-ons.
Frequently asked
Honest answers
Will my crown look fully covered?
It depends on starting bare area, donor density and graft count. A 1,500-graft session in a 60 cm² crown produces meaningful improvement but rarely full density. A 2,500-graft session produces near-natural density in most cases. We model the realistic outcome at intake using your photographs.
Why does the crown need so many grafts?
Visually, the crown sits at the highest point of the head and is seen against the surrounding density. Any density gradient is more obvious here than at the front. To "fool the eye" you need 30–40 grafts/cm² minimum — significantly more than the 25 grafts/cm² that suffices for a hairline rebuild.
Should I consider SMP for the crown instead?
For many Norwood V–VI cases, yes. SMP density work at the crown costs roughly a third of a transplant, has no recovery, and produces an immediate visible result. A combined plan — modest transplant + SMP density — often outperforms either treatment alone.
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Related guides
Start with a free intake.
No cost. No obligation. We will tell you honestly if surgery is the right fit — or if a non-surgical plan would serve you better.