CaliHairGuy

Hello hair peeps, I've been terrible at updating this, but it's because things are good...not bad. I will also be giving my opinion on the difference between pictures of people's hair on the Internet and what it looks like when you're looking at your hair transplant inches away from your scalp in the mirror The pics I am adding are from a few months back. The pics from the back of my head are after my first haircut in the beginning of October. They are to show no sign of the scar and I had the person use a 6 guard. Also, the back of my head looks fantastic considering Dr. Konior only used 10% coverage (1100 grafts over a decent sized area). The front pics are super-close, and show that you can still see a little scalp. This is a function of the coverage Dr. Konior had to do with 2700 grafts. He stated at the time it would be 25% coverage. Also keep in mind, this is only 5 1/2 months after surgery for the front. When you're not that close to the hair, it blends pretty well. I will post some more pics soon of my hair now, which is now 7 months after surgery. Things are looking really good. Even got a compliment today that things look great...and it was from someone at work who knows I had the surgery (only a handful of people do). So, am I happy with the results? Yes. However, I can't say completely...but that has nothing to do with Dr. Konior. It has to do with the amount of grafts used to cover a large area of diffuse thinning. When I am looking at my scalp from two inches away in the mirror, I can tell the grafts aren't as close together as native hair would be. The only way to fix this would be to add more grafts, and Dr. Konior would be the first doctor I would see to do this. The other thing I don't like, is that under harsh direct sunlight, I can still see my scalp in the front. This may get rectified a little as the hair continues to mature over the next 5 months. From a foot away, my hair looks great. That is what the last picture shows. So, to summarize. I couldn't be happier. If my hair stayed like this, I would be happy. At the same time, if I am going to nit-pick, I would go back and get another HT to add to the density in the front, and touch up some other areas on my scalp. But my confidence is getting close to that of when I was in my early 30's...which is kind of dangerous. I have been going on a decent number of dates with girls much younger (I look young for my age though...mid 40's). And yes, life isn't all about dates and girls. I am older and wiser than I was in my 30's. But the new hair doesn't hurt either

It's going really well, actually. Been slammed at work and heading out on vacation tomorrow, but I've taken pics about 3 weeks ago and I'll try and take some this week. I ventured outside without a hat on in public at 4.5 months. Used concealer though. Went on a few dates lol. About 5 months I stopped using concealer. With the amount of thinning I had and the large area, Dr Konior gave me 10% coverage in back and around 25% in front. Honestly, and the Propecia must account for some of this, the crown looks fantastic to me. Under harsh sunlight I am sure it might look a little thin, but under overcast and indoors, it's utterly fantastic compared to what it was...and we're right at about 6 months. The front looks really good. I have a real,hairline now. But I am a picky dude, and I'd really like more grafts in the long run. I'm going to see what it looks like as things mature, but chances are I may get another transplant in the future. Don't get me wrong, it will look great in pictures...but I can see some space between the grafts. Please don't anyone take this the wrong way, Dr. Konior is phenomenal. And LI ke Dr. Konior, I am a perfectionist. In the long run, I'll probably want more than the 25%. And yes, Dr. k would be the man I go to for that. When I post pictures some of you will probably say "what are you talking about," but looking at your own scalp inches from the mirror shows me. Standing 10 feet away, you can't see what I see inches from the mirror. But I am very happy. Confidence is up (duh). Went out to a bar on Sat, and the bartender thought I was 28 (I have a boyish face). Considering I'm 44, I'll,take that and run with it lol

It almost always comes down the the skill of the surgeon. I am 5 months post-op, no longer wear a hat, use only a little bit of concealer as the hairs are still growing and maturing, and my scar looks better than many who go to not as skilled surgeons. I'm not saying spend a ton of money on a top surgeon (although that's not a bad option), but I am saying do your research. Many of the horror stories on here are from people who go to doctors without a body of work who promise them things they can't deliver.

I think that may be less noticeable when the hair grows a little longer. Then again, I don't have any problems with FUT as that's what my procedure was. IMHO, FUE vs. FUT is mountains out of a molehill. But hey, people like to make it a big deal. Then again, people like to visit terrible FUT doctors and then show their horrific results on this forum. So, caveat emptor.

I tried finding some before pics, but nothing really shows how little hair I had in the front. Since I have a lot of hair on my sides, I was doing the more youthful version of a combover...combing it forward. Unless you dated me and saw me in bed, no one ever saw how little I had in the front. And since it made me sick to my stomach, I never wanted a picture of my crown lol. I grabbed some screen shots of a few pics. Essentially, where the hair looks like it's laying flat in the front is where there was little to no hair. You can see the pattern in month 2 and 3 pics in this thread. Essentially except for a miniscule amount in the front hairline (which allowed an illusion of an intact frontal hairline) and a little bit in the front middle (a tuft), there was not a lot in the front 1/3.

I hope you get this resolved to your satisfaction, but this is a big reason people need to look at results, not words and price. You don't want to mess around with surgeries like this. If price is a major concern, then Turkey and Thailand seem to be the best options.

Thanks for the feedback Blake. So at this stage (it sounds like) there are still folicles that can "start" growing. Looking forward to the next few months. Just another boring Dr. Konior success story

Thanks Blake. It's weird/interesting how things can change "relatively" quickly. At this point (month 4-5), what is the average growth rate for HT (given that everyone is different). 30% growth? 50%? By looking at my front hairline, I am pretty sure there are grafts that haven't started growing yet (I can still faintly see some pinkness in the recipient area), so I am expecting to see some pretty distinct changes around month 6. Hope that isn't wishful thinking. I also think there is a lot of growing to do in the crown area (even though we know it can be a black hole).

Ok, here are some pics right after jumping out of the shower. I think I have made some good progress. Left side is lagging a little behind right side, but that was true before the operation. In this harsh lighting, the back looks kinda bad. However, it is noticeably better than before the HT. The last pic is a frontal shot with no concealer. The way my hair is, I can do a lot of covering by the combing. Overall, not too bad for 4.5 months. I have a definite hairline in the front. Rear is starting to fill in (both from HT and Propecia I think). I have more hair now than before the HT, and to me it's noticeable. With concealer, you can't see any scalp in the rear. So the pics make it look way worse than it really is IMHO. Looking forward to months 5 and 6, because I think there is a lot of room for new growth (by looking at areas that still don't have folicles growing where I know Dr Konior put grafts).

Path and Pong in you're going to get it done in Thailand. Pong trained under Path IIRC.

Pics will be coming. I keep getting distracted. I am not about to put pics up of my date for a number of reasons...however, she was plenty pretty. You'll just have to take my word for it

Well, I can't think of anything more positive to say than I have a date tonight. 4.5 months after surgery. I am wearing concealer, but I certainly have more hair than pre-surgery. So, yeah. Things are looking good I'll try and take some pics this weekend, but I typically get distracted.

So, did Dr. Panine comment as to why the scar looks like that? That certainly doesn't look like a tricophytic closure, unless it stretched.

Question on that FUT scar. I thought nowadays, they closed the scar so that hair grows through it? However, that looks not to be the case with the shaved head pic.

Did you also go to Dr. Konior? Yes, as I learned first hand, amazing growth at 3 months is atypical (and seemingly not correlated to surgeon skill but with biology, as I went to Konior). I just want to make sure people get a honest view/understanding of the procedure, because unrealistic expectations can create problems. Regardless, I am happy with my growth. Happy with the fact I have more hair at only 4.5 months than I did pre-surgery (even though it's no where near being fully grown in). And with concealer, I can venture out into the world, and no one is the wiser (except maybe under very harsh direct sunlight).

Your opinion is your opinion, but it goes against the conventional wisdom of FUT then FUE. Also, being bald rather that (potentially) having a stretched scar again would seem to be a minority opinion. There are many instances of successful scar revision on this forum and transplanting grafts into stretched scars. Furthermore, what is your sample size for scar stretching? I'm guessing it's anecdotal. When I asked Dr. Konior's office how many stretched scars they've seen, I was told only a handful. And that's over 20+ years of Dr. Konior being a surgeon. Your belief that high Norwoods such opt for FUE doesn't make sense to me since harvesting the most grafts should be the #1 priority for someone with a high Norwood (5+). FUT gives a much better yield than FUE. Most patients can get at least 2 successful FUT surgeries (given a competent surgeon). And by going FUE first, it virtually guarantees the patient won't be a candidate for FUT in the future. Also, who cares about shaving all the way down? The closest I've ever shaved was a 2 in college. And a 3 since my mid-20's. I am a Norwood 5A. I chose FUT, and would have a second FUT done if necessary in the future with Dr. Konior. Not to mention, a 3800 graft FUE in the US would be cost-prohibitive (number of grafts in my first FUT procedure).

Actually, I would argue the opposite. If you are a high Norwood, you want to go with FUT first and then FUE. The "gamble" of more than one strip procedure is mitigated by the skill of the surgeon. A top doc will greatly reduce if not eliminate those risks. By choosing FUT first, you ensure the most grafts can be harvested from your scalp. And, you can barely see my FUT scar and I'm only at 4.5 after surgery. If done by a competent physician, the FUT scar debate is more of a tempest in a teapot IMO. I don't think about my scar at all. Ultimately, it's up to the person to make a decision for themselves, or listen to what their doctor says (assuming a good doctor).

Ok, had a little breakthrough this weekend. I know this post is worthless without pics, but...after not being sure if I was seeing much hair growth/progress (diffuse hair/thinning makes it really hard to tell IMHO) and essentially 4 months and 1 week after my procedure, I went out in public without a hat on (still wearing hat at work...have to break them in slowly). I used concealer, but what was most obvious to me was how much more hair I have now than before my procedure. Areas that were almost completely empty before now have hair (density ain't great, but that's not the point at 4.5 months). I don't know why it took putting concealer on to notice these huge changes...maybe it was because I remember what it was like before, as opposed to staring at my head look for "obvious signs" that things are growing. My friend who I hung out with on Labor Day said the difference was noticeable (hasn't seen me in 2 months). This has me excited for the upcoming months because I would say I don't even have 30% growth yet (maybe density would be a more accurate word). I will try and get some pics up tonight. I just want people to not get their hopes up with some of the crazy early growth some have on this site. At the same time, a noticeable difference at just 4.5 months is pretty impressive (meaning, hair looks better now than it did pre-surgery). And with a 5-6 guard on the sides, you can't even see the scar. And some hairs are even starting to grow through the scar. Scar will continue to minimize over the following months I am sure. This also means I can now go out on dates without wearing a hat...and that is reason to celebrate I am also ecstatic with my choice of Dr. Konior. The following months will be a testimony to his work ethic and craft.

Well, Dr. Konior has my money so you know who I'd recommend. If you want to talk about credentials, Konior founded the American Board of Hair Restoration and is certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery. Konior is a plastic surgeon first and foremost, Haber is a dermatologist and pediatrician. So, in the end it's about results, but Dr. Konior has an impeccable resume and is a Fellow of the American Board of Surgeons. Go with your gut. Not your pocketbook.

Ah, the man that inspired my 3800 grafts from Dr. Konior

What were your growth rates the first two and what was it on the third? Not too worried. Actually have a date coming up. Question is, how do I explain the baseball hat? lol

Alright, so every one wishes they were one of the people showing early results. However, I am (apparently) not one of those people. Which is fine, I'm not too worried. Perhaps all the stress I was feeling from this festival I was putting on is a contributing factor, who knows. Regardless, the stress is gone so hopefully growth soon follows. In the first pic, those 3 small areas showing scalp on the back of my head I am assuming are shock loss, because they weren't there before. And shock loss takes 4-5 months to clear up. That being said, I think I can start to see some hairs popping out, but being diffusely thin makes it really hard to tell. It may not seem like it in the picture, but I can tell the back is starting to get "hazy" in areas that were almost all scalp before. That may just be existing hair thickening up from Propecia, but hey...it's better than I remember. So, there you go. Truth in HT. I'll give another update in approximately 1 month. I started a Biotin supplement just because I want to see if it makes a difference. We'll see...

I think that is a very, very smart choice. Good luck with your visit.

Well, we'll see if transaction rates come down for FUE. Right now, FUT is still superior. The other thing you're not considering is the larger scar tissue area that FUE creates. Until that can be reduced, starting with FUT and then transitioning to FUE for higher Norwood scale patients (like me) is still the preferred way to go.

Since when is there "one of the worlds [sic] premier FUE surgeons" in Redondo Beach? I think that would be news to a lot of people on this forum. If you want a good FUT and don't want to pay through the nose, then you'll probably want to search outside of LA. I went to Konior in Chicago, and I live in Santa Monica. Not inexpensive, but arguably the top FUT surgeon in the world. Definitely top 5.