Crown Hair Transplant in Turkey

The circular area at the top of the head is called the vertex. This word of Latin origin means the top point of the skull. Hair transplants to the vertex area differ from classical transplants due to some features. Because as age advances, hair thinning and hair loss become more prominent. In this article, we will try to give information about the causes and treatment methods of hair loss in the crown area.

Table of Contents

Why does the hair on the crown fall out?

In 70-80 percent of men, thinning and loss of hair on the crown is observed at certain stages of their lives. The most important reason for this is due to a hormonal cause called androgenetic alopecia. In other words, the hair in this area is very sensitive to the hormone dihydro testosterone. Therefore, the anagen phase of the hair is shortened.

Hair with shortened anagen phase becomes thinner and thinner over time in the early phase. This may not be understood at the beginning of thinning. Thinning and thinning can be noticed when the hair is wet after bathing. In the advanced stage, thinning hair begins to fall out and a complete baldness occurs. In addition, if the parents have hair loss as a familial trait, the same condition is seen in their children to a great extent. The rate of hair loss does not occur at the same rate in everyone. Generally, the type of hair loss in the father tends to continue in the same way in his children.

According to the Norwood hair loss classification, the crown area is also affected in Type 3 and above hair loss.

Type 3: There is mild sparseness on the crown.
Type 4: Baldness begins to increase in a circular pattern.
Type 5: Complete baldness occurs at the vertex. The shedding continues to increase towards the front and back.
Types 6 and 7: Baldness covering the entire head.

In those who experience hair loss in the vertex area, this does not mean that there will be hair loss on the entire head. In other words, those with type 3 and 4 hair loss do not always progress to types 5, 6 and 7.

What is vertex hair transplantation?

Vertex or crown hair transplantation is called vertex hair transplantation when the strong hair in the donor area is transferred to the thinning or balding area in hair loss in the upper part of the head called the crown.

For crown hair transplantation, the hair in the donor area must be strong and in sufficient number. People who experience baldness only on the top of the head and whose donor hair is also strong are the most suitable candidates. In large baldness such as type 6-7, the donor hair will probably not be enough to cover it completely. In this case, it does not make much sense to transplant hair on the crown. Because the most important area for the majority of people with hair loss is the frontal hairline and frontal region. When the hair transplanted to the front and upper region is combed backwards, it can camouflage the empty areas in the back.

The rate of hair loss and the age of the person is also an important factor. It may not make sense to transplant hair to the crown area at a young age. Because there is a high probability that hair loss will continue in the following years and there may not be enough donor hair in the front area. Therefore, people aged 35-40 and above are actually the most ideal candidates. Depending on your donor area capacity, age and shedding rate, you should have a realistic expectation about the operation.

Operation stages

In fact, except for a few points to be considered, the transplantation to the crown is no different from classical hair transplantation. This operation is completed in 3 stages.

1) Consultation and pre-hair transplant period: First of all, it should be determined whether the person is suitable for this operation. The quality and capacity of your donor hair will be examined. As we mentioned before, hair transplantation may not be the right choice in severe baldness such as Norwood 6-7. In suitable patients, a vascular access is opened and the donor area is shaved and you are ready for the operation.

2) Collection of grafts from the donor area: The first choice for the donor area is always the strong hair of the nape of the neck between the two ears. After the donor area is shaved, local anesthesia is applied. After anesthesia, the hair is carefully collected one by one with the FUE method. Beard and chest hair can also be used if the donor area is insufficient.

3) Hair transplantation in the crown area: Local anesthesia is applied to the recipient area and the collected grafts are placed one by one in the planned area. Minimally invasive methods such as FUE or DHI are used for hair transplantation. In AHD clinic, we prefer the DHI or pen technique for this operation. The operation time varies according to the number of grafts to be transplanted and takes an average of 4-7 hours.

Things to consider in crown hair transplantation

The crown hair has distinctive angles. These hairs have a circular swirling cycle. Some people may even have two different swirls in a spiral. In this hair cycle, the angles change 360 degrees from top to bottom. In other words, it shows a fan-shaped distribution to the right and left. During transplantation, channels should be opened parallel to the hair in this area. Otherwise, a natural appearance cannot be achieved. Therefore, it is important to choose a doctor who has proven himself/herself in crown hair transplantation. Because opening channels with the right angles is an application that requires expertise.

The crown hair has distinctive angles. These hairs have a circular swirling cycle. Some people may even have two different swirls in a spiral. In this hair cycle, the angles change 360 degrees from top to bottom. In other words, it shows a fan-shaped distribution to the right and left. During transplantation, channels should be opened parallel to the hair in this area. Otherwise, a natural appearance cannot be achieved. Therefore, it is important to choose a doctor who has proven himself/herself in crown hair transplantation. Because opening channels with the right angles is an application that requires expertise.
The direction of the hair on the top of the donor area should face downwards. When transplanting to this area, the patient should face downwards. In this way, it will be easier to place the grafts at right angles.
In addition, the thickness of the scalp in the vertex area is more than the frontal area. Depth control should be planned correctly while opening the canal.
The angles of the opened channels should be 20-25 degrees to the scalp. If the canal is opened at steeper angles, a natural and dense appearance may not be possible.
The correct angles mentioned above are more easily created with pens called implanter pens in the dhi method. Therefore, the dhi pen method is preferred in hair transplants in AHD clinic. In addition, it is easier to transplant without shaving with the pen method in this region. In fact, it will be easier to transplant parallel to the person’s own hair in unshaven transplants.
If beard and nape hair will be used together, transplanting these grafts as a mixture creates a more natural appearance.

How many grafts are transplanted in the vertex area?

The opening in the vertex area is usually circular. For suitable people, the size of the circular area is determined by the formula (Pi*r2 ). According to this width, the number of grafts to be taken from the donor area is calculated. Depending on the size of the circular area, the number of grafts can vary between 1,000 – 3,000.

Hill transplantation is more difficult than front line for the reasons mentioned above. In addition, more grafts per 1 square centimeter are needed for a good density. Therefore, a second session may be required to achieve better coverage.

Recovery process and results

The conditions to be encountered in the post-operative period are almost the same with classical hair transplantation. Redness and crusting after the operation disappear within 10 days at the latest with washing.

In transplants performed only on the crown, there may be no swelling after hair transplantation. Because the fluid injected into the scalp will flow towards the nape and there will be no significant swelling on the face. The healing process is usually completed within 1 week and 10 days.

Classically, additional hair begins to fall out within 15-20 days. The shock loss rate may be relatively higher in hair transplantation in this area. This is because the blood supply to the crown area is less than the front.

The hair that falls out after shock shedding starts to grow about 1 month later than the hair transplanted to the front. Generally, you can see hair growth starting from the 4-5th month. At the end of the 6th month, an average of 50% hair growth is normal. In general, it will be necessary to wait 15-18 months to achieve 100% complete results. In other words, the full result may be 2-3 months later than the hair transplanted to the front area.

In hair transplantation, very successful results can be obtained if the number of grafts per square centimeter is planned correctly. Good coverage can be achieved with an average of 45-50 graftsper 1 cm2.

In transplantation to the front and crown areas together, the majority of the grafts are usually transplanted to the front hairline and back. Because most people want the front area to be covered first. Therefore, the amount of grafts to be transplanted to the crown remains low. In this case, a sparser appearance occurs on the top compared to the front area. Of course, since a period of 1 year has passed, it is generally thought that the hair in this area does not grow. Actually, this is not true. Because not enough grafts have been transplanted to this area.

Choosing the right doctor is also very important to get successful results. For this, examine the results of the clinic where you plan to have hair transplantation. It is useful to decide by looking at the comments about the doctor, especially on forum sites.

In addition, medical treatments such as Finasteride, Minoxidil and PRP will contribute positively to the hair transplant result. In sparse hair growth due to graft deficiency, SMP scalp micro pigmentation can be considered as an alternative solution for density increase.

The Cost of a Crown Hair Transplant in Turkey

Operation prices will vary according to the number of grafts. Costs also vary according to the fue or dhi method. Hair transplantation fees of qualified hair surgeons are always higher.

In Turkey, you can have a hair transplant in the crown area with prices between 1500 – 5,000 USD.

In the United States, prices range between 5,000 – 15,000 USD on average.

If you are considering a hair transplant in Turkey, schedule a free consultation with AHD clinic and get information about our fees. AHD clinic’s hair transplant results will give you a realistic idea.