Dr. Konior 1,124 Grafts FUE (Crown)

[aaron1234]

Alternate thread title, "Maniac gets 7th transplant?!?!" 🤪  This post requires some background.  I had my first FUT at 28, rushing into it without doing my due diligence.  I wasn't botched, but I had cobblestoning and multi-haired grafts in the hairline.  Thankfully it was only 1k grafts and my donor still had plenty to offer. One year later, Dr. Paul Shapiro and the good folks at SMG performed a game-changing FUT (2,348 grafts), removing the multi-haired grafts from the hairline, creating a more natural hairline and providing a significant density boost to the front.  Seeking more density, I returned to SMG two years later for a 3rd FUT (2,000 grafts).  The photos from these procedures are documented in my blog, linked below in my signature.  I'm forever grateful to the SMG team and highly recommend them.

In 2015 I noticed a decrease in volume in the front, but I knew my options were becoming more limited.  I set up an appointment with Dr. Konior.  Noticing my limited scalp mobility he said, "I believe your days of strip surgeries are over."  However, he did notice some laxity on the sides of my head above my ears.  I had a decision to make; either begin FUE or do two small strips to make use of the localized laxity I had left.  I'm probably a NW5-6, so completely maxing out on strip made sense to me.  In the summer of 2015 Dr. Konior removed a strip on my left side that yielded 771 grafts and he sprinkled them throughout my frontal tuft.  The pictures below are from another clinic for an elective surgery not hair-related, but they still show a significant increase in volume in the front at just six months post-op (before on the left, after on the right).  

Two years later I returned to Dr. Konior and he removed a strip on my right side that yielded 558 grafts.  These grafts were implanted just behind the frontal tuft, reinforcing the center bridge.  I do not have pictures for this specific procedure but the improvement was also noticeable.  

Fast forward to the summer of 2020.  I had originally booked a 500 graft, no-shave FUE procedure with Dr. Konior to address my crown.  Covid happened, everything shut down, and my public engagements were cancelled. Dr. Konior was kind enough to aim for a higher graft total and I was happy to shave my head in order to make the most of the surgery.  Even though I put "crown" in the title, Dr. Konior only used about 700 of the 1,124 grafts in the crown, a similar number to what @1978matt had done.  The remaining grafts were placed throughout the front and 70 grafts were used on each side to recreate the temple points.  I'm thrilled with the results at the 8th month mark, and I have a feeling that I'm pretty close to being a finished product. It gets stated often on this forum, but I cannot recommend Dr. Konior highly enough, not only for his surgical talents but also his longterm planning.  

Total FUT: 6,977 - Total FUE: 1,124 - Total Grafts: 8,101

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by aaron1234

[Melvin- Admin]

@makehairgreatagain you’ve got yourself some real competition now. Damn @aaron1234 your crown looks perfect even in harsh lights.

[aaron1234]

@Melvin-Moderator Thank you, sir! And I also see some similarities between my hair color and texture to @makehairgreatagain

[makehairgreatagain]

Looks fantastic. He's the best at utilizing limited grafts to create density and coverage. Still plenty of time to keep maturing even though it looks outstanding now.

[aaron1234]

4 minutes ago, makehairgreatagain said:

He's the best at utilizing limited grafts to create density and coverage.

Totally agree, and that's what I hope this post demonstrates.  A small number of grafts can go a long way if used in the right way.  

[Melvin- Admin]

20 minutes ago, aaron1234 said:

@Melvin-Moderator Thank you, sir! And I also see some similarities between my hair color and texture to @makehairgreatagain

Dr. Konior is one of the best, he’s showcasing his skills and best of all, he’s all results based, no marketing.

[champybaby]

Amazing results and A+ planning, approach. For only 700 in the crown this is incredible.

Dr. K put about 1500 in my crown 3 months ago. I had about as much coverage as you did in the 4 month mark.

Thanks for sharing.

[CosmoKramer]

Good planning, great results. 👍🏻

[1978matt]

Great stuff. This is the quintessential 'strip out, then FUE' example, and I bet you still have some more grafts left in the tank. 

[aaron1234]

1 minute ago, 1978matt said:

Great stuff. This is the quintessential 'strip out, then FUE' example, and I bet you still have some more grafts left in the tank. 

In the interview with Melvin, Dr. Ron Shapiro said that he estimates that this approach may provide between 2K-3K more lifetime grafts.  I'm over 8K now and Dr. Konior indeed says I have more in reserve.  🙏

[aaron1234]

28 minutes ago, champybaby said:

Amazing results and A+ planning, approach. For only 700 in the crown this is incredible.

Dr. K put about 1500 in my crown 3 months ago. I had about as much coverage as you did in the 4 month mark.

Thanks!  Dr. Konior did mention that he could have used more grafts in my crown, but other areas needed to be addressed too.  The closer you get to tapping out your donor supply the more precious each graft becomes.  Makes you appreciate the wise planning all the more.  Looking forward to seeing your results!  😎

[deitel130]

@aaron1234 the crown looks perfect with such few grafts. I've always read the crown takes longer for growth. When did you first notice growth in your crown? It seems like you had some growth at 4 months was that your natives or was at actually the transplant? What did you notice different in terms of growth, texture if any with the crown vs the front?

[Britanium]

That’s really nice for 8 months out 👏 hope it will continue to improve right up to 18 months ! 

[aaron1234]

7 minutes ago, deitel130 said:

@aaron1234 the crown looks perfect with such few grafts. I've always read the crown takes longer for growth. When did you first notice growth in your crown? It seems like you had some growth at 4 months was that your natives or was at actually the transplant? What did you notice different in terms of growth, texture if any with the crown vs the front?

Thank you! I think around the 4 month mark I was back to square one, but by the end of that month I knew I had something good brewing.  By month 6 I had full coverage even though the hairs will wispier than they are now.  I can't say that this procedure took longer to fill in than any of my frontal HT's, they all seemed to grow in at the same rate.

6 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

That’s really nice for 8 months out 👏 hope it will continue to improve right up to 18 months ! 

Thanks, John! I still feel some stubble in the crown so I anticipate some thickening yet to come.

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, aaron1234 said:

Thank you! I think around the 4 month mark I was back to square one, but by the end of that month I knew I had something good brewing.  By month 6 I had full coverage even though the hairs will wispier than they are now.  I can't say that this procedure took longer to fill in than any of my frontal HT's, they all seemed to grow in at the same rate.

Thanks, John! I still feel some stubble in the crown so I anticipate some thickening yet to come.

Absolutely! It’s definitely going to improve further. 

[hybonix]

Wow, this is absolutely amazing work from Dr. K. I was originally looking at him as well, but his price scared me away. However, damn this is incredible. Great journey and great results. Will definitely be looking at Konior for my next procedure... Kudos to your successful outcome here.

[giegnosiganoe]

Awesome result for so few grafts.

I have some questions as your case is pretty interesting:

Do you see yourself getting more procedures in the near future?

Do you have any pics before your first procedure? I think it would be really interesting to see the full evolution.

I can't imagine doing a FUT for only 500 grafts. How was the recovery? How is your FUT scar after all these procedures?

[Melvin- Admin]

@aaron1234 where do you think you’d be without HTs? Norwood 5+?

[RubenH]

Beautiful work! This is a clear example on how smart decisions by top surgeons lead to an excellent result. And it will improve further

 

[aaron1234]

8 hours ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Do you see yourself getting more procedures in the near future?

I will get more HT's in the future if I have more thinning, but as I near the end of my donor supply I will need to be judicious in how I use my remaining grafts.  Dr. Konior believes that it is wise to keep some in reserve in case of an emergency.

8 hours ago, giegnosiganoe said:

I can't imagine doing a FUT for only 500 grafts. How was the recovery? How is your FUT scar after all these procedures?

Recovering from smaller strip surgeries is relatively easy.  With the staples/sutures on one side of my head it was nice to be able to sleep on the other side, something that isn't possible with the larger sessions.  My FUT scar(s) are a non-issue.  I still have the strip scar from my first surgery in 2008.  Both Dr. Ron and Paul Shapiro looked at it and thought it was taken too high, outside of the permanent zone, so the strips for my SMG procedures were taken beneath that one. 

8 hours ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Do you have any pics before your first procedure? I think it would be really interesting to see the full evolution.

Sure thing.  Here are two pictures from 2005, right before I started Fin.  I was 25 at the time, I'm now 40. 

Edited February 11, 2021 by aaron1234

[aaron1234]

4 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

where do you think you’d be without HTs? Norwood 5+?

@Melvin-Moderator Take a look at pics I just posted from 15 years ago.  Looks like NW6 territory to me, right?

[Melvin- Admin]

11 minutes ago, aaron1234 said:

@Melvin-Moderator Take a look at pics I just posted from 15 years ago.  Looks like NW6 territory to me, right?

This is not you!!! 😱 Jesus

[aaron1234]

1 minute ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

This is not you!!! 😱 Jesus

Haha, indeed it is!  

[giegnosiganoe]

@aaron1234 wow, unbelievable transformation. And from what I can see, your donor still looks very dense. Any idea how many FUE grafts you have remaining?

[aaron1234]

6 minutes ago, giegnosiganoe said:

wow, unbelievable transformation. And from what I can see, your donor still looks very dense. Any idea how many FUE grafts you have remaining?

Thank you!  After the surgery Dr. Konior mentioned that I have more FUE grafts remaining but he didn't give me a number.  I'd venture to guess that I have at least another 1,000 left in the tank before the donor region starts looking compromised.