BDK081522

I, myself, and at least one other forum member that I know of have gone to Dr. Konior to repair Diep's work. When I was there in recently he actually said he's been seeing more repairs come to him from this particular surgeon. So take that for what it is. 

Take a look at Dr Konior. He does fantastic repair work. Here's one example of a flap repair but there's numerous cases to review on this forum.

Raymond Konior, MD | Chicago Hair Institute | 3,685 Graft Hairline Repair of Frontal Flap

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/56063-raymond-konior-md-chicago-hair-institute-3685-graft-hairline-repair-of-frontal-flap/

That's a beautifully constructed dense yet natural hairline! Congrats 

Excellent donor management!

46 minutes ago, trynagetaHT said:

I’ve recently been looking at hair transplant prices and they seem exorbitant in the US (and even worldly across top HT clinics). Assuming a doctor works 3 weeks less than all weekdays (261), they’re working 240 days. Let’s assume they, on average, do around 10k FUE grafts a day across several patients and charge $8 a graft. 

 

This means they make close to $20 million a year. Isn’t that unreasonably high? And it doesn’t have to be this way -- countries with top tier doctors, say India or Turkey, still only charge $1-$2 a graft (bicer, Yaman, soni), leading them to make around $4 million, which is still a hefty wage. 

 

Other plastic surgery specialities in the US (i.e. top rhinoplasty doctors) make similar to $5 million before fees as well.

 

There’s obviously a lot of fees in HT especially Ie staffing, marketing, OR fees, but not enough to justify a $16 million dollar difference. I’d still imagine the HT surgeon takes home 50% of the money. Even if my ballparks are off, they shouldn't be so off to distract from my point.

 

Do you think top doctors are taking it too far? This especially applies in countries like India where cost of living is significantly cheaper, yet some doctors are charging US prices.

 

Most top clinics aren't operating on 3 patients per day. Nor are they transplanting 10,000 FUE grafts per day. Nor do they operate every day. There's clinic time, follow up appointments and and a great deal that goes into a successful private surgical practice. You've simplified this scenario way too much to be useful. And as previously mentioned, it's supply vs demand. If you're highly skilled the demand will be there. I actually think most hair restoration surgeons are underpiced. Compare it to the auto industry. You wouldn't think twice about getting a brand new car for $30,000. That's a very cheap car that will get you 10-15 years of use if maintained well. Hair restoration is a lifelong change that impacts your image and should be given the respect it deserves. 

You need to stop thinking about surgeons as the "best". There is no singular best surgeon. Best is subjective..What you consider to be a fantastic result may seem mediocre to some. You need to look at as many results as possible from the doctors you are considering. Then choose the surgeon you think is "best" for your particular objectives. With that being said, it's best to stay on your medical regimen and revisit hair restoration when your loss is completely stabilized. Closer to 30 years old is a better plan of attack. 

1 hour ago, SadMan2021 said:

What are all the plastic surgeries? I'm curious. 

It's almost like a sales ploy that all these elite doctors have super long waiting times of say 1 yr or more. Konior is known to have a waitlist of 1 yr, but 90% of all the actual patient reviews and experiences, the patients get in and have surgery much earlier than that. The 1 yr wait time can play into the image/reputation factor that you are seeing an elite, very in-demand doctor. 

When there is a longer wait time, IMO it pressures the patient to act RIGHT AWAY and book their deposit asap. The longer you delay the longer the wait will be! Also, it can be verifiably sketch to have a doctor who only has a stated 1 month wait time or something. It means the doctor has no demand and probably sucks. 

That all being said, some people just get incredibly lucky. Maybe there is a last minute cancellation or other opening, and if your consultation is at the right moment, you can get in right away. 

I know a guy who just had surgery with Dr. Wong and he only had to wait a few weeks. I was also chatting with a Dr. Mwamba patient and he only had a 3 week wait-time. 

I've literally never ever seen a real-life example of this discussed, but I do think if you are mega-wealthy and perhaps want to pay 4 or 5x the quoted price, you can probably exchange someone else's appointment time. Or with that much money, the doctor will surely find a way to fit you in. 

I find it really hard to believe that A-list celebrities, athletes, and billionaires have to get in the back of the line and twiddle their thumbs like everyone else. 

The top surgeons in the world don't use these "deceptive" techniques to get you to book as soon as possible. Most are ethical and wouldn't stoop to such a marketing ploy. I guarantee Couto and Zarev have legitimately super long waits because they are meticulous with every aspect of the whole experience. I heard a patient say he flew to Bulgaria for an in person consultation with Zarev and he spent over 3 hours with him. As for Konior I know for a fact he's booked that far in advance. I waited 15 months for my first with him. I got my second in after about a 5 month wait bc he had a cancellation. All other dates were over a year out. It's all about supply demand. 

That FUT scar is fantastic! You've held onto your crown very well for no meds. That's rare with how much frontal recession you had. Look forward to the next few months and the hair storm!

On 3/23/2022 at 10:29 PM, Kashnw7hope said:

Great progress , you did not shed that much surprisingly . Are you on medication as well (Fin/Dut/Min)? 

He definitely shed. What you're seeing  is all the previously transplanted hair. Sometimes this shocks out as well but he held on to alot of it. 

You don't need to bring minoxidil. Refrain from using it during the immediate post op healing period. He says you can restart at two weeks  

Yes, should be a temporary shed. When the new grafts start growing around 3-4 months so will the shocked hair. 

All looks normal. Many experience shock loss in the recipient and donor. Some even experience it in areas not touched during the transplant. Just the trauma of surgery sends hair into the telogen phase. 

@Melvin- Moderator you should be well over a year on oral minoxidil now. Are you still at the 1.25 MG dose or have you upped it to 2.5 MG? Do you think it has worked as good or better than topical in your experience?

His result should look fine because of his unusual pattern of loss. Most of the thinning was behind his native hairline so graft angles and thickness aren't as important here. Just give coverage and it'll look fine. I must say though after looking through Now Hair Time Instagram page, they design some of the worst hairlines I've ever seen. So low and an rounded temple closure. It just looks so unnatural and screams transplant. And these are the ones they showcase as their best work. Half of their pictures they style the hair so you can't even seen the hairline. Avoid this clinic at all costs. 

Trust me it will look natural. It might not be the thickest transplant you've ever seen with chunky grafts broken up by a zig zag pattern but the thing that Dr. Konior excels at is naturalness. His transplants are indistinguishable from natural hair growth when it comes to angles and hair graft selection. 

7 minutes ago, JoeMan said:

Don't think he went to Cooley? Says Dr. Carlos Wesley but either way I agree that it might require a touch up. It certainly looks fixable but it's still too soon to panic. 

Sorry, you're correct..it was Wesley. But the same sentiment holds true. 

8 hours ago, washingtondc said:

Sorry for the delay, these are the pictures from the 7 month mark...

Again, this is with fairly standard front lighting that's a bit above eye level.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little apprehensive at this point. There doesn't really seem to be much discernable difference between this and the previous month's photos...

Is anyone ever done growing at the 6 month mark? Things definitely need to thicken up a lot more to not look strange in a lot of environments...

I must say that at this point you have a relatively good idea of how things will turn out. The transplant is not done maturing and the thickness may improve slightly but that's only one issue that I think is making it look slightly unnatural. If you zoom in you can see there are definitely two hair grafts in the first row of the hairline. If you combine low density with multi-grafts it is going to look unnatural most of the time. I wouldn't have expected this with a surgeon like Wesley so I would definitely bring it up at the next visit. 

Those temple points are going to be stellar! They will look so natural when the transplant matures. It's the attention to detail and choosing the correct grafts for the correct area that sets Konior apart. Pristine post-op pictures as we've come to expect from him!

Extremely nice natural looking restoration! Great job!

You've had massive trauma to your head 14 days ago. Why do you think there should be no signs of surgery at this point. Honestly, you're over analyzing the situation and need to just let yourself heal. You have 12 months until you see the final result so worrying at this point is futile. Even if you think the grafts looked misangled at this point (as I previously mentioned, I don't think they do) your hair is not going to be this short when the transplant matures. As such, this will be completely unnoticeable when the hair gets longer. 

Shedding can occur anywhere from 2-6 weeks. So, yes it's possible. If you notice grafts falling the next couple of days then this could be just shedding and not incorrect angulation. 

Ideally to get an accurate assessment of angles we would need to see pictures post scab removal but before shedding. I have a feeling that the original pictures show grafts that are about to shed. These hairs do usually go in random directions as they transition into from catagen to telogen. I wouldn't write off a good result just yet. Only time will tell but don't lose hope. 

The work looks really good 👍🏼. Dr Haber is a solid choice and the hairline design is spot on.

Yes, true plugs were what surgeons were doing in the 80's and 90's because that's all the technology and instrumentation could offer. Strip surgery came next with dissection into follicular units and FUE is the newest method of extraction. The term pluggy hairline usually isn't actually referring to the old "plugs". It's referring to multi unit grafts or coarse singles with bad angles in the front of the hairline thereby making it look unnatural. 

That FUT scar healed amazingly and your FUE extraction pattern is flawless. No doubt you'll be able to go short on the sides.