My Consult with Dr. Konior

[Spanker]

I guess I am going to give the long version. I live in Tennessee and had a consult with Dr. Konior in Chicago on April 6th at 12:15 pm.

 

My wife was kind enough to ride with me and help drive, so I left the house at 3am and drive to Chicago. I would have been a little early but I missed a turn and drove about 2 miles out of the way. Because of this, it took me about an extra forty-five minutes because there was traffic and stop lights at every block. Prior to this visit, the biggest city I have ever spent much time, besides driving around the by-pass was Denver and New Orleans. Let me tell you, Chicago is HUGE.

 

So I get there and Tom Ruiz, Dr. K’s patient advisor/office manager (not sure of his title) was there to meet us. He was very polite and friendly, dressed in a suit and tie, and very formal.

 

So now we get to the good part. Dr. K was finishing up a young ladies hairline when I showed up. I had asked Tom if there would be any patients that I could meet and he said that he would ask them and see what we could do. The young lady, who received about 1,000 grafts in the front came over and met me and told me how excited and happy she was. I was able to see the work first hand it looked super clean. He actually handed me his glasses with his surgical binoculars on them to look at here hair. That was pretty cool. Then another middle aged man came by who had had 3,000 grafts on his hairline and mid scalp, he was a week out and was stopping by for a check up. I was able to look at is donor area and recipient area quite close and let me tell you, it looked great. Finally, a gentleman came in that was there for his one year post-op and he also stopped by to see me. Tom came in the office and said that he had a 1 year post op patient that was willing to stop by. The funny thing was that Dr. K had not seen the patient yet and I think he was as anxious to see the patient as I was. The gentleman came in and I was shocked. So was my wife. She has not done much research so she really had no expectations. She was completely shocked. (They guy was handsome too so that did not hurt in her eyes.) I would have never ever guessed that this guy had had any work done at all. He was probably 6 foot 4 inches, or taller. He let me completely inspect the work and even touch his hair. The guy was a super sport and I hope to see his pics show up. I was later able to see his pre-ops and he had about 2400 in the hairline and temple area. The gentleman said that his mom and sister had no idea he had work done and had been saying that he look lost weight or had done something different, but could not put their finger on it. I really appreciated how nice the patients were to see me.

 

Now to my consult. I can say that I got really good news. Dr. K basically said that most people would kill for my donor. He said I had a super loose scalp and great caliber hair. He said that I could have up to 12,000 grafts in my donor area, so that was the best news. He basically said that I didn’t NEED a transplant and that I had plenty of hair, but if I bothered me often that he understood and would perform surgery on me. There was no pressure at all. He quoted me a low ball figure of 1,200 grafts but I think it will be a bit more and am budgeting accordingly. He said my crown and temple points were very strong with no miniaturization and that if he had to bet his house, he would say that will not progress to an advanced Norwood pattern. I am 33. He spent quite a bit time with me. He explained dense packing in an area that had hair and also let me know that in my situation, to get the best result, and that he understood that was my expectation, that I would have to shave the recipient area. He said that he could tell that I was particular but that he felt that he could meet my expectations. He actually let me come in for a consult on a day he had blocked out for consults because of my school and work schedule and being out of state, so I appreciated that. Because of that, I think we were able to spend more that the normal amount of time together. I think I was in the office for a total of two hours and spent over an hour speaking to Dr. Konior. I can say that he is a cool guy. After seeing his results first hand, I feel that he is a great doc and if you are thinking about surgery, definitely put him on your list. I have been very busy since the consult but still have one or two more questions I need to ask him. I need a bit of time to let everything that he said to me sink in and I will let you all know my plans. At the end of the consult he gave me directions to some great Chicago style pizza joint and we chatted about our mutual love for fishing. We exchanged fishing pics through email before the day was over, so that was fun too.

 

My wife and I finished eating a little before 4pm and we headed back home. We got home just before midnight, making it about a 21 hour round trip. She did about 1/4 of the driving but I was unable to sleep with her driving, but it did help to relax. She was a trooper, 21 hours is a marathon.

 

On a side note, if you drive up there, make sure to bring quarters for unmanned toll roads. We hit 4 tolls in all and did not have change for the unmanned one. I will have to pay the toll and a couple dollars fine online because of this.

 

 

If you made it all the way through this post, congrats.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Spanker

[aaron1234]

Great write up Spanker - and I made it all the way through! Kudos to me.

 

Dr. Konior is a class act and an elite surgeon in my opinion.

 

I've seen your pics and you know how jealous I am of your native hair - and now donor! Bastard!

 

I don't think you need a transplant but if you go for it then I would say Dr. Konior would be an excellent choice. Of course, make your rounds. I wish I was as educated as you are now when I started my HT journey.

 

Next time you are in Chicago give me a holler and we can meet up if you like.

[chrisdav]

Great write up Spanker.

 

I have never seen your hair but if you do decide to have surgery, you have picked one of the best around to do it.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Spanker,

 

Thanks for presenting such a detailed description and write-up of your consultation with Dr. Konior. Dr. Konior is very honest and is one of the most thorough, passionate and deidcated hair transplant surgeons I know. If you do decide to undergo hair transplant surgery, you'll be in the best of hands if you choose him.

 

Best wishes and please keep us posted on your decision,

 

Bill

[RCWest]

Spanker, thank you so much for your account of the trip to see Dr. Konior! While I've never seen a photo of your hair, I understand if you want to maintain privacy at this time.

 

That's great news for having roughly 12,000 grafts in the bank, a loose scalp and only needing 1200 or so to do the job!!

[Spanker]

Spanker, thank you so much for your account of the trip to see Dr. Konior! While I've never seen a photo of your hair, I understand if you want to maintain privacy at this time.

 

That's great news for having roughly 12,000 grafts in the bank, a loose scalp and only needing 1200 or so to do the job!!

 

I do think it will take a little more, but keep in mind that I am not wanting to create any amount of hairline and it will be beefing up what I have. If it took 1700-1800, it wouldn't surprise me either. We will see. What I am trying to achieve is very conservative, but I want it to look dense also.

 

I second guess myself a little and say, "Man, I had a good hair day that day, it's gonna take more." But he did take a close look. I am going to do my taxes this week and see where I stand on being able to pay cash for the proceedure.

[orlhair1]

I have always been very impressed with Dr. Konior's work. Enjoyed your write up and if you decide to go for it, I am sure you will be very happy with your choice.

[StaggerLee123]

I do think it will take a little more, but keep in mind that I am not wanting to create any amount of hairline and it will be beefing up what I have. If it took 1700-1800, it wouldn't surprise me either. We will see. What I am trying to achieve is very conservative, but I want it to look dense also.

 

I second guess myself a little and say, "Man, I had a good hair day that day, it's gonna take more." But he did take a close look. I am going to do my taxes this week and see where I stand on being able to pay cash for the proceedure.

 

Good summary of your visit Spanker. Dr. K sounds very thorough and detail oriented exactly like everyone says he is. Glad to see it confirmed once again.

 

Are you considering anyone else for a consultation?

[Spanker]

Good summary of your visit Spanker. Dr. K sounds very thorough and detail oriented exactly like everyone says he is. Glad to see it confirmed once again.

 

Are you considering anyone else for a consultation?

 

For a very long time I was considering Dr. Ron Shapiro, and probably would have seen him, but he was another 5 or 6 hours away or so (I can't remember which) past Chicago, which was already about 8.5 (if no wrong turns are made ). For this reason, I probably would not do another consult, because I would not expect it to be much different on a technical level.

 

With the low number of grafts I am getting I am likely to go with Dr. Konior. Were I getting a large amount there would be a greater likelyhood that I would go see SMG because of price difference. As it stands, if there is a dollar difference per graft, it is still not devastating. I think both Dr. K and SMG produce amazing results. Dr. Konior's pricing is on the higher side, but he may have a sliding scale, I didn't ask because my case is pretty small. I understand that a clinic has to make a set amount a day minimum. I am currently in contact with his assistant Tom to find out how exaclty his cases are priced. Dr K. deals with the technical and artistic aspect and he lets Tom deal with the finances.

 

Above all, should I proceed (and I do plan on it), I don't wan to have a shred of technical or artistic doubt in the doctor. With Dr K, I dont.

 

On a side note, I felt like I had a great hair day when I saw Dr. K. But when using magnification, this should not alter my needed graft count should it? I don't think so, just wondering though.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Spanker

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Spanker

You know how how feel about Dr Konior. I think his work is excellent. I agree with him, I don't think you need any work as well, however, if it bothers you that bad I'm glad to know you are in the situation that you are with respect to your native hair and donor availability. You will have a killer result!!

[TakingThePlunge]

Spamker,

 

I thoroughly enjoyed your consultation summary. Although I've not had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Konior in person, his reputation most definitely precedes him.

 

Congrats on the good news!

[England]

Hi Spanker,

 

Having seen you comment on many other threads it's nice to see your own summary and to understand your own position. It sounds as though you are extremely fortunate in both the donor and recipient areas, and people in that position always get the best results in my experience.

 

Your write-up was excellent and an entertaining read, it's awesome that you were able to see immediately post op, and a year on, as well as trying on the goggles all in one consultation - it sounds like Dr Konior is a perfect match for you as you both seem exceptionally particular!

 

I'm very happy for you that you've managed to find a doctor you have absolute faith in and feel confident in, for me this is one of the most important aspects of surgery.

 

Regarding you having a 'good hair day' - honestly I can't see that this would make any difference whatsoever. At a microscopic level a good hair day looks no different to a bad hair day - it's the same hairs, the same roots, the same spacing - just styled differently and/or at a different level of grease which gives a different impression. The doctor is certainly experienced enough to look beyond the style so you should have no worries there.

 

You seem to be so confident you have basically made your decision, so congratulations and I wish you the best of luck with your procedure!

[dingdong12]

hi spanker , have always enfoyed your other posts, fund you very informative and interesting.

 

go for what you feel right for you ;-

[hdude46]

Spanker can you post some pics?

[Spanker]

Dude,

When I get some time I can email you some pics if you like. Just messege me your email if you are interested.