Egott92

3 hours ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Work looks great. Densely packed and you seem to have good hair characteristics so I have no doubt this will be a wonderful result.

Sounds like it was quite the long day - I'm curious what was the time breakdown (especially since I'm less familiar with FUT)? How long did it take to cut out the strip, and did they dissect all the grafts at once or did they start implanting them as soon as possible? And did they use the stick and place technique? Thanks!

It was a long day in theory, but honestly when you're all drugged up time flies lol. The valium hit me hard and they covered my eyes with gauze so I was definitely feeling almost meditative throughout the procedure. 

These are all estimates, but I'd say the strip took about 1 hour to cut/extract. Then, I believe 2-3 technicians sorted the grafts according to very specific criteria. I could hear Dr. Konior throughout the procedure request specific types of grafts to implant. So yes, I believe stick and place technique. He would say something along the lines of "give me a 7...ok, now give me an 9" which I assume refers to the caliber of each individual graft depending on where he wanted it placed, or some code he's created with his technicians. During pre-op, he emphasized that he wanted to keep me comfortable but most importantly he wanted all the grafts to survive. He made the obvious analogy that an extracted graft is like a fish out of water. He needed to balance the finesse of careful implantation with the efficiency of getting them back into a healthy blood supply. In a way, this was his way of asking me to limit excessive breaks so we can increase the health of extracted grafts.

Again, I was pretty drugged so I may be slightly inaccurate in my description/recollection. If you're curious about his methods I would definitely shoot him an e-mail. He's all about science communication and loves to educate. It's one of the reasons (in my opinion) he is one of the very best surgeons in the world, and just an overall awesome guy.

1 hour ago, BDK081522 said:

Thanks for posting Egott! It's the information that you provide which will guide those starting their hair restoration journey. Very informative and excellent description of your operative day and follow up care. This information will hopefully allow others a sneak peek into the process at Chicago Hair Institute and what makes Dr Konior the best in the world. You have an exciting 12 months ahead of you. Don't get down during the ugly duckling period. It feels like a lifetime while you're in it, but is really just a sliver of time in the whole process. You've chosen wisely!

Thank you so much for the kind words BDK! Totally agree with you. The least I can do is pay it forward to those who might have a similar balding pattern or hair type and are looking into Dr. Konior's world renowned work. I've been researching, saving, and waiting for this day for over 5 years now, and it was this community that provided the resources, reviews, and guidance to help assuage any concerns. We're all very lucky to have this forum as a resource free of charge! 

2 hours ago, aaron1234 said:

You already have a good head of hair so wise decision to stick to the meds.  This looks like the ultra-refined work that we all expect from Dr K, also so densely packed.  Be patient these next fews months but you should totally expect an amazing result! 

Thanks so much Aaron. Luckily I hopped on the minoxidil train about 5 years ago once I started to notice frontal thinning, and then 1 year ago with topical finasteride once thinning my crown started to become more apparent. 

I am also impressed with the dense packing -- I admit I didn't even know or expect it was possible to pack that densely! 

15 hours ago, Gatsby said:

You've gone to one of the best surgeons in the world. Looks very clean and I look forward to your updates. Congratulations!

Thanks very much Gatsby! Very grateful to have the community here and members like you to help inform my decision and research the best doc for my needs.

6 hours ago, Charlii said:

What a density!😲

Thanks for the comment @Charlii  That's the dream! I'm hoping the final result shows that as well. I'm coming back in Jan 2022 for the crown and a touch-up, so if there are any areas that require more density I'll be able to add that then.

10 hours ago, stephcurry30 said:

This is gonna be a home run result. Couple of questions.

What is your age and what was the post operation care like? 

I hope so! I am nearly 29 years old. Post-op care has been surprisingly minimal. I have been taking an oral antibiotic every 6 hours. I come back into the clinic every morning/early afternoon since the procedure for a fine-tuned cleaning and spraying/hydrating of the recipient area and application of ointment to the incision line. Essentially, they don't want me to do anything except take the oral antiobiotic. No misting/spraying at home - that's done in the clinic once a day for me. Today (3 days after procedure) I will now be able to lightly massage the incision donor area with some chemical-free shampoo, rinse off with a very light stream of water (or a cup filled with water), and lightly tilt my head forward to let the soapy water stream onto my grafts and let everything air dry (no touching of grafts yet).

**EDIT** Now, on the 3rd day post-op I have been instructed to begin misting with the saline solution every hour or so. I'm going into the office now for a cleaning so will update later.

1 hour ago, JohnAC71 said:

Dr Koniors FUT end up usually practically invisible/pencil thin. 🙏

I can only hope so!

Wow! These are seriously stunning results. I just had a 3200 FUT with Dr. Konior yesterday and I'd be thrilled with a result like yours. It really is life changing. Congrats!!!

4 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

FUT looking really clean even at this stage. 👏

Man this community is awesome. Thank you so much for the kind words!

On 3/7/2021 at 11:30 AM, Adam77 said:

How much Dr Konior charge per graft?

I just had my procedure with Dr. Konior. The fee quote is made on a case-by-case basis. For max sessions (~2,000-2,200 FUE, or 3,000+ FUT), expect between $20-$28,000 USD. I would e-mail him directly and ask for a consultation.

9 minutes ago, follically challenged said:

Both please!😀

You got it. Remember, it has only been around 38 hours since the surgery and I haven't been able to properly shower/rinse the scalp. I have come in every day to the clinic for them to apply ointment.

Also, apologies for the not great angles. This is the best I can do for now solo

1 hour ago, kramer79 said:

Work looks good.

Can you provide a picture of the scar/donor area when you get a chance

Of course. The surgery was less than 48 hours ago, so it's still quite sore and red. Would you want a picture now or in a few weeks once the sutures are removed? 

3 hours ago, makehairgreatagain said:

Thank you for sharing your experience, it's the best thing we can continue to do to help out others. Congrats and please keep us updated!

My pleasure and thanks for your message! The least I could do is give back to those who have helped me along the way when choosing the right surgeon, procedure, recovery tips, etc.

4 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

This looks excellent very reminiscent of @Yolando I’m always impressed by the quality of Dr. Konior, I’ll be following your progress closely. Happy growing 🙌🏼

Thanks Melvin. Very grateful for all you've done for this community. Your posts on this forum have definitely alleviated most of my stress about having a transplant and reminded me of the need for patience moving forward.

5 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Absolutely stunning work as we have come to expect from Dr Konior ! About as refined as you can get. Excellent write up too. Look forward to reading more and following your journey 🙏

Thank you so much! I will be sure to update every few weeks or so

Hi all,

Since everyone on this forum has been instrumental in my years of research for the best surgeon for me, I figured I'd pay it back by making this thread about my 3,200 FUT frontal restoration procedure with Dr. Konior. I traveled from Miami to Chicago for the procedure.

Dr. Konior initially scheduled me for a 3,000 graft FUT to restore the front hair line and densely pack. He ended up extracting around 3,200. It's only been 48 hours since the procedure, so I don't have any exact counts yet. I'll ask and get the exact numbers and types of grafts (singles, doubles, triples, etc) during my check ups this week.

DAY OF SURGERY:

I arrived at 6:30AM and quickly began the in-person consult with Dr. Konior. My first impression was exactly why I consider him to be one of the best in the business. We literally spent over an hour discussing the perfect hairline design for me. He tweaked it every few seconds for at least 20 minutes until it was perfect. As others have noted, he's a true perfectionist. I initially was nervous to ask for a slightly more aggressive hairline, but we both agreed on an age appropriate yet significantly lowered hairline that nicely filled in my temples. I promised to stay on finasteride/minoxidil for life (I already have been on moxidil for 4 years, and topical finasteride for 1 uear) so I can at least maintain my native hairs. 

After the 1 hour consult and agreement on the hairline, it was time to go into the operating room. I was given medication to help me relax and dose off. Every time I woke up, Dr. Konior was right by my side. I don't think he ever left the room except for when I had my own breaks for lunch and bathroom. I was extremely comfortable. Like others have mentioned, the only slightly painful part was the injection of the numbing agent in the donor area. The best part of this entire experience was that there was no rush. We had all day, I was the only patient he was seeing that day, and he did  the entire procedure with only minimal help from technicians (based on what I could feel/hear -- my eyes were covered with a gauze). The primary technician has been with him for 27 years. 

It was a long day. The procedure ended at around 9PM. So, 6:30AM until 9PM. Since the procedure, I've had some discomfort on the incision line (to be expected) but the recipient area doesn't hurt at all. The pain relief meds have definitely helped tons.

PRE-OP PHOTOS:

PRE-OP HAIRLINE DESIGN

POST-OP (between 1-2 days after procedure):

I'm pretty swolen, so I'm sure once the swelling goes down so too will the hairline height. Either way, I'm thrilled thus far. You can tell it's really nicely/densely packed. Once I receive the exact numbers I will update the community. 

Lastly, I just want to say thank you all for sharing your experiences on this forum. I hope to pay it forward with this post and future updates.

Now, the waiting game..

What are some things you wish you knew before (or after) your FUT procedure? I have a 3,000 FUT procedure with Dr. Konior coming up next month and wanted to reach out to those who've had an FUT procedure for any insight.

Any tips/thoughts on recovery, sleep, expectations, scars, procedure, pain, etc.? Anything you wish you knew?

Thanks in advance all!

1 minute ago, anotherhairlosssufferer said:

Did your first procedure get moved from March 2021 to August 2020 due to cancellations?

He initially offered Jan 2022 for a 2 day procedure. Then there was a 1 day opening for March 2021 which I snagged, followed by the original Jan 2022 for another 1 day procedure.

1 hour ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Saw your previous post said you'd do 2000 FUE then another 2000 FUE. What made you decide to switch to FUT?

Several reasons, all very similar to @Taken4Granted.

1) Ability to do 3,000 grafts (max per session) versus 2,000 if it was FUE. Dr. Konior didn't have any consecutive 2 day openings, so I settled on 1 procedure for frontal restoration in March 2021, followed by another procedure (max FUE for crown) in Jan 2022. I'd miss out on ~1,000 grafts if I chose FUE for both procedures. There's also evidence to suggest that graft transection is higher in FUE versus FUT. Obviously with a world leader like Dr. Konior there's very little, but from what I've read FUE is never 0% transection. 

2) Needing to potentially maximize donor region. Starting with FUT followed by FUE increases total grafts that can be extracted over time.

3) Price of 2,000 FUE is similar/identical for ~3,000 FUT (but this depends on case complexities and can range).

On 1/5/2021 at 3:01 PM, Taken4Granted said:

By the way, I made little effort to embellish the pictures before. To more fairly represent the value I’m getting already, here it is with a moderate dose of Toppik (used to use a lot more) in that harsh light:

 

 

My biggest cosmetic concern these days is not hair. It’s the dang blemishes around my hair line. They’ve been out of control since shortly after the surgery. I assume it has to do with the healing tissue in the recipient, or maybe oil from the new follicles.

Incredible progress. Please do keep updating! I am also have a 3,000 FUT procedure with Dr. Konior in March so looking forward to following your post.

Thanks all. I've booked with Dr. Konior for ~2,200 FUE in March 2021 for a frontal restoration, followed by a ~2,200 FUE for the crown in Jan 2022. I will post updates once I've had the procedure.

If money were no issue, what would be your current top 5 FUE surgeons in North America?

I'm currently between Dr. Konior and Hasson & Wong, but I am looking for 3-5 other doctors that I should contact for a consultation. Preferably, those who are willing and able to go semi-aggressive for an FUE procedure (between 3,000-5,000 grafts for dense hairline and restored crown).