Dr Shapiro V Dr Konoir

[ChickenMan23]

Any advice on who to chose. They are both great with excellent reputations but how to chose between them

[Nick153452]

You're basically asking us to choose between Dumbledore or Gandolf the White. There is no justice in that!! ^^

 

I love them both. I choose option C) Either or.

[ChickenMan23]

Not that it makes much difference but I am talking about Ron Shapiro.

 

It seems to me (and I am only getting this from what I have read on this site and elsewhere) that Shapiro might be a little more creative on the hairline but that Konoir is more meticulous in his implementation. Might be that Shapiro's A work is better than Konoir's A work but that Konoir might perform better than Shapiro with a complex case. I have no idea if this is correct of course just an opinion based the reviews I have read.

[Spanker]

You are certainly deciding btw two of the very best guys in the industry. I would trust my head with both surgeons.:cool:

 

I agree with this statement, they are 2 of the very best guys and I would trust them both with my head. I can give a little insight because I consulted both. I feel like SMG has been a little less aggressive than Dr. K for the most part, but I personally have noticed them in the past year or so getting a little more aggressive, so that is kind of a wash in that area. Dr. K only does one procedure a day and I can't speak for Dr. Ron on that (I am really not sure). Also, nothing gets planted without Dr. K in the room from my experience and he does are supervises pretty much every graft going in. He only has one other tech that assists in placing grafts so I think that reduces the variables as opposed to having a larger team. Also, during consultation, pre-op, and post op, you can correspond with the doctor directly through email. Tom does some screening for consultations for Dr. K, but if you want to talk to the doctor, his direct email is on his website. I dealt mainly with Matt Zupan from SMG during my consultation who was available and helpful.

 

So for me personally, it was about 3 things when I chose Dr. K over SMG:

 

1. He seemed a little more comfortable with my hairline, while Matt suggested to only do the corners and for me to wait to recede more in the front. I was in my 30's and did not want to wait anymore because I had very slow loss. I didn't want to wait until I was 40 to get the hairline that I wanted. In their defense, they only saw photos and Dr. K was able to examine me in person which allowed him to look at my donor and see me up close and personal. Hopefully, and only years will tell, I didn't make a mistake planting it where I did. SMG did eventually agree to plant in the hairline some, and I have seen some cases on men my age where they were just as aggressive as my HT from Dr. K (or more so), so I am sure it is a case by case basis and if I were there in-person like I was with Dr. K, they may have been happy to do it. This is not a negative on them at all and is actually a admirable trait, and basically illustrates the advantages of in-person consults.

 

2. While Matt with SMG was wonderful, I appreciated being able to have extensive correspondence with the doctor himself, although Dr. Ron did email about a question I had about my CVG.

 

3. Location. I was able to drive 8 hours and see Dr. K in person, see some "finished work" of his, and felt very comfortable, which kind of sealed the deal in my choice. I thought it was an advantage to be at an office close enough to drive to if there were any complications, and SMG was too far. However, if someone of Dr. K's caliber was not that close, I would have went farther for the procedure, no doubt.

 

 

I have seen Aaron1234 in person several times in person who is an SMG patient (and a repair pt) and there is no way to tell that he has had a transplant. He had a very conservative hairline done, and it looks very good on him. He also had an extensive loss pattern.

 

That said, I know that Dr, K has great respect, as do I, for Dr. Ron. If Dr. K retires and I need to go somewhere else, Dr. Ron is still on a very short list of doctors that I would consider. Next to Mother Nature, both of the doctors produce the most natural results achievable. I think that you could probably put their names in a hat and draw one and you would be just as happy with one as the other. When it comes down to it, naturalness is the most important think about transplantation, and both of these doctors will give you that and more.

 

Also, there are a lot of former pts from both camps that you can PM from both camps to give you their experiences to help you decide. The best part about this thread is that you can't go wrong no matter what you decide. No matter what, you are going to get the best and most ethical treatment available.

[ChickenMan23]

Thanks Spanker. I have to imagine there are lots of patients in the Midwest or elsewhere that have had to make this decision. it is a good decision to make but a tough one

[hsrp10]

I only have experience with Dr, Konior of the two but have had multiple HT's, and the overall experience with Dr. K was amazing!

 

His people skills and ability to listen to you as a patient and his dedication to helping you achieve your goals are the best in the industry, as far as I'm concerned.

[orlhair1]

They are both outstanding surgeons. You will not go wrong with either choice. I had a fantastic experience with both surgeries at SMG. I would also not hesitate to have surgery with Dr. Konior.