Crown HT?

[Hair4Days]

6 hours ago, Tao said:

For what its worth, here is my crown journey.  Just for reference, first pic is where I started before I had 3 transplants over 11 years.  First pass was 2,900 graft FUT to restore hairline.  2nd pass a little over a year later was 2,400 graft FUT to shore up hairline and part and address the crown.  In March of this year, I had a 1,600 graft FUE to address the crown black hole and shore up the part.  Crowns take a lot of grafts to get good coverage and a lot depends on your hair and skin characteristics as well as the skill of the doctor, obviously.

First pic is where I started from. Second pic is after the first FUT.  Third pic is the final result of my second FUT.  4th is where I ended up 9 years later (with no minoxidil or Propecia).  And finally, the last two is where I am today, 5 months out of my most recent FUE crown surgery.

Those results are amazing. This right here gives me hope and further justifies you can achieve full coverage with surgery alone. There’s literally nothing transparent about your crown. You can argue your results were still great prior to your fue procedure you just had. Was this all with konior?

[Hair4Days]

12 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

It’s not crazy dense at all as i didnt have much there to begin with. But it’s now covered adequately. I had about the same upfront. 
Without all these grafts I would be Norwood 5/6. 
 

Any photos ?

[Tao]

All three of my surgeries were with Dr. Konior.  No minox or propecia ever, for better or worse.  Konior worked some magic with me, considering where I started: 

[Hair4Days]

21 minutes ago, Tao said:

All three of my surgeries were with Dr. Konior.  No minox or propecia ever, for better or worse.  Konior worked some magic with me, considering where I started: 

So great man. Very happy for you. The difference between you and i is I’m only 28 right now and becoming a nw6. 
did konior tell you before you started surgery that you were likely to address the entire top including the crown with your donor quality ? Or did you just play it by ear ?

Edited August 15, 2020 by James C

[CosmoKramer]

8 hours ago, Tao said:

For what its worth, here is my crown journey.  Just for reference, first pic is where I started before I had 3 transplants over 11 years.  First pass was 2,900 graft FUT to restore hairline.  2nd pass a little over a year later was 2,400 graft FUT to shore up hairline and part and address the crown.  In March of this year, I had a 1,600 graft FUE to address the crown black hole and shore up the part.  Crowns take a lot of grafts to get good coverage and a lot depends on your hair and skin characteristics as well as the skill of the doctor, obviously.

First pic is where I started from. Second pic is after the first FUT.  Third pic is the final result of my second FUT.  4th is where I ended up 9 years later (with no minoxidil or Propecia).  And finally, the last two is where I am today, 5 months out of my most recent FUE crown surgery.

This is a great result especially the crown, congrats! 
Curious, do you have on any hair fibers or concealer in the last 2 photos?

[ciaus]

11 hours ago, CosmoKramer said:

This is a great result especially the crown, congrats! 
Curious, do you have on any hair fibers or concealer in the last 2 photos?

Yea, if not some Toppik could thicken that up and give some more coverage. If he were to step forward into that sun these spots would look alot thinner. Sunlight, especially direct sunlight, is BRUTAL in terms of making thinner areas detectable.

 

 

 

Back when I used toppik and dermmatch, I took pics like that in direct and indirect sunlight situations and compared with the ones I took in the bathroom lighting where I was applying the concealers, that way I came up with a way of applying them that would give good coverage across the different lighting situations. Lighting can be almost as bad as DHT! 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2020 by ciaus

[Tao]

I have no concealers or fibers in in those pics.  After my second surgery, I could at first just use a little dash and I would look like I had a thick full head of hair.  As the years went on, I started having to use more and more.  I run and swim and it was starting to get to be a hassle and that's what pushed me for my third procedure.  Before this last procedure, my hair on top was a bit thicker and after being completely shaved down, it's taking awhile for that to come back.  And definitely, if I'm in bright overhead lighting, you can see some thinness.  That actually doesn't bother me.  I'm 53 so I'm not really supposed to have a thick mane of hair like  ateenager.  Having full coverage with no dome showing and a decent hairline is pretty much nirvana for me, again especially considering where I started.  I'm only at 5 months out from my last procedure so we'll see what the next couple of months bring.  I'm very satisfied right now though.

And James C, it was so long ago now, I can't really remember what Dr. Konior and I discussed around my first pass.  He told me what a first pass would accomplish - mainly framing my face well - which makes a huge difference in one's appearance.  Before the surgery, I think I was thinking I'd be thrilled at just that. But of course that hair greed kicks in after you get a good result and you see what the possibilities are in the hands of a good surgeon like Konior.  I think I needed to really be convinced that HTs could actually be done well. Once I experienced that, I was all in.  This forum was has really been an excellent resource as it does educate you and make you understand that HTs really are an illusion.  Somebody looking at and interacting with me now sees a person seemingly with a full head of hair (as do I when I look in the mirror).  But if someone got real close and really examined my hair, for sure they'd see that it isn't super thick or perfect.  The skill and artistry of the surgeon really comes into play when using hair angles to create layering, which creates an illusion of thickness.

[Hair4Days]

4 hours ago, Tao said:

I have no concealers or fibers in in those pics.  After my second surgery, I could at first just use a little dash and I would look like I had a thick full head of hair.  As the years went on, I started having to use more and more.  I run and swim and it was starting to get to be a hassle and that's what pushed me for my third procedure.  Before this last procedure, my hair on top was a bit thicker and after being completely shaved down, it's taking awhile for that to come back.  And definitely, if I'm in bright overhead lighting, you can see some thinness.  That actually doesn't bother me.  I'm 53 so I'm not really supposed to have a thick mane of hair like  ateenager.  Having full coverage with no dome showing and a decent hairline is pretty much nirvana for me, again especially considering where I started.  I'm only at 5 months out from my last procedure so we'll see what the next couple of months bring.  I'm very satisfied right now though.

And James C, it was so long ago now, I can't really remember what Dr. Konior and I discussed around my first pass.  He told me what a first pass would accomplish - mainly framing my face well - which makes a huge difference in one's appearance.  Before the surgery, I think I was thinking I'd be thrilled at just that. But of course that hair greed kicks in after you get a good result and you see what the possibilities are in the hands of a good surgeon like Konior.  I think I needed to really be convinced that HTs could actually be done well. Once I experienced that, I was all in.  This forum was has really been an excellent resource as it does educate you and make you understand that HTs really are an illusion.  Somebody looking at and interacting with me now sees a person seemingly with a full head of hair (as do I when I look in the mirror).  But if someone got real close and really examined my hair, for sure they'd see that it isn't super thick or perfect.  The skill and artistry of the surgeon really comes into play when using hair angles to create layering, which creates an illusion of thickness.

Very well said & understood. I’m very impressed by your results and would be more than satisfied with those results. Almost making me consider konior now, simply because you achieved what I’d hope to achieve- good coverage from the hairline to the crown. A lot of people on here claim it’s not possible to fulfill the entire top of the scalp due to supply and demand. Also a lot of finasteride lovers. I was planning on seeing dr bloxham in New York. I feel like i can’t go wrong with either doctor now.

[TommyLucchese]

On 8/14/2020 at 8:15 PM, Tao said:

For what its worth, here is my crown journey.  Just for reference, first pic is where I started before I had 3 transplants over 11 years.  First pass was 2,900 graft FUT to restore hairline.  2nd pass a little over a year later was 2,400 graft FUT to shore up hairline and part and address the crown.  In March of this year, I had a 1,600 graft FUE to address the crown black hole and shore up the part.  Crowns take a lot of grafts to get good coverage and a lot depends on your hair and skin characteristics as well as the skill of the doctor, obviously.

First pic is where I started from. Second pic is after the first FUT.  Third pic is the final result of my second FUT.  4th is where I ended up 9 years later (with no minoxidil or Propecia).  And finally, the last two is where I am today, 5 months out of my most recent FUE crown surgery.

 

That's amazing work, who was your doctor? Does it shock you when you look at these pictures and see just how far you've come? 

[Tao]

My doctor was Dr. Konior in Chicago.  And yes, when I look at pics of where I started, its hard to believe.  I see pictures of myself from 20 years ago and it really is quite shocking.  I've so gotten use to having decent hair now that i've forgotten how far I've come.  When I started on the HT route, really out of desperation, I wasn't convinced that it wasn't all a bit of hucksterism.  Dr. Konior quickly dispelled me of that notion.

[BaldingBogger]

Congrats looks fantastic. Koinor is very talented.  Would love to see couple extra pics if you get a chance of the crown directly from behind the end and crown 'whorl' area to see the work there.  Congrats again

[Melvin- Admin]

You look like a rock star @Tao

[Melvin- Admin]

On 8/14/2020 at 6:36 PM, James C said:

Those results are amazing. This right here gives me hope and further justifies you can achieve full coverage with surgery alone. There’s literally nothing transparent about your crown. You can argue your results were still great prior to your fue procedure you just had. Was this all with konior?

Be careful taking someone else's results, and believing they will be your own. Few people achieve full density and coverage, it's just a fact.

[Hair4Days]

1 hour ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Be careful taking someone else's results, and believing they will be your own. Few people achieve full density and coverage, it's just a fact.

With the wrong doctor, i agree. If you have similar donor to this guy i think it’s safe to say similar results is realistic 

Edited August 20, 2020 by James C

[Melvin- Admin]

31 minutes ago, James C said:

With the wrong doctor, i agree. If you have similar donor to this guy i think it’s safe to say similar results is realistic 

No, every person is different. There’s no way you can say you have the same donor, or the same hair thickness. That’s a dangerous way to think, you can draw inspiration, but to believe that you’ll get the same result is a recipe for failure.

Unless you’re a twin, there’s no such thing as “same donor” proceed with caution, it’s better to be realistic, and have a transplant exceed your expectations, than be unrealistic and have your expectations failed. 

[Curious25]

15 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

No, every person is different. There’s no way you can say you have the same donor, or the same hair thickness. That’s a dangerous way to think, you can draw inspiration, but to believe that you’ll get the same result is a recipe for failure.

Unless you’re a twin, there’s no such thing as “same donor” proceed with caution, it’s better to be realistic, and have a transplant exceed your expectations, than be unrealistic and have your expectations failed. 

Melvin is correct - unfortunately patient physiology can vary from person to person, and ultimately influence how results turn out. As he equally pointed out however, you are able to use someone else with similar pattern loss, and similar donor hair characteristics to build an accurate guide of what could be possible.

The best way to eliminate any other high risk variables is to proceed with a highly regarded surgeon with years of experience, choose a clinic who deal with similar cases to your own on a regular basis, practice a healthy lifestyle (avoid smoking, address any scalp conditions etc), follow post op instructions, and be positive! 😀