CaliHairGuy

Hey Blake, Not really in the doldrums. I've been feeling good ever since Dr. K cut into my scalp (Well, except for that one bump where I dislodged 16 grafts ). But yeah, don't want to wait for the hair to grow in. I want it NOW I have enough to keep me distracted, so I'm not too worried. Like I've said previously, Dr. K has such a good track record, I'm not worried about results. I am, however, hoping that I fall into the early results category. But a lot of his patients seem to have really good early results. Time will tell. See you in a month

2 month update. All the grafts have shed (boo). Without all the extra hair to cover up what used to be covered up, you feel a little naked. However, I'm not too worried since I know the problem has been fixed. Takes a lot of the doubt/self-criticism out of the equation. Just wear my baseball hat everyday, no worries. Scalp is noticeably less tight, although parts are still a little numb. And man, scalp can be itchy at times. Going to the gym regularly now. Like I mentioned previously, with all the belly aching about stretched scars, when I asked Dr. Konior's office, they said they had only seen maybe half a dozen cases from their office in all their years in practice. And they also said I was not a case they worried about (super lax scalp). We'll see how I am looking in another month. Has anyone ever gone on a date in the months directly after a HT? I'm kinda curious lol. I know the front is going to look good when done. Dr. Konior put 2700 grafts in there, and I have seen guys look great with 2300 or so. It will be interesting to see what happens with the crown which had 1100. I'm also 5 months in on fin. Let's see if we see some crown improvements in the next 6-12 months beyond the 1100 (I know it will be tough to tell, but we'll see).

I can tell you that being on Fin has affected my libido. However, I will take it for a full year (5 months on it so far, 2 months post HT) and see where I am. I do plan on reducing dosage to 2 or 3 times a week and seeing if that helps once I have gone a year on it. At this point, the side affects are more of an annoyance. I'm single right now and I am busy enough with work that it's not really an issue.

Understood. And that's a good point. Vories is strictly FUE, correct? Regardless of laws, I still think that it's best practice to have the doctor being the one implanting all the grafts. That was a major factor in my HT decision.

I think you need to change this to "...he is the only such strictly FUE doctor in NA that is involved so much in each of his surgeries." I can think of at least a few FUT docs who are involved at that level.

I am fairly certain that Dr. Gabel, like Dr. Konior, places the grafts (or a majority of the grafts) himself. In my opinion, that should be a factor in your decision. It would also explain why Dr. Diep has some fairly bloody post-op scalp pics whereas Gabel and Konior don't.

How many grafts in the front vs. the crown area? Just curious.

Yes, technically H&W is on the west coast But Gabel in Portland is not a bad option either

In short, people are concerned that you're looking at docs out of convenience, which usually ends up with less than stellar results. The closest top doc to you is Dr. Gabel. It's up to you but (for example) I live in LA and went to Chicago for my HT. It's your scalp and your money, but I would advise doing more research before you pull the trigger.

You want to stabilize the loss you've got. I took Propecia for a year and then stopped. Started taking it again 3 months before my HT to stabilize any loss, potential shock loss and potentially re-energize minimized hairs. Also, I have been using Rogaine 5% foam for years. You're still young, so taking it for a year will let you know where you stand and you may experience some thickening. This is especially important for your crown, because the crown is a black hole...you can put a ton of grafts in there and still only see marginal results. May crown loss was a little smaller than yours, and Dr. Konior put 1100 grafts in there for about 10% coverage. We'll see how it looks when it grows in (I'm only 1.5 months post HT), but it should be much better than before my surgery. And just today I noticed that my crown seems a little thicker...and I think it's the fin + Rogaine that is helping.

Except, for natural looks on the hairline, you don't want 2 or 3 hair grafts. You want singles to soften things up. The good thing is, even with less than perfect density, this should be easy to repair/fix once it has grown in. Glad to see it looks ok, except for density...which is minor and a 1st world problem like you said Also, which doctor did this? You never mentioned it.

Let's not throw stones in glass houses. There are so many things that go into a hair transplant and how many different skills a top surgeon needs...for example, the naturalness of a hairline. And truth be told, there are more than a few people here who think that going the lesser docs can present some issues (info exchanged via PMs). If you're happy with it, that's fine. But that doesn't mean it compares to the the top tier guys, many of whom are in North America and mostly do FUT. Second, with regards to BUSA and his anti-strip doctrine, I actually asked my doc, and in all the years of Konior's practice, there have been maybe 6 stretched scars. That's straight from their office. Not some dude on the Internet who (seemingly) has a lot of opinions but no actual HT experience. In fact, the guy he talks about being his "top guy" (IMHO) has some sketchy frontal hairline work. But c'est la vie. People love to be experts on the forums...it's easier than actually being a doctor. There are only a handful of truly top docs in either the FUT category or the FUE category. Personally, for me, I chose a top US FUT doc. Everyone has to make their own decision. And for me, I understand Dr. Feller's frustration. I deal with that same kind of crap at work. People who aren't experts in my field constantly give their opinions on work (mine or others), and many have no idea what they're talking about. THey don't even understand their own ignorance. I know that this is a fairly well-informed place, but at the end of the day, you're at home sitting at a keyboard arguing with a guy who does it for a living and has a really good reputation to boot.

There are some questionable things on Dr. L's site regarding FUT vs. FUE. One of the things he implies is that transaction rates for FUT are higher than FUE. I thought it was commonly accepted that FUT is superior in this area unless you're talking about a butcher of a surgeon. I'm not doubting Dr. L's ability as a surgeon, but the marketing guy definitely took some liberties with that copy.

My question to Dr. Feller would be, if FUE is an alternative procedure, under what conditions does he perform that kind of operation? And I'm an FUT guy because I want the most grafts possible (long term). Maybe another FUT down the line and then FUE after that (if needed). However, hair cloning if and when that ever happens will make all this a moot point

You definitely should be taking Rogaine and Propecia to stabilize your hairloss. After you take fin for a year, you can reduce the dosage to 2-3 times a week for maintenance. I myself have a NW5 pattern, borderline 6. I went for a larger surgery (3800 grafts) and FUT, as opposed to FUE.

I am 1.5 months post FUT with Dr. Konior. I would let that man cut into my scalp again anytime Looking forward to seeing your results.

If you want to stay on the West Coast and are open to an FUT, check out Dr. Gabel in Portland. FYI, I live in LA and flew to Chicago for my surgery. Broadening your horizons to find a top doc, whether in the US or abroad, is not a bad idea.

BUSA is anti-strip, but I still am not sure after reading a bunch of his posts whether or not he's actually had a hair transplant. It comes down to a few things. FUE is more expensive (especially in the states) but has the convenience feature, if you ever fancy shaving your head real short. If you're looking to take advantage of the most potential future grafts, FUT is the way to go because you can always do FUE later. I had FUT, and I had it for a few reasons...I wanted a big (large graft count) surgery and the graft transection rate for FUT is extremely low, especially with a doctor like Konior. And as much as some guys make noise about scars on this site, unless I get cancer, I won't be showing my scar to anyone. And if I do get cancer, a scar will be the least of my worries.

Sometimes I think people get used to living life once they get their hair back and forget about posting on the forums

Updates?

Ok, slightly updated list for "Best FUT surgeons:" Ron Shapiro in MN Konior in Chicago Hasson of Hasson & Wong in Vancouver Rahal in Ottawa Feriduni in Belgium Then you have the close to the elite group...I would call these guys Tier 1B, not tier 2. Gabel in Portland, OR Feller Arocha Wong of Hasson & Wong. There are still some good surgeons out there (like Path in Bangkok for example), but the title of this thread is "best."

I'm not as up on the European guys as the guys in North America. Feriduni is Europe, correct? So let us tweak the list... Ron Shapiro in MN Konior in CHicago Hasson of Hasson & Wong in Vancouver Rahal in Ottawa Feriduni in Belgium Then you have the close to the elite group... Gabel in Portland, OR Feller Arocha Bisanga? Wong of Hasson & Wong. There are still some good surgeons out there (Path in Bangkok for example), but the title of this thread is "best."

Just checked out his site. Knowing what the top US doctors charge, the $5760 flat fee over 1800 grafts scares me. Hell, Invisalign from a highly-regarded orthodontist in Santa Monica cost me $6,000. Also, based on some of the patient pics, it looks like he uses lower graft counts for areas where other doctors use more. That's my 2 cents.

Good luck with your surgery. I actually had more 3's than 1's as well, which left me kinda dumbfounded when the doc told me graft counts. 540 1's, 1880 2's and 1400 3's. I have no idea what it will look like when it's all done, but am hoping for the best. Never heard of 4's and 5's either, but that's pretty cool

This is an older thread, but the consensus for top FUT surgeons seems to be: Shapiro in MN Konior in CHicago Hasson & Wong in Vancouver Rahal in Ottawa Bisanga in Brussels Then you have some that are arguably in or close to this group... Gabel in Portland, OR Feller Arocha Then after that it seems to be a bunch of JAGs (Just Another Guy). Now, I know there are still some good surgeons out there (Path in Bangkok for example), but the title of this thread is "best." That's what I've gleaned from this site, anyways.