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Showing results for 'Dr. Ron Shapiro'.
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After speaking with Dr. Konior and Dr. Nadimi this weekend, Dr. Konior mentioned a study conducted by Dr. Ron Shapiro, an elite surgeon who actually kick started this community by performing surgery on @Pat - Community Publisher the study concludes that patients who start off with FUT first and combine FUE get more lifetime grafts than either technique alone. I thought it was pretty interesting, especially for those interested in maximizing donor supply. https://www.ishrs-htforum.org/content/htfi/29/5/local/front-matter.pdf- 66 replies
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Hi everyone, This forum has been a tremendous help! On 8/10 I had 2756 FUE grafts done by SMG. As @hybonix and other recent reviews have stated, this is a first class clinic! Dr. Shapiro, Jo and the team are fantastic and I had all the confidence in the world with them. I was pretty torn between going with Dr. Wong or SMG and also starting with FUE first with my advanced balding pattern. I actually flew out to Minneapolis on my own dime to consult with Dr. Jo in person and felt really good about Fue and SMG after this meeting! The breakdown is 2756 grafts totaling 5529 hairs. 1’s-601, 2’s-1537, 3’s-618. I will be starting the topical Finasteride/Minox combo from Farmacia Parariti in one month. I’ve struggled with minor sides so I’m hopeful this works well. Things seem to be healing very well 10 days post op! The only real concern I have at this point is regarding the hairline. I love the shape and height but it turned out to make a slight lowest point over my right eye. Looks a little off but I definitely won’t judge anything until it’s grown out. I may end up loving it and think it looks even more natural that way. Time will tell! -
Dr. Ron suggested full shave and I agreed with that. I expected a full shave with my level of hair loss.
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I would like to have a family one day and don't want to risk any potential complications with Fin. I would probably be open to the idea of Fin once I have my kids though...but in the meantime it's simply not a viable option for me. I have a colleague who is currently on topical Fin and he says he's got some mild sexual side effects, so that's kinda scary to me... That's great that you think 2-2.5k grafts would be sufficient for my front. That's what I was thinking myself. 😁 Strongly considering Dr. Ron Shapiro with Shapiro Medical Group in Minnesota since they've got a stellar reputation with natural looking frontal hairlines. My consultation is scheduled for next month. I'm kinda pumped and that's honestly why I have these pics. So I figured it'd be a good opportunity to get some additional feedback from this forum! 😎 -
Journey & Decision After thorough research, I decided to pull the trigger and get a HT at Shapiro Medical Group with Ron Shapiro and Dr. Josephitis/Dr. Joe. SMG spent many hours over the phone with me and answered all my questions. I emailed Ron Shapiro directly and Matt Zupan (Patient Educator), and they always addressed all of my concerns/follow-ups. Matt called me very frequently to check up on me and has pretty much become a friend at this point. The front office staff, Matt Zupan (Patient Educator), and everyone involved wanted to make sure that I had the best care. They did not care about making money or getting the "sale" as they honestly wanted what was best for me. They even recommended other great clinics if I decided not to go through with SMG. SMG was the only clinic out of the 5 places I contacted who actually walked me through the concept of donor supply, how to look at the future for when my hair loss progresses and what I can do to prevent more hair loss (medication, exercise, etc.) They have a concept to not blow your entire "wad" with a mega session and see how the first procedure goes to ensure you can make revisions later on and assess where you are. This approach makes perfect sense and gives the patient more donor supply to fine tune their hair in the future. I originally booked with Dr. Diep but decided to back out due to a lot of recent negative reviews and concerns about his ethics. Please review my other thread here and post here about the situation. I want to give a major shout out to aaron1234 for coaching me through the whole process and recommending me to go through SMG/Ron Shapiro. This is the best decision I have ever made and I would not have gotten this far without him. Aaron, thank you for everything, I owe you. Also, notable mention to jimcraig152 for giving me some solid advice regarding my surgeon decision. Shapiro Medical Group (SMG) Review This clinic is hands down one of the most professional clinics I have been to. It was an amazing experience and I felt right at home at SMG. The staff/technicians/doctors are so genuine, caring, and love what they do. Ron Shapiro took his time with me to explain the process and decisions behind the HT and hairline. The staff and technicians were very friendly and we got along well. They introduced themselves and wanted to know more about me. They cared about my personal life, we joked/laughed together and we were all just having a great time during the procedure. This made everything so much easier. Oh, and everyone is super organized which is a huge plus. The office itself is super clean and everyone followed COVID procedures to a t. Great atmosphere and I felt 150% comfortable being there. Pre-Surgery Appointment Mattt Zupan (Sales Consultant) took my before photos in their studio. Pamela (receptionist) took my food order for the procedure day. I got to meet with Dr. Ron Shapiro and go over our game plan. He let me ask as many questions as I wanted and was very patient with me. He also showed me many photos going over this donor supply philosophy and why he likes his conservative approach versus mega sessions. Before Photos Surgery Day 1 Got in at 7:30 AM and was greeted by Pamela (receptionist). Dr. Josephitis/Dr. Joe greeted me and had me change into their provided shirt. He asked if I had breakfast and I had not. He immediately got me some breakfast/energy bars and apple juice so that I was not hungry. Dr. Joe cut my hair (in their barber room) short enough, but left enough hair so that Dr. Shapiro could see how to properly blend my grafts with my hair loss appropriately. Went into the surgery room and my vitals were taken. Everyone introduced themselves and I hit it off with the staff immediately. They got me blankets, water and let me pick out a movie on the Apple TV. The technician (Vicky) numbed my head so we could make the incisions. They used massagers/vibrator on my face to distract me. Ron Shapiro came out and began to make the incisions on my head. He did roughly 2000 incisions. Hole sizes were predominantly meant for 2s and 3s. Some 1s for hairline. Ron took his time and did not rush the incisions which was awesome to see. He did them with intent and purpose. I got numbed in the back of my head for extractions and received a back massage + face massage for a distraction. SCORE! Dr. Josephitis came in to perform my extractions and got roughly 1620 Grafts from the middle section of the back of my head: 674 3's | 782 2's | 164 1's Dr. Ron came back out with the technicians and supervised for a bit while they began to implant the grafts. He also made some additional incisions for 1's that Dr. Joe extracted PS: Lunch was amazing! Lunch Break Photos End of Day 1 Surgery Photos Surgery Day 2 Front staff fed me again, provided blankets, movies, etc. Technicians numbed me again for procedure Dr. Ron made an additional 1000 incisions in anticipation of harvesting a total of 3000 grafts. Ron took his time and did not rush the incisions. Dr. Joe finished my extractions on the sides of my head and was able to extract a total of 1600/1700 grafts and exceeded my expectations. Dr. Ron and I were pleasantly surprised here. This surpassed our planned 3,000 graft count and hit 3332. Dr. Ron came back and added more incisions to cover the new grafts. He finished my hairline and advised his technicians on where to place the 1s, 2s and 3s. EDIT: Ron injected 5cc's of exosomes into my scalp which are derived from stem cells. This is supposed to be better than PRP and has major benefits from a single session. SMG has seen great results with hair growth from this treatment, and I decided to give it a shot. This exosomes were diluted to 10ccs and injected all over my scalp. You can learn more about exosomes here. End of Day 2 Surgery Photos FINAL GRAFT INFORMATION COMING SOON Summary All in all, I am super IMPRESSED by the professionalism at SMG. Ron Shapiro did all the incisions in the recipient area while Dr. Joe (Very experienced surgeon) did all the extractions. Dr. Ron supervised and helped the technicians with the implantation. Ron came to the surgery room frequently when the techs were implanting and always made sure I was taken care of. Always took his time to re-asses the hairline and make sure it looked good. Dr Ron & Joe took their time to ensure that the incisions made sense and that the extractions were super clean and spread out. Dr Ron & Joe answered all my questions during the procedure as well and you can tell they are both super passionate about what they do. I got thorough answers and learned a lot in the surgery room. The staff was super friendly and we talked about our lives, kids, family, interests and etc. Made the experience really fun. I would definitely recommend everyone who is looking for a US surgeon to go to SMG as this is a world-class clinic which provided an experience I will never forget. They made my first Hair Transplant an amazing experience and I look forward to returning if I am going to get another procedure. I left the clinic thrilled and ready for my next steps in life. The final graft count is as follows: 1’s - 663 2’s - 1912 3’s - 757 -
@JDEE0 Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Wong also recently stated that transplants can thin over time. Dr. Shapiro said we shouldn't refer to the donor region as the permanent zone anymore. Dr. Wong even wondered out loud if there might be something in the bald area of the scalp that attacks transplanted follicles. It appears there's been a shift in the conventional wisdom, and the speculation coming from reputable/ethical docs of late definitely got my attention. Regarding the OP, we would need to see pictures of his results from 10 years ago and know the number of grafts he received to determine if his transplant thinned or if it was more native hair loss (or both). If it did thin then he might want to get a scalp biopsy done to see if he has any scarring alopecia condition that might effect the transplant. -
Howdy everyone. Been lurking for a bit and finally got the procedure done myself. 28 years old been on finasteride for 2 years and minoxidil 18 months with some regrowth, but it wasn't going to bring it all back so I decided to get a transplant to take me the rest of the way. How do you guys think it's progressing? Personally, I'm extremely impressed with how quick everything is healing. I like the hairline design as well. I attached a picture of my regrowth, pre op pics, immediate post op pics and pics from today (day 6). Let me know what you guys think and if you need more details! The plan originally was to repair the frontal band and the temple points, but we decided to wait on the temple points, except for addressing the weaker one, because that's where I had the most regrowth and it could be liable to recede again. I hope to wait until about 35 to see how everything is stabilizing and address the temple points at that time if my hair is holding up well. If not I'll address the midscalp and crown or what is needed at that time. Let me know what you think of my plan as well. Thanks! -
Hey everyone- On 4/1/21, 10 days before my 45th birthday, I had my first HT FUE procedure at SMG with Dr. Shapiro and Dr. Josephitis. I have worn baseball hats, combed my hair forward and painstakingly tried to disguise my hair loss for 25+ years - essentially my whole adult life. I first noticed my hair loss when I started dying my hair at 18 because I thought it was a cool thing to do. I will never forget that night in '94 when I rolled over on my pillow and a clump of hair detached from the right side of my hairline. I don't want to sound dramatic, but I was traumatized. I started taking Proscar over 20 years ago and have maintained a NW ~3.5 or thereabouts since with more recession in the front than the crown. NOTE: I recently started taking oral Rogaine in March '21 per SMG's recommendation. Despite all the insecurities I experienced around my hair, I have had a successful career and family life, but my hair situation instantly made me feel more self conscious, anxious and less outgoing. About 2 years ago, I started seeing a therapist primarily to address my biggest insecurity in life. I decided the first step was to shave my head which happened right before the pandemic at the beginning of 2020. While rocking a bald head was probably a cleaner and trendier look than combing my hair forward, I found that calling more attention to my baldness was just amplifying my anxiety. I watched Melvin's video on trying to shave your head *before* considering a transplant and it hit home with me. I had tried the shaved head option, but realized my hairline and overall thinning would bother me whether I buzzed it all off or tried to grow it out longer. This year, I decided to move forward with Shapiro Medical Group. I am about 10 weeks post-op and wanted to share my story and initial before/after pics. Mentally, I am trying to practice patience and reserve judgment as I realize that results don't start to show until 3-4 months in and final results can take 12-16 months. I am also managing my expectations as best as possible. I likely used less than 1/2 of my FUE donor supply (2500 grafts) and am open to tweaking and/or bringing the hairline down in the future assuming it can be done discreetly. What drew me to Dr. Shapiro and SMG were their natural results, track record and years of experience. It also helps that it's a convenient 15 minute drive from where I live. I know there are many doctors on this forum that do excellent work, but I never saw a Shapiro hairline that I thought looked unnatural in any way, shape or form. For me, my first priority was broadening my hairline and having it look completely undetectable, even at close inspection. After studying Dr. Shapiro's lectures, methodology, and results, I felt confident in my decision to move forward. I have learned to view my procedure as an improvement. I am not going to achieve my ideal hairline, which would have likely been ~0.5-1 cm lower, but I am hoping that adding more density and broadening the hairline considerably will make me more comfortable and confident in my appearance. I also can take some solace in knowing that I have more donor hair to work with should I still feel the desire to bring my hairline down further after the final results come in. I was never pursuing a straight hairline or trying to recapture my high school hairline, so I just have to wait and see if the first procedure will be sufficient or if I may need some additional work done to reach my ultimate goal. In terms of the numbers, I had 2530 grafts/4718 hairs (832 one hair grafts, 1208 two's, 490 three's). Dr. Shapiro did convince me to use a couple hundred grafts in the temples which were significantly receded as well, and I think that was the right decision aesthetically. Would love to hear any feedback and would be happy to answer any questions as well. I am excited for the future, but am also trying to maintain a realistic and positive outlook in the meantime... -
Here's my thread with more details, but overall it was great. Dr. Joe and I were really in sync about pretty much everything from hairline design to future planning, it was a natural fit. Dr. Ron was nice too, came in to see me to check on everything the next day when I was back for a wash. At this early stage I'm very happy I went there.
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It’s the first I hear of customer service issue at SMG, it’s really a top-notch facility and Dr. Ron and Dr. Josephitis are both fantastic surgeons and people.
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Melvin says combo get you 1,000 more grafts. He says it is common knowledge. Dr. Shapiro says the same. They must have some reasoning why combo yields more than FUE alone. I wish they would explain. I want to maximize my lifetime grafts. I would rather do it with FUE alone, but I feel compelled to max out FUT before starting FUE just to be safe. It is a real pain in the ass because FUT stops me from lifting weights for 6 months. Some doctors say you can lift weights after just 10 days, but I felt the strip stretching. -
Hi all, I had a FUE procedure with Dr. Panine - approximately 2,700 grafts August 24th and am just curious if anyone has any advice on how long FUE scars are typically visible for. My scars are still extremely visible and looking for some assurance on my healing and how long I should expect to see the scars. I had prior procedures with Dr. Paul Shapiro in 2016 and 2018 with 1800 and 1600 grafts, respectively.
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Hair transplant suggestions
JDEE0 replied to Rick_'s topic in Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews
Yeah, your donor and hair characteristics are really good from what I can see. Crown is on its way out though. To be completely honest, I don't think it will have much if any hair left in it by the time you reach your mid 30's. Unless you take meds that is, then you will potentially be able to re-grow it back to a normal thickness and keep it that way for decades. You really should consider it. Read the actual studies, sides are rare, but do exist and go away upon discontinuation according to every placebo controlled study ever carried out on the drug, and according to all medical literature published on the subject. There's really no reason to be scared to at least give it a go in reality. Dr. Lorenzo's website has some good concise information on scientific data relating to finasteride side effects, good place to start and then broaden your understanding by studying other credible sources of info and reading the actual studies in depth - just find the finasteride section here: https://injertocapilar.com/faqs/?lang=en Good attitude budget wise. I'll put it this way, Europe and North America are the two hubs of quality hair transplantation. Both have a small number of doctors who are all very good and offer similar levels of skill and quality, but in general European Dr's are going to be around half the price for the same level of skill. So, whilst it's perfectly reasonable to stay in the U.S., you can get the same level of results for half the cost in Europe. My favourite European Dr's: Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Feriduni, Dr. Lupanzula, Dr. Bruno Pinto, Dr. Rafael De Freitas, Dr. Ximena Vila, Dr. Juan Couto and Dr. Bruno Ferreira. U.S./Canada: Dr. Konior, Hasson and Wong, Dr. Cooley, Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Rahal, True and Dorin (there are more but I'm in the UK so I don't keep too much track of them, others will be of more help for additional options). Do some research and take a look into them. -
General advice and opinions needed for thin hair FUE
W A replied to W A's topic in Hair Restoration Questions and Answers
I am now crossing Dr. Nader off the list (well there's only one) and going back to square one. I wanted to tell my wife if it's safe to go to his area and I saw the news that there were multiple dead recently with drug cartel violence. My next candidate might be Dr.Shapiro or Dr.Arocha - I think this will about double what it would cost with Dr.Nader, and yes, I know that cost isn't everything, hence continued research. -
Dr. Paul Shapiro has retired from surgery. Dr. Ron still practices.
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Did you not know that Dr. Shapiro, one of the world's best, was already in your backyard before this procedure? Such a shame this happened. I ended up going to SMG after my first crappy procedure as well, but surgically it appears yours was worse.
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I drove 7 hours to Minneapolis to go to Shapiro Medical Group, and then 15 hours for Dr. Konior last summer. Do what you need to do to go to the best.
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Thank you! Shapiro and Dr. Joe are world class and make you feel right at home. I was honestly a tiny bit skeptical with the soft/less aggressive hairline, but honestly, it’s better because they can pack more grafts in a smaller area. This leads to higher density and is more natural looking. I am over the moon as I have not been able to style my hair since I was 18 years old… So its been a full decade… Anyhoo, please post your results as I look forward to seeing the impeccable work. Good luck!!! Oh, and make sure you take the pills they give you before surgery. Somehow it slipped and I went in the surgery without any meds. I was totally fine and didn’t feel pain, but it gave the techs quite a scare when I told them. Haha.
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Incredible results! You must be over the moon. I am having surgery with Dr. Jo and Shapiro next week. I’d be thrilled to death with a result like yours!
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Hey Guys, Tomorrow I'll be talking to Dr. Devroye, he is the creator of the WAW system, the punch used by some of the world's best Konior, Hasson and Wong, Feriduni, Shapiro, etc. Some of you may not know this, but Dr. Devroye was the first European doctor to join the Hair Transplant Network well over a decade ago. The live session will be at 10am Pacific time, 1pm eastern time, and 6:00pm UK time and 7:00 pm Belgium time. Please ask your questions here, and be sure to join to ask any other questions. He is an authority on FUE and wrote many of the FUE terms along with Dr. Jose Lorenzo.
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I understand your concerns - and by the way, I wasn't suggesting you were neurotic or anything, I was just saying if you happen to be the overly anxious, paranoid sort of type then it's probably best to steer clear and not nocebo yourself into a bad state as people like this generally always tend to convince themselves of the worst, even when there's nothing actually physically wrong. Anyway, as I say, I can understand your position after reading that you've had bad experiences in the past. If you don't want to take it then that's completely up to you of course. You don't have to, you just have to accept that you're much more likely to experience further loss than if you did take it. Regarding your pic, you don't have too much more to lose on the top, no. But, you're essentially a NW5 from what I can see, however it looks like your crown doesn't dip down the back of your head at all, and your sides aren't too low, although they are dropping a bit right now by the looks of it. So all in all, based off that pic (would need to see different angles really to judge properly) you're a somewhat less severe NW5 maybe. So, although you might think you don't have much more to lose, go and look up a NW5 vs a NW7, that crown - could - easily drop another few inches deeper into the back of your head. Not saying it will happen, in fact, the fact you're 55 and it hasn't is probably a pretty good sign that you won't go that far, would be best to get examined by a good surgeon. You certainly could just go ahead with a couple of Hair Transplants and forego the meds, yes. With your age, you could well be correct that there is little left to lose, and you very well might not lose too much more hair now. But like I say, you could still progress to a NW7 in say the next 10-20 years, I have no way of knowing. If I was you I would consult with some great doctors and get their take. And get scalp examined for miniaturisation to predict future loss. A good doctor is probably going to advise two procedures a year apart; the frontal third first at probably 3 to 3500 ish grafts, followed by the crown/midscalp at around 2-2500 grafts. After this, you might have anywhere from 0-2000 grafts left for any future procedures. depends on your donor, but you'll probably be looking at being close to your limit (if you go straight FUE anyway). I don't think it is the most irresponsible decision in your case to go ahead without fin considering your age, and I imagine as long as your donor is decent and you're not clearly miniaturising into a nw7 pattern upon examination, most doctors will consider you to be an ok candidate without the fin. I would get in touch with Dr. Bisanga, Dr Bruno Pinto, Dr Ximena Villa, Dr Ferudini, Dr. Bruno Ferreira and Dr. Rafael De Freitas and get their take, but that's just my personal list of my current favourite doctors. Do your own research and come to your own conclusions of course. If you're in the States, and don't want to travel (all of those options will be considerably cheaper than US docs and just as good/better than some, but it is a long way) then look at Hasson and Wong, Dr. Konior, Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Cooley - there's more but that's just off the top of my head as I've never considered doctors over the pond.
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I believe there’s two factors, one is age. Every living person will have thin hair with age, even if you look at someone without hair loss their hair has thinned. Clint Eastwood 90 At 40 As you can see all of his hair has thinned out, the DHT susceptible area more, but still even his donor has thinned. The other factor is DHT susceptibility to the transplanted hair. Some hair may be taken from an area that is prone to thinning, these areas can be near the nape or the border of the crown. I feel with FUE there will be a portion of hair thinning, and FUT as well if the strip is taken lower near the nape. As @Dr. Ron Shapiro said some may thin more than others, it depends on how the surgeon planned and mapped out the procedure. That is why it’s important to go to a clinic like Shapiro, Hasson and Wong, BHR. They don’t just blast your scalp, everything is done with your future in mind.
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Wondering if anyone here has experience or knowledge of this clinic/doctor in Tijuana, Mexico. The doctor seems very knowledgeable and with good credentials. Worked with Dr. Shapiro and studied in Tel-Aviv under Dr. Alex Ginzburg. Does quite large sessions like this one: https://www.facebook.com/BajaHairCenter/videos/4155050177946075/ https://www.facebook.com/BajaHairCenter/videos/815244259373694/ What do you think of how that patient looks immediate post-op? He had micro-pigmentation done some time before.
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Hairline doctor suggestions
aaron1234 replied to Isildur's topic in Hair Restoration Questions and Answers
Dr. Ron Shapiro is known as the godfather of hairlines. Definitely worth getting a consult with SMG, especially if you're in the states.
