Tao

Just had my third surgery with Dr. Konior on Monday, March 9. My first two go arounds were FUT (in 2009 and 2010) but his time I did FUE. Really had no choice because my scalp is tight after the two FUTs. I won't get pics from Dr. Konior for a bit as he's understandably busy but when I do get them, I'll update my blog/website. I have gone from being pretty much nearly bald when I started all this to pretty much having a full head of hair, thanks to Dr. Konior's amazing skill. When I first started all this, I was pretty uninformed about the hair transplant industry and the multitude of things to consider when thinking about a hair transplant. I fortunately found this site, which is loaded with extremely helpful information and people who offer genuine and well-informed advice. Thank you all for that! And thank you moderators for the great job you do and service you provide to people who are concerned/stressed/depressed/desperate/curious about their hair loss and their options. My first procedure restored a non-existent hairline with 2800 FUT grafts. That was a surreal experience as I couldn't really believe I was going to do this HT thing. To be honest, it seemed like a pretty dicey snake oil industry to me. But I was kinda desperate and I read a ton on this site - enough to convince me to give it a try. I was pretty damn poor to be honest so it was a heavy lift to finance my first HT, especially since I found out it was going to cost roughly twice what I originally figured (and that original figure seemed kinda outta reach at first). I'm glad I didn't let money force me to make a poor decision. I scrimped and saved and used a 0% credit card to get it done. I ended up choosing Dr. Konior because he was recommended on this site and he was fortunately, the closest recommended doctor to where i live. Man did I get lucky! The FUT procedure was frankly a bit jarring as you get heavily sedated, your head gets sliced up like a pumpkin and you get these big silver Frankenstein staples put in your head that had to stay in for about two weeks. And my head was numb and sore for several months which was a bit concerning. However, Dr. Konior's work was exceptionally clean and I was back at work in less than two weeks with no one knowing anything. I kinda forgot about it but four months later, my new hair started coming in like gangbusters and I was getting all kinds of confused comments (your new hairstyle is nice, did you change your wardrobe?, etc). The framing of my face made a huge positive difference. Well, I was pretty much hooked after that as i learned that in the right hands, an amazing HT was possible. About a year later, I went on for a second FUT pass with Dr. Konior to cover up my crown and shore up my hairline. That one yielded 2400 grafts and when it was all said and done, I had pretty mucb restored all my hair (not really as it is somewhat of an illusion but I have thick hair and it's a good and effective illusion). When I had this second procedure, Dr. Konior didn't shave my head, instead working around the existing hair (he charges more for this now but didn't back then). I was back at work in a week with no one being able to tell I had anything done. Dr. K's work is immaculate and my existing hair covered the staples. I had those removed later by a doctor in my hometown (who commented he had never seen such a small and neat scar) and then 6 months later, I had a full head of hair and was ecstatic. I have never taken propecia as I just don't really feel comfortable messing with my natural hormones. Just a personal choice and maybe had I read more about propecia sooner before losing so much hair, I would have made a different choice. But I haven't taken it and don't plan to. I used Rogaine for a while but quit as it was a pain. I did lose some hair after quitting though but by that time, it was pretty bad anyway. My two hair transplants pretty much changed my life. I have been really happy with the results for the past decade. In recent years, I started to lose a little more hair from my crown and along my part (propecia likely would have helped that, I admit). So I pulled the trigger again and went back and talked to Dr. Konior. He suggested 1500 FUE grafts this time and I think when it was all done, he got around 1600. I was fortunate in that my wait time was only several months. I think he must have fit me in a cancellation slot. Anyway, the FUE procedure was an absolute piece of cake. After the morning of consult and planning, I took a valium, laid down on the chair, felt a few minor anesthesia pricks (although the valium pretty much sent me into orbit) and then woke a few hours later to take a bathroom break. Another valium, back in the chair, a few minor pricks, woke around lunchtime to eat a provided sandwich. Last valium, back in the chair, felt/heard a few of the incisions being made (no pain at all) before snoozing. Woke at 5 pm and was told everything went very smoothly and I'm all done. It literally felt like a 5 minute day. Not to Dr. K and his great staff, I'm sure. I had no pain afterwards. None. Dr. K.'s very nice receptionist, Lisa, drove me to my local hotel and I ate dinner and promptly fell asleep for the night. Did I mention no pain? (and no pain medicine). I woke up the next morning and had a little trickle of blood on my head. I drove into Dr. K's office for my cleaning and they figured I knocked a graft slightly out while sleeping, causing the bleeding. They put it back in, cleaned me up and off I drove 2.5 hours home feeling great. The only downside to this procedure was that they had to shave my head down to more easily access my donor grafts and more easily place them where they belong. That was kind of a bummer because damn, my hair was looking pretty good aside from that bald spot in back (which I could easily cover with fibers). I gotta say, my potato head does not look all that good bald. Not terrible but not great. But its the price I have to pay. At home, I'm spraying the recipient sites but man, I have almost no scabs and the work is so clean I have a hard time finding it on my head. Fortunately I can work at home this week and with the CORONA virus stuff going on, that may extend into the next several weeks, at which time, my hair should be grown in a lot more and looking more normal. I may have to interact with folks though and they'll see my shaved head and my FUT scar so instead of trying to be sneaky and stealth about all this, I may just come clean. I'm much less concerned about what people think these days and hell, when it grows in, it looks damn good! So what's to be embarrassed about? Alright, that's long enough. Hope I haven't bored you to tears. So grateful for the amazing immaculate work of Dr. Konior and the great interactions with is great staff. I'm a fan for sure. Also grateful for all of you who share your stories, experiences, fears and hopes. I wish you all the best on your journeys. I'll update my blog when I get pre-op, immediate post-op and results photos. In the meantime, everyone be safe and careful out there. We're in new territory with this COVID 19 stuff.

Always amazing work. I'm really excited for my session with Dr. Konior in early March.

Dr. Konior does amazingly clean work. I'm scheduled for my third and hopefully last session with Dr. Konior in March. Doing another run at my crown (this time FUE) and a little shoring up of my part. You're lucky in that Dr. Konior didn't have to shave any of your non-donor area. Because he will be shoring up a few other areas, I don't think I'll be as lucky. But I feel extremely lucky to get one more procedure by Dr. Konior so I'll suck it up. Happy growing and Ill look forward to following your results.

I'll add my total endorsement of Dr. Konior here. He really is meticulous, does much of the work himself, and his work is extremely neat and clean. I had two transplants done by him and went to work after 10 days each time and no one noticed anything. It was amazing. He didn't shave me down either time. And oh yeah, I got great results from his work. I think he really is one of the best.

Yogo, You and I live parallel lives. I did two HTs with Dr. Konior as well and both were very stealth due to Dr. Konior's excellent work. You'll be very pleased, as I am! Cheers!

Congrats Spanker, you chose well indeed! I found Dr. Konior's work incredibly clean and meticulous. After both my HTs, I went back to work very early and no one ever noticed a thing. It was pretty incredible. I've been thrilled with my HT's from him and I know you will be too. Looking forward to following your results.

Very nice result. I'll bet it cost more than my first house.

Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, I have had a similar experience, Sunnycoastman. I was getting pretty damn bald and then I got most of my hair back with 2 HTs and the difference in how I'm perceived (let alone how I perceive myself) has been very noticeable. It is like a wierd social experiment where I've been on both sides. What's funny is that my friends' balding doesn't affect how I feel about them at all. When we bald, we think everyone is as obsessed about our hair as we are ourselves and that's just not the case.

Good luck, Spanker! You'll be in great hands!

Spanker, if you;re going to Dr. Konior, you will definitely be in good hands. I had two transplants from him and for sure it does not look like I've had any work done. Only people who look now are the ones who knew me when I was really going bald. And they're confused as hell. So much so that I often tell them because I don't really care anymore who knows.

Wow, that is one great transformation! The little waviness of your hair helps our a lot. You look awesome, dude. Congrats!

It's not the physical act of taking a pill everyday that bothers me. That's easy. I brush my teeth every morning, so popping a pill is not biggie. I just didn't like the idea of messing with my body's hormones just for vanity reasons. Plus, once you start, you're committed unless you want to lose everything you gained. I just didn't like it. So I opted against it. I did use Rogaine for several years and though it didn't really grow more hair, I believe it did buy me some time. I wasn't sure it was doing anything though so after awhile, I quit using it. And boy did my hair loss accelerate after that! I imagine it's the same with Propecia. Still, I can totally understand men using Propecia. We all weigh the risks and benefits in life and make the choice that we're comfortable with. Balding sucks, no doubt, and it has a huge negative impact on people. So for many, Propecia is surely worth the risks.

Hi hdude46, Thanks for the compliment. Yeah, those pics are a little blurry as my camera isn't great. I can try again and post some current photos. Let's see, I'm almost two years out now from my second HT so I think it would indeed be helpful to post current pics. I'm basically unchanged from those 7 mos. photos and still very happy. Of course, I have hair greed and would love to have a little more density in the crown, but that is the black hole region and maybe no matter how many transplants I had, I'd never fully be satisfied. I just wanted some coverage over the glaring dome and I certainly got that. From straight on, I don't look like I'm balding at all. From a helicopter view, I look like a 45 year-old man with some thinning going on in back. Pretty much like most of my friends my age. I can live with that. If I came into a bunch of money, I'd consider a third procedure, but for now I've spent enough and have other financial priorities. Like I've said before, I accomplished what I set out to and the effect on my life has been nothing but positive. I'll try to get some updated pics up soon.

the_bald_reality_2012, I hear ya. I can understand where you're coming from and the frustration you feel. I met with a few charlatans and I still feel dirty for even having talked with them. And yes, this HT stuff can be a slippery slope where one is constantly chasing something that is ultimately elusive. And yes, I agree that self esteem and acceptance should come from within and not stem from the amount of hair one has or the clothes one wears or the car one drives, etc. But it's not quite as black and white as you make it out to be. My experience with Dr. Konior was excellent. He was straight up with me about expectations and what could and could not be achieved and he was in the room almost the entire time for both of my procedures. Do I have the hair of a 20 year old now? Nope. But did my HTs meet my expectations? Nope. They far exceeded them in my case. And I have posted my pics and my experience below. For me, I definitely made the right choice and wouldn't change anything. I'd be OK with being bald as I'm in great physical shape, have a lot of friends and know that in the big picture, hair is really nothing. But I did my homework, had my expectations in line with reality and pulled the trigger and it worked out for me with very little fuss at all. Maybe I'm just one of the few lucky ones, but I don't think so. I've seen too many good results. That said, I've seen plenty of horror stories too and concede that if that had been my experience, then I'd probably be writing the same things you are. In any case, I think its good that all experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly - are expressed here so people contemplating HTs get the full spectrum of this HT business. Then they can make up their own minds. So thanks for your input and thanks for being civil as well. Cheers.

Time To Do Something, Sorry to hear about your journey. That has to be pretty rough, yet you seem to have enough self-esteem to deal with it - good! I totally agree with Jotronic and StaggerLee - for me, there certainly is a sweet spot regarding hair length. For me, short on the sides and longer on top (to a point) work really well for me. I cut my own hair with clippers so it's pretty easy for me to maintain that sweet spot without spending anything on haircuts. And I totally disagree with the guy who was disparaging hair transplants. I was NW4/5 and I had two transplants with Dr. Konior and the effect was dramatic and life-changing. My hair looks pretty damn thick when I'm inside but on windy days or under really really bright light, it's clear i don't have the hair of a 20 year old. But given where I came from, I'm extremely satisfied. I'm not super well off financial-wise and my HTs cost about what I'd pay for a nice new car (which I could use right now!), but I don't regret my decision one bit. I hope you can find your sweet spot and that things work out for you.

The new style definitely makes a huge improvement. I'm not a HT doc for sure, but your donor hair doesn't look bad at all in those pics. I guess it's finer than it looks. Anyway, you look like someone who was maybe a Norwood 5 who had a HT and got pretty decent results. And you still have the $10k plus it would have cost! Not too bad a deal.

Yeah, all that and more. Just wait until the grafts actually start growing. You'll have to force yourself to quit looking in the mirror and smiling. Congratulations!

I used minoxidil for awhile and that likely delayed some hair loss for me, but it wasn't totally stopping it. Then got sick of it and went off it and lost a bunch of hair fairly quickly. Was advised to get on propecia but didn't want to. I either wanted to just accept my hairloss and move on (I was in my later 30s by that time) or have hair without meds or foam or fuss. In my case, the latter was possible as I my hair loss pattern, certainly extensive, was pretty much set. Two HTs later and I achieved my goal. No meds for me. Due to hair greed, I could see going back one more time to add a bit more density to my crown area but it's totally not necessary. As I had lost most of what I was going to lose before my HTs, propecia wasn't and still isn't going to do much for me and isn't worth the risk for me. Everyone's situation is different though. I could have started taking propecia in my 20s and certainly kept my native hair for a lot longer than I did. It certainly would have been a lot cheaper than 2 HTs. In the end, the way I chose worked out for me.

Cant decide, I have had the same experience you had. I had two HTs and the change in my was dramatic. But very few people have ever said anything. So either they're thinking, what the...? or they are just not that much into my life to notice or care what's going on with my hair. Kinda funny. I was pretty secretive about my HTs at first, mainly because I wasn't so sure they were going to work. Now that they have worked, I'm not that uncomfortable with people knowing. Yeah, I had some hair moved around on my head to make better use of it, so what? Good on ya!

Take a look at my pics (link below). I was in a similar place as you. Lost all my hairline and even more than you going back to my crown. I had two procedures done a year apart. The first put 2800 grafts up in my hairline. It made a huge and dramatic improvement as AnthonySC is correct. People see your face and hairline. When your face is framed again, man, what a difference. After my first HT, I still had a some density issues up front and of course an entirely bald crown that I desperately wanted at least partially covered. My second HT (2300 grafts) added a few hundred grafts up front to shore up density and the rest went to my crown. I'd love to get one more to add a little more coverage and density to my crown but I'm over the moon with what I have now so anything else is just hair greed. You could do one megasession of 4-5000 grafts, but I'd recommend doing two sessions of smaller amounts. I think you get better yield in the long run (less transection risk and more blood supply going to transplanted grafts) and have the flexibility of adding grafts in specifics areas of your choosing on the second pass (ie. adding density to areas more important to you). Whatever you choose, I wish you all the best. Hairloss sucks and I've been extremely fortunate to go through it and come out the other side grateful and satisfied. I hope the same for you.

After now having had two HTs, my thinking about people knowing has changed. At first, I was pretty embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know. There's still this perception about HTs that persists from the era of doll plugs and really crappy work. So if I laid down a helluva lot of money and got a horrible result, that would have felt humiliating. But that didn't happen. I got great results and though I told a few close friends before the second surgery (because trying to come up with an excuse to disappear for 10 days again was too much work), most people do not know. The second surgery was also a success so now I can say with hindsight, I don't really care who knows. Yeah, I moved some hair around on my head to make better use of it and look better. You ever see how much shit women put on their faces and in their hair every day to make themselves look better? How bout men too? So why should I feel embarrassed to move some hair around? Yeah, I did it and am glad and hey, I see you are receding a bit there too, fella. Let me know if you need some advice on who to go see and what to look for. I agree with hairthere. Ultimately, your wife did you a favor although frankly I'd be pissed she did it without advanced warning or talking to me about it. The choice to let others know should be yours and not hers. If I were you, I'd have a heart to heart talk with her about it so it doesn't happen again. And good luck with your HT!

It looks to me like your balding pattern is pretty set and though the donor area may be a bit high, it's still in the safe zone. I think you'll be fine. Happy growing!

I had two HTs with Dr. Konior and I was easily able to go back to work after two weeks with no one noticing a thing. He completely transformed me and made my decision to go the HT route the right one. Congrats to you, Yogo. You look great.

From what I can see, it doesn't appear many grafts were actually placed in the crown. And to get a cosmetic effect in the crown, a lot of grafts have to go in there.

Yeah, this doesn't totally surprise me. I chose not to take Propecia or Proscar as I just didn't want to risk any long term (or short term) affects. My feeling is that playing with the body's hormones, etc. is risky. These things are complicated and DHT likely has many roles in the body besides just killing off our hair. It's a tough call though. We all take a risk just getting out of bed in the morning. One has to find the level of risk one is comfortable with and sometimes that involves choosing between two non-ideal choices -in this case losing your hair or taking on what is hopefully just a small risk of short and/or long term side affects. In my case, I could get by without the drug so I chose that option.