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2nd HT - placement question(s)?


hairbank

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  • Senior Member

Hello,

 

I had my first HT (1200 FUT's) on 1/18/05 with Dr. Lawrence Samuels in St. Louis, MO. I'm very satisfied with his work and have been pleased with the results, and, I'm planning another HT for better coverage.

 

My first HT of 1200 FUT's filled in along my hairline and some on top, none on the crown. I'm probably a NW 5, have been loosing hair since 23 yrs old (I'm now 39) and it's from the crown forward though my hairline has also receeded somewhat (please review my photo album, there are 3 before pics and 1 after pic. I'll be posting more soon)

 

First: Dr. Samuels did fine work but will only perform HT's between 1000-1200 at a time. Due to my location and the desire for more FUT's the 2nd time, I'll probably go with Dr. Konior in Illinois. If anyone has had a HT with him, please reply with your opinion of the procedure and how many FUT's you received.

 

Second: Placement - I like to lower my hairline slightly, more on the sides (brought forward) and temples than front. Also, I'd like to "thicken" the top and cover the bald spot in back as best I can (I know, I want it all!). I'm hoping to get up to 3000 FUT's in this 2nd session. Do you think it will be enough for a full overall appearance?? I've viewed pic's by type of hairloss, # of FUT's..etc. but the results are so different? FYI my donor hair is pleniful and thickness/density is very good.

 

Third: What are the standards when it comes to cost? I've done some preliminary checking (not with Dr. Konior's office yet) and was quoted $11,500 for 3000 FUT's. I plan to only use a reputable member of the coalition, is this reasonable?

 

I appreciate any and all replies and will try to get some updated pics of my first HT for viewing to help with opinions.

 

Thanks,

 

Hairbank

Hairbank

 

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's

2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong

3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

 

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

 

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

 

My Hair Loss Weblog

 

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ;) ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

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  • Senior Member

Hello,

 

I had my first HT (1200 FUT's) on 1/18/05 with Dr. Lawrence Samuels in St. Louis, MO. I'm very satisfied with his work and have been pleased with the results, and, I'm planning another HT for better coverage.

 

My first HT of 1200 FUT's filled in along my hairline and some on top, none on the crown. I'm probably a NW 5, have been loosing hair since 23 yrs old (I'm now 39) and it's from the crown forward though my hairline has also receeded somewhat (please review my photo album, there are 3 before pics and 1 after pic. I'll be posting more soon)

 

First: Dr. Samuels did fine work but will only perform HT's between 1000-1200 at a time. Due to my location and the desire for more FUT's the 2nd time, I'll probably go with Dr. Konior in Illinois. If anyone has had a HT with him, please reply with your opinion of the procedure and how many FUT's you received.

 

Second: Placement - I like to lower my hairline slightly, more on the sides (brought forward) and temples than front. Also, I'd like to "thicken" the top and cover the bald spot in back as best I can (I know, I want it all!). I'm hoping to get up to 3000 FUT's in this 2nd session. Do you think it will be enough for a full overall appearance?? I've viewed pic's by type of hairloss, # of FUT's..etc. but the results are so different? FYI my donor hair is pleniful and thickness/density is very good.

 

Third: What are the standards when it comes to cost? I've done some preliminary checking (not with Dr. Konior's office yet) and was quoted $11,500 for 3000 FUT's. I plan to only use a reputable member of the coalition, is this reasonable?

 

I appreciate any and all replies and will try to get some updated pics of my first HT for viewing to help with opinions.

 

Thanks,

 

Hairbank

Hairbank

 

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's

2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong

3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

 

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

 

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

 

My Hair Loss Weblog

 

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ;) ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

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  • Senior Member

I would check around a bit. 11,500 seems a bit high for 3000. If you can get H&W for 8500 I would seriously consider that. Also, don't be afraid to haggle a little with these consultants. Of course they have a bottom line, but you can offer to pay a flat 3 dollars a graft, etc to bring the price down a bit. I guess it is all in what you feel is comfortable. I know that over the past few years pricing has become very competative, so perhaps you should call around and price match a little. Why pay full price? I hope this helps.

Go Cubs!

 

6721 transplanted grafts

13,906 hairs

Performed by Dr. Ron Shapiro

 

Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Paul Shapiro are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

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The quote I got for the 3000 was from H&W. I wonder why such a large difference in price in only 1 1/2 years since Hairworthy's HT. Are they all negotiable?

 

How about you B spot? Would you share the cost of your 3100 w/ Shapiro?

 

I may be naive but when I sheduled my first HT a year ago with Dr. Samuels I assumed what he quoted to me was non-negotiable. At that time, I paid around $4,000 for my 1200 FUT's.

 

I would appreciate replies from any who would care to list their # FUT's received and total cost (especially the Midwest, where I'm located). If I can get a fair amount more grafts by traveling (driving or flying) I'm tempted as long as it's for reputable work. I'd like as much "bang for my buck" as possible.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Hairbank

Hairbank

 

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's

2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong

3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

 

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

 

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

 

My Hair Loss Weblog

 

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ;) ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

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  • Senior Member

Re: where to put the hair. You can't have it all, so you are going to have to prioritize. I would re-think your desire to lower the hairline, especially if you will have to settle for a bald or almost bare crown... a low hairline and a bald crown don't really go together, as well as a higher hairline would. In my opinion your goal should be total realism. A hair transplant will not make you a "Norwood Zero" (pre-hairloss appearance)... you're not going to get "all" your hair back. So think about replicating a pattern of mild hair loss as seen "in the wild", that looks good to you now (and will still look good later). I have never cared for the approach of a low hairline, with lots of bare scalp in the back, personally (my opinion only... some guys favor it). I think that pattern draws undue attention. If your hair transplant makes people wonder about your hair, it's a problem... you want them to not notice anything unusual at all.

 

The grafts that you would lower your hairline with, might be put to better use reinforcing your central zone, or even dusting the crown lightly. I wouldn't dream of telling you where to put the grafts though, that is between you and your doctor. Come up with a sensible long-term plan, as you are going to run out of donor "bank", so spend each graft wisely, where it will do the most good.

 

Finally, the doctors who do 1000 grafts sessions may not be up to speed on the latest approaches. While it is good that a doctor isn't pushing his limits just for the heck of it, it is good to do somewhat larger sessions when that approach is warranted, and in your case it may have been warranted. It's better to do (for example) 3 sessions of 2000 grafts, than it is to do 6 sessions of 1000 grafts. Every time you harvest in the donor area, there is a certain amount of collateral damage. It is impossible to steer a scalpel through the scalp without losing some hairs to waste. So doing fewer harvests is generally a more efficient way to use your donor supply... and the more efficient you can be with your donor supply, the better. You need to conserve every potential graft, so it can be put to use where you need it. The donor supply is so limited that good long-term planning is crucial to getting the best results.

 

Hope that made sense...

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  • Senior Member
Originally posted by Telephone Man:

Hairworthy

 

Did that include tax and did you get the airline reimbursement/hotel room also.

 

Thanks

 

The $11,500 did not include airline reimbursement and hotel room but they said they would pay 50%.

Hairbank

 

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's

2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong

3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

 

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

 

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

 

My Hair Loss Weblog

 

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ;) ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

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Hairbank, there are several things you can do to reduce your HT costs. First, ask the consultant if you can get a flat price, 2500 or anything above that for x amount of dollars. We will use 7500 dollars for example. Tell them that you will put up the deposit right then if this price is workable. Remember, screw the consultants feelings, he or she is making money from your misery, so a little empathy here and there won't hurt a bit. Second, be willing to take a cancelled appointment. Tell them you require only 10 days notice etc... and you are willing to go on short notice. Patients cancel all of the time, which is why HT Doc's require deposits. If some guy cancels, the doc keeps his 1000 deposit, so if he knocks off 2500 bucks for you, he isn't really hurting, plus, he has a day booked. Simple math really.

In my case, I called Shapiro's office and asked for 3000+ for 9000 out the door. Period.(I personally think once you go over 2500 grafts, your cost should not average more than 3 per graft, including travel exspenses). I also said that I was willing to take a cancel date, and plunked down my deposit right then. What doctor in his or her right mind is going to turn down a 9 G day, when his other patient got cold feet? Not many. Oh, and by the way, I also worked out a refund policy in case the harvested grafts were below 3000. Just make sure you cover your bases and make the best deal you can. I had 9000 dollars to spend on a HT, so I made the deal.

Go Cubs!

 

6721 transplanted grafts

13,906 hairs

Performed by Dr. Ron Shapiro

 

Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Paul Shapiro are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

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