Temple Hair Transplant

The temple hair transplant is designed to combat a receding hairline, providing a thick and natural looking hairline. In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about temple hair transplant procedures. From why the temples matter so much to what it costs to fix them, and what options are on the table (including FUE temple hair transplants).

Temple Hair Transplant: What is it?

Now let’s talk solutions. And not snake oil. Not caffeine shampoos or miracle serums. If you’re dealing with actual hair loss in the temples, and it’s progressed beyond the early stages, there’s only one truly effective, long-lasting fix: a temple hair transplant.

Like any other hair restoration surgery, a temple hair transplant looks to take individual hair follicles from the back and sides of the head and implant them into the area where you need them most: your temples!

Several methods of hair transplant are suitable for temple surgery. The most common methods are Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Direct Hair Implantation (DHI). In most cases, an temple hair transplant can also be performed unshaven (Unshaven FUE). Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), or “strip surgery”, is rarely performed nowadays.

The aim of a temple hair transplant is to restore natural density and shape to the recessed or thinning areas at the sides of the hairline, commonly known as the temples. This region is often the first to recede in male pattern baldness and plays a major role in the overall appearance and balance of the face.

Specifically, the goals of a temple hair transplant are to:

1. Reverse signs of temple recession by tackling the “m-shaped” hairline head on – hairs are implanted into the temple area, providing a slightly straighter and lower look.
2. Frame the face more naturally – a natural appearance to the hairline is key. This will help you achieve a more symmetrical and youthful looking face.
3. Achieve undetectable results – during implanting, specific attention is paid to the angle, direction, and density of natural temple hair and new grafts are implanted to match this.

For any temple hair transplant surgery, your new hairline should blend in seamlessly with your exiting hair. To the untrained eye, there should be no indication that you have had a hair transplant procedure!

FUE Temple Hair Transplant Surgery: The Gold Standard

FUE stands for Follicular Unit Extraction. It’s a minimally invasive technique where individual hair follicles are harvested from the back and sides of the scalp (known as the donor area) and implanted into thinning or bald areas (recipient area). For temple work, this method is king.

What separates a temple hair transplant from surgery on the crown is that it is all about precision! The angles at which hairline hair follicles grow are tricky to replicate through transplantation. The hair has to grow in a very specific direction to match your natural hair.

FUE allows the surgeon to place each graft exactly where it needs to go with total control over the density, angle, and pattern. This is why paying more for your hair transplant often yields a better result. An experienced hair transplant surgeon will have performed thousands of temple hair transplant surgeries. They know what they’re doing and will leave you with a dense and natural hairline 12 months down the line!

What Happens During an FUE Temple Hair Transplant?

There’s no real rocket science to a hair transplant procedure on the temples. They are performed by hair transplant surgeons with the assistance of usually two technicians. A temple hair transplant usually takes between 6-8 hours to perform. Here’s what happens:

• Initial Consultation – the hair transplant surgeon will evaluate your hair loss, donor hair, and temple anatomy. They will also draw on (propose) your new hairline. A natural temple pattern is drawn, often restoring the curved flow of the frontal hairline.
• Administering of Local Anaesthetic – at the start of a temple hair transplant, your hair transplant surgeon will administer local anaesthetic and saline solution all over the scalp. This is so your surgery remains pain free!

Now, onto the specifics of Follicular Unit Extraction:

• Extraction Phase – using a micro-punch tool, healthy follicles are taken from the donor area by the hair transplant surgeon. Each hair follicle is then counted and categorised by the technicians into “singles”, “doubles”, and “triples”.
• Incision Phase – once grafts have been extraction, the patient will usually have a short lunch break. Then, the hair transplant surgeon will perform incisions using a small blade. Around a thousand tiny cuts are made into the temples, ready for the grafts to be implanted.
• Implantation Phase – the follicles are placed strategically in the temples, following the correct angles and density. “Single” hair follicles are placed at the front of the hairline, for precision. “Doubles” and “triples” are placed further back to create an appearance of increased density.

Once your hair transplant procedure has finished, you will then have another short consultation with your hair transplant surgeon. They will walk you through your aftercare instructions and provide you with a pack that includes everything you will need for your two week initial recovery period.

Temples Hair Transplant Cost

One of the most common questions we’re asked about the temple hair transplant is “how much does a temple hair transplant cost“? The short answer to this question is “it’s complicated”.

On average, most patients who visit a respectable hair transplant clinic in the UK can expect to pay between £4,000 and £5,500 for a temple hair transplant. This is dependent upon several factors, including size of the recipient site, hair type, and the patient’s aims and expectations.

Typical Graft Ranges For a Temple Hair Transplant

For temple-only restoration, most patients will require between 500 and 1,500 grafts, depending on how far back the temples have receded, the width and height of a patient’s original hairline, and how dense a patient wants their new hairline to look.

Further still, if you are looking to combine temple restoration into larger surgeries (e.g. frontal third hair transplant or a hairline hair transplant), then this can affect the number of grafts required during surgery.

• Mild Temple Hair Loss – 500-800 Grafts (approx. £3,000-3,500)
• Moderate Temple Recession – 800-1,200 Grafts (approx. £4,000-4,500)
• Full Frontal Hairline Rebuild – 1,200-3,000 Grafts (approx. £4,500-7,000)

Are You a Good Candidate For a Temple Hair Transplant?

Sometimes, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to finding solutions to your temple hair loss. If you are considering a temple hair transplant, then here is a quick checklist to help you assess whether surgery is the right step to take:

• Your temple hair loss is relatively stable
• You are over the age of 25
• You have strong donor hairs (back and sides of the head)
• If you tick all the boxes, a temple hair transplant could be a game-changer.

But if your hair loss is still rapidly progressing, or you’re thinning all over, it might be better to wait or consider a more comprehensive approach. The best thing to do is to book your free consultation and speak to a patient advisor. They will walk you through your options and provide you with a treatment plan.

Let’s talk temple hair. Receding temples. Thinning corners. The sneaky sides that betray you before the crown or the hairline ever do. If you’ve noticed your temples pulling back, you’re not alone—and you’re definitely not powerless.

We’ll start with the obvious: temple hair loss is often the first sign of male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). It’s subtle sneaky, and sometimes ignored until it’s too late. But here’s the thing… Temple recession, more commonly known as the “receding hairline”, changes the entire look of your face. It can make you look older, more tired, and even affect your self confidence.

It’s currently estimated that over 40% of men between the ages of 18 and 49 are experiencing signs of male pattern baldness (Rhodes: 1998). Nearly half of all men will experience temple recession at some point in their life, leading many to look for solutions like hair loss medication and hair transplant surgery.

What Makes a Temple Hair Transplant Challenging?

Here’s the deal: temples aren’t just another part of the scalp. They demand surgical expertise. The hairline area is immediately visible not just to everyone you meet, but everyone who sets eyes on you (in the supermarket, on the street, even at the football match).

Several factors make a temple hair transplant challenging. They are:

• Hair grows at sharper angles in the temples than in other regions – therefore, they require a skilled surgeon and technicians to implant new grafts correctly.
• The skin is often thinner than other areas of the scalp – this can sometimes affect the quality of a patient’s result if not accounted for by the surgical team.
• The area is more visible and unforgiving – everybody is able to see the temple and hairline area. A bad transplant here shows. Instantly.

That’s why you want someone experienced performing a temple hair transplant. Not just a hair transplant surgeon, but one who’s done hundreds (even thousands) of temple reconstructions specifically.

What Causes Temple Hair Loss?

In almost all cases temple hair loss is genetic. We inherit male pattern baldness from our parents. It’s classic androgenetic alopecia doing its thing, driven by DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a powerful male-sex hormone that miniaturises hair follicles over time.

Male pattern baldness is categorised using the Hamilton-Norwood hair loss scale. Patients who decide to have a temple hair transplant are usually classified as being Stage 2, 3, or 3V. In other words, they will have a receding hairline and, in some cases, a little bit of thinning on the crown.

There are some other extraneous factors that are thought to contribute to temple hair loss. These include:

• Hair loss from stress – triggering telogen effluvium that thins hair at the temples
• Traction alopecia – from tight hairstyles pulling at the edges
• Hormonal imbalances – often affecting women’s hair loss more than men

But let’s be clear: for most men (and some women), it’s a genetic fate. And when temples start going, they usually don’t stop unless you do something about it. So, you may want to consider a hair loss medication or a hair transplant surgery.

Not Ready For a Temple Hair Transplant Just Yet? Here Are the Alternatives

It’s difficult to know when the right time is for surgery. If you’re not quite ready to go under the punch tool, then there are some alternative treatments you can try before surgical intervention. These are:

• Finasteride (oral or topical) – finasteride is a DHT-blocking medication which has been clinically proven to slow signs of temple recession. If you’re wanting to put off a temple hair transplant procedure, then this medication may be for you.
• Minoxidil (oral or topical) – suitable for both men and women, Minoxidil helps to stimulate hair hair growth by increasing blood flow around the scalp (and hairline). It may help slow down hair loss in the temples.

Medication is a great place to start if you are experiencing a little bit of temple recession. But here’s the thing: it isn’t going to reverse your temple recession. It’s only going to slow it down. The sooner you start taking hair loss medication, the more effective it is going to be.

Conclusion: is a Temple Hair Transplant For You?

If your temples are thinning and it’s bothering you, don’t sit on it. Temple hair loss rarely stops on its own. The earlier you intervene, the better your results will be. Your temples might be small, but their impact is massive.

A temple hair transplant offers a permanent, natural-looking fix that can take years off your appearance and restore facial balance. Just be sure to choose a skilled surgeon, know what you’re paying for, and go in with realistic expectations.