icehaid

9 minutes ago, notsosure said:

Hey everyone, here's my 28 day post op. I'd say 99% of the little scabs are gone. I think I'm losing some of the recipient area hair. Not a ton, but I've noticed some of it is falling out. A lot of the numbness is gone. I still feel a little, but it's slowly going away. I think I have a little bit of shock loss, but it's tough to tell since I've never had my hair this length before.

I'm curious, do you all think I'll keep the recipient area hair at this point (day 28 in), or is this pretty typical where I'll shed it all in the next couple of weeks?

And secondly, I'm considering shaving the other hair down shorter, so it'll better match the new area. Is that a bad idea, in terms of screwing up the grafts?

Thanks.

Looks damn good.

1 hour ago, notsosure said:

So good to hear. Thanks for posting. I plan to start using Rogaine as soon as the little scabs are totally one from the recipient area. They're starting to fall out now (Day 15), but have about 50% to go.

Are you using Rogaine and if so, do you notice any side effects? I've never taken it before and am curious if it's been worth it for you?

I'm not the best guide for you on Minoxidil, as my experience with it is very different than a recent HT patient. I didn't start using it until 4 years *after* my last HT. Since December 2020, I've been using the 5% generic foam 1x per day (the label recommends 2x, but I just do it once) on the back of my head. I wasn't expecting much at this stage, but in 4+ months of, there is some minor regrowth and thickening - and no side effects. I'll take it.

I also take generic Finasteride (Proscar) 1.25 mg/day. Long ago, when Propecia 1 mg was expensive (it still may be, I don't know), my general doc agreed to prescribe me the generic 5mg, which I quarter, so a 30 day prescription lasts 4 months.  Finally, use good shampoo. It doesn't "solve" anything, but it certainly can help with hair shaft and scalp health. I use Nioxin shampoo and conditioner, and skip the serum.

On 4/20/2021 at 10:00 AM, notsosure said:

Oh, nice. Here's what Dr. Konior said this morning about the exercise stuff after I asked this "Can I workout 100% normally now without worrying about grafts falling out or being damaged from sweat etc? I'll be sweating a lot. And I suppose I'll have a towel handy and will just pat the towel and not rub. Is that what you'd suggest?"

His response: "Hello Brad, Full workout is fine.  No worry about sweating or towel drying."

My guess is it's a bit dependent on how many grafts and the type of procedure (FUE vs FUT). I got 2200 grafts and FUE.

Just to add something about Dr. Konior. I had three procedures with him, the last one being at the end of 2016, so it's been a while. A few months ago, I sent him an email with a question regarding finasteride and minoxidil and and he responded within an hour or two. And that's exactly how he was immediately after a procedure. The guy is utterly first class - a consummate professional who cares deeply about his patients - even one he hasn't seen in years. Plus, he's cool as hell. 😁 I'm not in the least bit surprised he dropped you off at your hotel after the surgery.

A word of advice about the procedure - be patient. It takes a while for the full results to materialize but it will be worth the wait. You had your procedure done by one of the best, and from your pictures, I'm pretty certain you're going to be a really happy guy by the time Christmas rolls around.

Contact him personally about his fee structure. He's really good at getting back quickly to each individual inquiry.

Quickly - and also at night, on weekends, and likely while receiving an emergency appendectomy as well. ;-) Dr. K is the best communicating physician I've ever come across. Easily.

I think we often lose sight of the fact that these guys perform multiple surgeries a week, every single week, and posting results to appease us is relatlively low priority. Particularly those already with great reputations.

 

How many Rahal, Konior, Shapiro, H+W, etc results have been shared in the last 3 months vs how many performed? Probably less than 10%.

 

That said, I'd love to see a more social media centric approach. Do these guys have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc page? Only way to make hair restoration more mainstream and socially acceptable is to get the word out at scale. There's a reason Bosley still has a name--its the only name most have an opportunity to hear of. Brian Urlacher had Konior in his backyard and went with a no name. Pretty telling.

No doubt, but I don't think Dr. Konior needed Brian Urlacher one bit anyway. Urlacher went to Restore, a HT clinic to many Chicago sports figures that undoubtedly did the procedure gratis. Ol' Brian likely still has tons of dough (unless of course he frittered most of it away like so many ex-NFL players), but hey - free is free. His photos are all over the Restore website and magazine ads with other local sports guys. That kind of exposure for the clinic easily covered his transplant fee by the ARTAS robot.

I've heard very good things about Drs. Keller and Panine - but in the Chicago area, I wouldn't go to anyone but Dr. Konior, with whom I've had three procedures. Somehow, having a surgeon with the knowledge and acumen of Dr. Konior extract and place every single graft definitely fills me with more confidence than does the ARTAS robot, advanced as it may be.

Icehaid,

 

Looks like you are coming along. How many grafts did you get? Who did your first procedures? Are you planning another procedure? Have you thought about starting your own thread? I would like to hear your story but I don't want to clutter GBU's thread.

Posts #33 & #35 in this thread, plus:

Hair Restoration Social Network ? Community for and by Hair Loss Patients - icehaid's Profile

Sorry for "cluttering" - will create an album on my profile page.

Hello Jingle. I love my new hair. I didn't get much in the way of pinkness and I always comb my hair to the side. I don't think I look good with the straight back look and don't wear my hair like that. The donor scar is a non-issue. Try finding it. I certainly can't take a picture of it. I would be happy to try and meet up with you if you come out to Chicago. I'm not a techie and so I'll have Dr. Konior take pictures on my follow-up. I couldn't be happier with his work and can tell you that he is one of the absolute best. Thanks for the interest, buddy.

Looks terrific, GBU.

The file names tell the timeline. The last 2 photos were taken today, exactly 4 months post-surgery.

 

The skin on my scalp unfortunately is very pale and blotchy, which exacerbates the appearance of any blemishes. I had a few mini zits up there about a month ago and Dr. K suggested I use T-Sal shampoo a few times a week along with a more aggressive shampooing style (using the tips of my fingernails) to assure that all the hairs are able to get through. That method has worked well, although my skin still basically stinks.

Here's 10.5 months. I actually have a hairline. What Dr. Konior was able to do with so little is truly impressive. Again, had I known about him in the mid-1990, there's no telling how much different I could have looked. Oh well, better to have found him late than never.

I'm massaging the hell out of my scalp daily in hopes of getting one more semi-decent yield out of this tight scalp. ;-)

Icehaid, nice write up. And having consulted with Dr K over email, I found him to be every bit as considerate and dedicated as you have. Do you have any pics?

The file names tell the timeline. The last 2 photos were taken today, exactly 4 months post-surgery.

The skin on my scalp unfortunately is very pale and blotchy, which exacerbates the appearance of any blemishes. I had a few mini zits up there about a month ago and Dr. K suggested I use T-Sal shampoo a few times a week along with a more aggressive shampooing style (using the tips of my fingernails) to assure that all the hairs are able to get through. That method has worked well, although my skin still basically stinks.

Iceaid any pics / story to share? Always keen to hear from Dr K's patients!

Slickers,

My profile is here:

Hair Restoration Social Network ? Community for and by Hair Loss Patients - icehaid's Profile

Looks terrific, GBU. Congrats.

I think one thing that isn't mentioned as often regarding Dr. Konior is the resulting (or, in my case, lack thereof) scar in the donor area. I had 1,159 FUT grafts with Dr. K at the end of September 2012, and by Christmas, not only could I barely find the scar, all numbness and sensitivity were completely gone as well.

The best advice I can give regarding pre-suture/staple removal donor scars is do *exactly* what your doc tells you to do. I followed Dr. K's post-op scar regimen diligently and, although the tremendous result is obviously in most part due to his technique, I was told that following the regimen was certainly beneficial to my healing, which aided in the fine aesthetic outcome.