FuriousGeorge

I've seen a lot of good posts about what to bring, but wondering what H&W specifically provide you for post-op recovery (ie, travel pillow for sleeping that night, saline spray, pillow covers, etc.).

If anyone has any pro tips on what they provide vs what to bring, I would be grateful! 

Hey there,

Preparing for an FUT mega session from Dr Hasson in 2 weeks and want to make sure I am fully prepared.

Anything you wish you did/ brought for post-procedure treatment? Anything you’re glad you did/brought? 
 

Looking for any and all expertise. 
 

Thanks!

Brandon 

Curious - for my own learning - why you went with FUE over FUT?

I've been told I have average laxity and that to help get the best yield it would be good to do some scalp stretching a few months prior to surgery. 

I've seen H&W's stretching videos and have been told to do as much stretching as possible.

BUT I'm really struggling to stay consistent with it and don't feel like it's doing much. 

Has anyone else experience this and did you find stretching was effective and any tips on how to do it / how to stay disciplined about it?

On 5/22/2021 at 4:32 PM, DaveWheeler said:

Contact the Canadian Border. Ask what you need to do to enter the country. Get a letter from your Doctor saying you have an appointment on so and so. They will let you across. I did this a few months ago with the American border. I Drove across the border because I had a doctors note. Just call ahead of time. Or just fly into Canada and quarantine for 3 days. There are many ways around it.

Just to clarify, are you Canadian? The US will still let Canadians in with just a negative test. It’s not the same way for Americans trying to get into Canada. I’ve talked about all options with Doug and Christine at H&W and nothing will work. I keep a close eye on the news and regulations - Canada makes you quarantine for two weeks, not three days. All the info can be found here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/travel-restrictions-exemptions.html

Not bad at all (assuming border opens). You could get in this fall/winter.

39 minutes ago, hairophile said:

@FuriousGeorgeThis must be really frustrating for you! I second that.

I am new here and doing my research. What made you pick H&W over Dr Konior?

I’ve done research for about 5 years - consulted with H&W office in Seattle back when Mike was the consultant (now replaced by Doug). Visited H&W during a business trip last year also. I used this site a lot, including talking with many previous patients of many doctors behind Hasson and Konior. 

My case is I need an FUT mega session (4-5k grafts) to densely fill in a lost frontal third and restore a hairline, including a bit of temple work. Hasson is reputed to be the best at doing this. I consulted with Dr Konior when the border closed to explore my options and was surprised when he confirmed Hasson’s specialty of densely packing large mega sessions and he encouraged me to wait it out and stick with Hasson. Konior is top notch and very honest and ethical, but it was one more data point from an honest expert that Hasson was the right choice for me. 

Another difference to consider between the two is Konior is more expensive and he does everything himself (minus assistance from key techs), which puts his waitlist at usually 1+ year out. Hasson has techs do a lot of the work outside of making the strip and the recipient slits - but those techs have all been there for a very long time and are proven professionals from what I’ve discovered.

It really all depends on your goals - either doctor will be world class, but Hasson seems the best for my situation and goals. 

Things seem to look positive by summer (maybe) and fall (more likely) for border openings. 

4 hours ago, TrialAcc said:

Why don't you just fly in and book a airbnb or something for 2~ weeks if possible? Pretty sure you can skip the quarantine with negative covid tests on both sides of the flight. BC is beautiful in the early summer, maybe make a mini vacation out of it once the healing is done? 

Border is closed to all US citizens - only Canadians traveling back from the US are mandated to quarantine. If a US citizen shows up by plane, train, car, boat or hot air balloon, they will be turned away....unless it’s considered essential services ( I would argue hair restoration is essential - if only Trudeau were bald, maybe he’d agree 🤣). 

5 minutes ago, asterix0 said:

Yes, the process is very much psychological as well. The long waiting periods, the ugly duckling phase where doubt inevitably creeps in...through all that time you want to feel confident that your decision to invest your time, money, and energy will turn out well. 

That actually brings up a good point/question - how did you all hide the procedure during the initial months post hair transplant? I work in tech and CAN wear a hat at work, but I don’t that often and people will probably be like “why is he wearing hats all the time now?”

Especially with FUT, it seems it’s more hard to conceal with the a big scar across the back of the head. 

6 minutes ago, asterix0 said:

If Dr. Konior is booked until 2022, that is a long time, but I believe the wait will be worth it. This is a permanent decision and you want to have the utmost confidence in your surgeon, I think waiting a bit more is worth that peace of mind. 

Yes, I agree. While I don't doubt Konior is world-class, not going to my doctor of choice will always result in the "what could have been" scenario that will hang over me forever. But who knows - Konior could be more fitting than Hasson in my scenario, but I think mentally the "cognitive bias" will at least give me peace of mind. 

If anything, this was a good therapy session to build up more patience.  Thanks everyone - this community and forum is great!

Realistically, I am able to wait it out - I don’t have a wedding or anything that is rushing things. It’s more of just a major annoyance, as I’ve researched for 5 years and finally was ready to pull the trigger with Hasson last year and then everything shut down and keeps getting pushed out. 
 

But it’s the unknown that’s frustrating me and the question of if I will always think “what could have been” if I go with someone else. Konior is obviously world class and I’d probably be fine, but it’s interesting (and applaudable) that he is honest with me in encouraging me to wait it out for Hasson if I can. 

Been pushing my megasession FUT appointment (4-4.5k grafts) with Dr Hasson for almost a year now and Canada is not looking very positive relative to the US. It seems super unclear when the border will open and it’s getting super frustrating to see no end in sight. 

I’ve decided I will only let Hasson or Konior cut me. 

I’ve recently consulted with Dr. Konior who has been great in providing good info on what he would do (4K grafts) and his overall assessment. I was transparent with him about my perpetual Hasson appointment and he openly informed me that Dr Hasson is very good at large sessions and advised me to wait things out of I could, which was an interesting and honest response. 

Konior has a non-refundable $2k deposit, which really discourages me from booking something with him as a backup in case the border continues to stay closed into 2022.

I don’t doubt that Konior would do a great job, but wanted to call out for any other info I should consider and any advice or recommendations? 

 

First one 

Interesting- I am scheduled for Dr Hasson for an FUT. Would have got it last year, but border closing screwed things up and kept pushing my appointment out. I can’t imagine them not offering it when most competitors still offer it. 

I think it’s important to state the creatine study so people can make the decision on their own - it’s been only one study with a small group of rugby players. I won’t go into the details here, as it’s easy to find with a simple Google search.  

But the net net is that there isn’t enough conclusive evidence/other studies with a big enough sample size to positively conclude that creatine causes/furthers hair loss. 

I’m not saying that it does or it doesn’t - just that the data has not yet been able to scientifically prove it. 

On 1/1/2021 at 12:38 PM, O Hare 57 said:

I had three appointments pushed back for covid, then went to doc in USA.  I think you have to quarantine in Canada for two weeks B4 you can get out.  Its a bitch.  I met with Dr. Wong in person in late 2018, made appointment, then covid hit and screwed up my plans.  I would wait for the dang vaccine.  The prime minister wont open Canada until then I believe.  It sucks but that's the way it is.  I would plan your visit for late summer/Fall.  You could do virtual consult then get surgery.  Until the vaccine is distributed nothing on this planet will be normal.  After that it may still be a mess.  Hopefully not.

 

Happy New year!!!!

Out of curiosity, which doc did you go with? 

I have an appointment with Dr Hasson in Vancouver that keeps getting pushed. I’m seeing on the Canada travel site that it is POSSIBLE to cross the Canada border as a US citizen for essential medical services (but it will ultimately be up to the border agent), with quarantine included. 

As much as most of us here would consider hair restoration as “essential,” I’m not sure a border agent would buy it....but wondering if anyone else has successfully crossed the border for this same reason to see a Canadian doctor? 
 

13 hours ago, BespokeHair said:

I've been told by other top notch doctors the stats they quote on the "megasessions" are misleading and I think double counting in some way 

This is the first time I’ve heard this about H&W and feel they have a good reputation of being highly ethical.....but any loyalty/bias aside it’s a good thought in general -  can you elaborate further? It’s a good point in how each doctor/clinic chooses to quantify grafts. 

1 hour ago, hairlossPA said:

it’s the super dense packing that they do that drew me to them

Did you feel you got the same result from your recent experience with Dr Bloxham?

20 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Hasson & Wong are arguably the best you can get! If it’s a option for you then yes why not go for it ! 

Question for you and the group - H&W get a lot of love on this forum. I myself have a date with them, but Canada is not looking good for the foreseeable future...like to the point where discouragement is setting in. 

But since my date keeps moving out, I've had a chance to take a step back and analyze (and criticize) my decision making process.

So here's the question: WHAT is it that makes H&W the best? What competitive advantage do they have over everyone else that (in today's climate) makes it worth waiting for the border to re-open? I feel like I've done tons of research over 3+ years and consulted with 5+ of top tier doctors from this forum, but I'd like to hear from people smarter than me with clear datapoints that support the argument of why they are considered the best. (and to talk me down from going to another Doctor - Konior and Gable)

Is it they have more techs who are skilled enough to do megasessions? Is it because they are more ethical? Can they pack denser grafts?

Looking forward to your responses! 

11 hours ago, LonelyGraft said:

Whatever you choose...my advice is to not rush into anything. Part of it is going with your gut. 

Agreed - been doing homework for 3+ years and I’m SO glad I did. It’s amazing how much there is to learn before making this decision. 
 

If I went for it back then I would have made terrible choices and ruined my donor. 

Thanks all - this is great insight and info. 

Frontal third and establishing a natural hairline is #1 priority. 

Hasson told me I had 7-8k grafts total in the donor area. I would be super upset if 10 years from now i looked like a monk because I lost everything around the crown and couldn’t do anything about it  - I’d rather play the long game.

I feel confident in pushing back and just asking Hasson for a more conservative temple design, if anything, to save grafts for worst case scenario or future major loss. 

Hasson is obviously stellar and I will wait and see what happens around November and will decide if Canada even has a chance  of opening. If it doesn’t look good, Gabel is my guy. 

52 minutes ago, ShadowMoon said:

How old are you?

Edit: Also, are you on Finasteride? If so, how long, and have you experienced further loss despite taking it?

38yo.

Finasteride and foam Minoxidil for 3 years.

No growth, but haven’t seen much recession/thinning since. I wanted objective data, so have measured from my hairline to my right eyebrow over the past year and seen the same numbers.

Only subjective indicator I have is I notice 10-15 hairs in my hand after styling, which makes me nervous, but apparently that’s normal. 

25 minutes ago, pre-screened said:

I would go as far to say your a case that Hasson specializes in - mega session FUT.

i could easily see you comprosmising for the more conservative Gabel alternative hairline and then being back in the chair 12 months later working towards something similar to what Hasson feels he can accomplish in one session.

I would wait if preference is the Hasson solution - you’ve waited long enough already what’s another couple of months. Borders will open post November election I think. 

I tend to agree and this is what I am leaning towards. I would rather go with (what I think) is a world class result that would help me achieve everything in one pass vs always wondering "what if"? But the thought in the back of my mind is if they can achieve the same level as Hasson, which doesn't seem likely, which is interesting. 

I am hopeful for November, since they are pushing vaccines for that first week, but won't be holding my (masked) breath. 

1 hour ago, hairlossPA said:

Im in the same scenario as you.. been pushed back date of H&W multiple times... 

I'm curious about what you are considering as alternatives? Feel free to direct message me.