Egott92

He is hyper-involved and is in the room at all times. I know he only does 1 patient at a time. My eyes were covered to help with relaxation so it’s best best to reach out to Dr. Konior directly for questions about specific involvement.

Thanks! Feeling has returned to about 60% normal. I expect the rest to return over the coming months. Honestly, if the end result is great, I personally could care less about the numbness/sensitivity — the price to pay for density and a larger procedure.

1) Around 1,000 more grafts can be harvested with FUT for the same price as FUE, and 2) Starting with FUT first maximizes donor availabilities over time. I would reach out to Dr. Konior directly for fee quote. It believe it depends on individual procedure difficulty and total grafts. As an estimate, expect to pay between 12-14 per graft for FUE, and between 8-10 for FUT.

I see. I still have some time to decide and potentially switch to FUT, but the 2 weeks post-op with sutures in was brutal. I really don't want to go through that again. I'll see how the frontal results come in and decide if the extra 1,000 grafts from FUT might be worth the pain.

Correct. Max FUE is ~2,000-2,200 grafts and max FUT is ~3,000-3,200. Mostly because recovery wasn't fun since it's a more invasive procedure relative to FUE, and I don't want another linear scar. I may eventually do a smaller FUE to fill in the FUT scar so I can wear my sides short.

I’m going for a max FUE harvest, so probably 2,200. But I was hoping to maybe get at least 300-400 of those to beef up the front if needed.

Do you think? I feel like mine is more diffuse than yours. I definitely will document it though!

The itchiness is very common during the growth phase. I think it’s also partly psychological (at least for me). When I’m laying in bed with no distractions I start to hyperfocus on different sensations. In our case, it may be the itchiness. Has your doctor recommended any solutions? Raw aloe vera leaf (not the processed stuff) has helped when it’s unbearable. If your scalp is dry, ask your doctor if you can lightly spray some Aquaphor ointment. That has helped most of all, but it does leave the scalp oily.

Yep - I’m patient. I expected this and I’m aware it’ll be at least another 2 months before I start seeing growth.

Getting my crown done by Dr. Konior in January. If I can get even half of your crown results I'd be in heaven!

Totally normal! I think we'll both start seeing some real preliminary results in about 2 months. The wait is killer, but hopefully worth it. Smart move with the rogaine - there's some research suggesting it lessens shock loss of recipient hair (maybe even expediting final results). Thanks for the comment man. Looking forward to following your progress too!

Hi all! Here are the 2 months post-op updates. I think it's all pretty average for 2 months. I was hoping for a bit more since I'm taking oral fin and oral minox, but that's just me being greedy. You can see a small red area in the recipient zone where I recently popped a pimple. I've been getting small pimples on the recipient area for the last month or so. Apparently this is normal as hair starts to grow. Dr. Konior told me to lightly scratch them in the shower once they've formed a head so the puss can come out (gross, I know). Other than that, no major updates. Scar is finally healing a bit and itchiness around recipient area is pretty common at night. Thoughts?

Thanks for the kind words! Fingers crossed :) I think the oral minoxidil + finasteride is playing a big part here. Thanks!

Everything has shed since like week 2, but I’m about 1.5 months since the procedure and happy to see a few hairs starting to sprout/grow. Nothing major though, that’s why I haven’t posted any updates.

Looks great. Exactly how mine looked 10 days post-op and I was already shedding lots.

Hey there, Make sure you read and continue to follow Dr. Konior's post-op instructions for showering. That is your best resource for exactly what you should be doing. If you have questions, I'd recommend e-mailing Dr. Konior directly. There is often conflicting evidence on this forum. For example, a moderator mentioned that I should use a Vitamin E oil for my incision line, but Dr. Konior explicitly told me to not use vitamin E oil as some research suggests that it can actually slow healing. Everyone has great intentions, but it's always best to get your information directly from the source (i.e., a real doctor). At the 2-week point after the procedure, I had massive relief and started to finally have much less pain and better sleep. For some it takes longer, for others (especially patients undergoing FUE like yourself) it may be less than that. By day 7, I was still in pain and could barely sleep. Totally normal! Now, over 1 month since the procedure, I am pain free and already restarted all physical activity with no problems. Again, expect it to take a few weeks post-op to have some relief. Hope that helps!

Love this hairline design! It will be a home-run result.

Sorry for the late reply, but it looks like you've had great responses from other Dr. Konior patients. I echo everything everyone has already stated - you're in great hands (maybe the best hands). I think it's smart you're staying Tuesday-Saturday. Since you're having FUE, you will likely need far less recovery time than us FUT-ers. To briefly answer: 1) I'm happy with everything (pre-op care, post-op care, day of surgery, etc) but it's obviously far too early to tell about final result which is all I care about. I had FUT so the linear scar made it difficult to sleep for 2 weeks. I'm finally (nearly 3 weeks post op) getting an uninterrupted nights sleep with no pain. Your FUE procedure will be far less invasive with significantly less post-op pain. 2) 3,200 3) Nothing negative or scary that really is relevant to you since you're having FUE. The valium will really help mellow you out on the day of the procedure. The only negative part was not being able to sleep due to pain (result of FUT strip removal). Even though FUE is less invasive and I doubt you'll have the same donor pain, I'd recommend banking up on some quality sleep the week before the procedure.

It's not mandatory, but Dr. Konior's post-op instructions say it can help with minimizing stretching of the donor scar by preventing you from bending your head down. I don't wear it for sleep because it's too uncomfortable, and now that I'm already 2-weeks post-op I'll use it less during the day.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your comments and reassurance!

Nearly 2 weeks post-op! I was finally able to get the scabs and crusts off in the shower today. The amount of tiny hairs I saw shedding terrified me, but I know this is normal (right?). Pain in the donor area/FUT incision is finally subsiding, and now it's just a slightly dull discomfort. Still not the best sleep, but every day is easier and easier. Is there any evidence to suggest that the faster you shed, the earlier you should expect to see growth? I'm hoping that the oral minoxidil + finasteride will help with earlier growth, but not banking on it. 2-weeks post-op pics (including massive shower shed):

Thank you, this makes me feel better. It's been rough.

Great... I guess I'm fine with discomfort, but I'm not okay with the sharp pain from laying my head where the edge of the sutures are sticking out. Hopefully once they come off tomorrow that won't be an issue anymore.

Hey fam I thought I'd update you since it's been exactly 1 week since the procedure. It's been an interesting week. Below are some highs and lows. First, the good: 1) Dr. Konior and his staff have been incredible. They've allowed me to come in every day for a cleaning. The head technician and the entire team are really so sweet and want a successful result just as much as I do, and they're willing to do anything to make that happen. 2) Recipient area is looking good and I've had no pain whatsoever in this frontal area! I've seen some very slight shedding, but it's looking good. I'm ready for the complete shed - or hoping I'm the lucky 1% t(very unlikely)! 3) I extended my stay in Chicago by 4-5 days so that I could have Dr. Konior remove my sutures (tomorrow). I just didn't want to risk anyone back home screwing up the removal and impacting the linear scar in any way. 4) Just in general, now that the swelling has subsided, I'm REALLY happy with the hairline design. Actually SO excited for the final result. I've started oral minoxidil and finasteride too (previously took them as topical solutions), so we'll see how that affects my native hairs. Now, the not so good (***which I should preface by saying has nothing to do with Dr. Konior or his team, again, they've been awesome and I'm so stoked for the final result which is honestly all I care about***): 1) I hit the back of my head on the side of a wall last night and opened a small zone along the incision/suture line. Suffice to say, it was painful af and I panicked hard. It was late, but I got a response from Dr. Konior at around 330AM and he emphasised that this is unlikely to do anything significant to the final healing. I went in today and he confirmed this. Still, I am essentially "starting over" in terms of healing that part of the incision line. He said he'll still be able to remove the suture line tomorrow before I head back home on Thursday and will probably place a dissolvable stitch in the zone I reopened. This also brings me to point 2 2) Even before this accident though, I've had pain and discomfort in the donor area around the sutures and I haven't been able to sleep well. The techs have confirmed that the area is healing nicely and it looks great, so maybe my pain tolerance is low and for most people FUT recovery is pretty easy, but this has been tough and uncomfortable for me. Any pressure (even a pillow) on the donor area has been uncomfortable which makes getting a decent night's sleep difficult. The pain meds haven't really helped and the lack of sleep is just not fun. This has solidified my thinking that the next procedure for the crown will be done via FUE, not strip. Hair/recipient zone at 1-week post op: Donor (first pic you can see zone where I hit wall and suture opened):

Would love an update!