Temples and Temple Points
The temple points are the two wedges of hair that come down at the corners of the hairline, in front of and above the ears. They recede early, they recede in almost everyone, and they change the shape of a face more than their size suggests.
Because they are small, they are easy to overlook in a plan, and including them is often what makes a frontal case look complete. A strong line in the middle with the corners framed either side reads as a natural hairline.
On this page
What restoring the temples does for a face
Receded temples widen the forehead at its upper corners and lengthen the face. The effect is subtle in a mirror and obvious in photographs, particularly from a three-quarter angle, and it is one of the main reasons people say they look older without being able to say why.
Restoring them narrows the forehead visually and softens the frame around the face. For anyone whose loss pattern is mostly at the corners rather than the middle, treating the temples alone can be the whole operation.
It matters more on some faces than others. A long face gains a great deal; a round one gains less. Any surgeon should be willing to tell you which you have.
Getting the angle right
Temple hair is different from the rest of the scalp. It is finer, it grows at an extremely acute angle, almost flat against the skin and pointing downward and backward, and it lies in a characteristic sweep that the eye recognises immediately when it is wrong.
So temple work is single hairs, ideally the finest available in the donor area, planted at angles that are harder to achieve than anywhere else on the head. Fine single hairs at that angle are what make temple work look natural.
Surgeons who do a lot of this often harvest specifically for it, taking finer hair from the nape or the edges of the donor zone rather than the dense centre.
At the consultation
Ask whether the temples are in the plan and, if they are, where the hair for them is coming from. Hearing that the surgeon intends to harvest finer hair specifically for the corners tells you they have done this before.
Designing temples and hairline as one shape
An adult hairline has three parts that only make sense together. There is the frontal line across the middle, the temple point coming down at each side, and between them a small recess where the front corner turns back towards the temple. That recess is normal. Almost every adult has one, and it is what stops a hairline from looking painted on.
The commonest design mistake is filling it in. A surgeon who brings the frontal corners straight down to meet the temple points produces a continuous wall of hair across the forehead, the shape of a child's hairline or a helmet. It uses more grafts and looks less natural than leaving the corners partly open.
So the temple point is placed in relation to the front, not on its own. Its tip should sit in proportion to where the frontal line is, and the two should point in compatible directions, with the hair at the temple sweeping down and back while the front lies forward. When the hairline is set conservatively, the temples need to be set conservatively too, or the corners will look like they belong to a younger face than the middle.
What it costs in grafts
Temple points are cheap. Restoring both is often 400 to 800 grafts in total, and sometimes fewer, which against a lifetime supply of several thousand is a small commitment for a visible change.
That is the argument for doing them. It is also the argument for not letting a clinic bundle them vaguely into a larger number. Ask for the temple grafts to be counted separately in the quote so you can see what you are buying.
Temples do continue to recede with age, as everything does, so the same conservative logic applies here as at the hairline. A temple point rebuilt too aggressively low and forward will look increasingly out of place.
Recovery and how growth reads
Temples are on the face, more or less, so there is nothing to hide them under. The small scabs and pinkness around the grafts usually settle in one to two weeks, and that fortnight is the part of temple work people find most visible. The general picture is in recovery.
The transplanted hairs then shed, typically within the first month, which is expected and not a sign of failure. New growth usually starts around three to four months.
At six months temple work often looks disappointing. The hair is fine to begin with, it is still thin and short, and because it lies almost flat it does not show up the way new growth at the front does. Most of the visible change arrives between six and twelve months, and fine hair can keep thickening for a while after that. Judge temples at a year, from the same angle and in the same light as your before photographs, and not before.
At six months
Take photographs from a three-quarter angle in the same light as your originals before you decide anything has gone wrong. Temple hair is the slowest to read as hair, and the comparison usually tells a better story than the mirror.
Alternatives to grafting the temples
Medication is the first thing people ask about, and it is weakest here. Finasteride and minoxidil are better at holding the crown and mid-scalp than at regrowing receded corners. They are still worth considering, because they protect the hair around the temples that you are not transplanting, but they rarely bring a temple point back on their own.
Scalp micropigmentation works well for people who keep their hair shaved or very short, where tattooed stubble at the corners reads as a natural shaved hairline. It is much less convincing under longer hair, because a temple edge is defined by fine individual hairs lying in a direction, and pigment cannot imitate that.
Then there is leaving them. Mature temples are part of most adult faces. For someone whose recession is mild and stable, a good haircut that works with the corners rather than against them is a reasonable answer, and it keeps the grafts in reserve.
When to do them
Temples work best as part of a plan where the front is already handled or being treated at the same time. If your donor supply is limited and the frontal third needs work, the front comes first, and temples are the refinement on top.
They are also best done once your loss is stable on medication, because they sit at the leading edge of the pattern.
And they should be designed together with the frontal hairline they sit beside, so ask your surgeon to draw both at once.
When comparing quotes
Check whether temples are included and priced separately. They are easy to miss, and checking makes sure you are comparing like with like.
Frequently asked questions
How many grafts do temples take?
Usually 400 to 800 for both sides, which is small compared with a frontal case. See what it costs in grafts.
What makes temple work look natural?
Fine single hairs planted almost flat. Temple hair lies at the sharpest angle on the head, so experience matters. See getting the angle right.
Can I have temples done on their own?
Yes, and for people whose loss is mainly at the corners it can be the whole operation.
Do temple points keep receding?
Yes, like everything else, which is why a conservative design matters here too. See when to do them.
Should the gap between the hairline and temple be filled in?
No. A small recess between the frontal corner and the temple point is normal, and filling it makes the hairline look like a wall. See designing temples and hairline as one shape.
When will I see results from temple grafts?
Growth usually starts around three to four months, but temples are best judged at a year. See recovery and how growth reads.
Will finasteride or minoxidil bring my temples back?
Rarely. They are better at holding hair than at regrowing receded corners. See alternatives to grafting the temples.