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Advice: Wait for Hasson or go for Konior?


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Been pushing my megasession FUT appointment (4-4.5k grafts) with Dr Hasson for almost a year now and Canada is not looking very positive relative to the US. It seems super unclear when the border will open and it’s getting super frustrating to see no end in sight. 

I’ve decided I will only let Hasson or Konior cut me. 

I’ve recently consulted with Dr. Konior who has been great in providing good info on what he would do (4K grafts) and his overall assessment. I was transparent with him about my perpetual Hasson appointment and he openly informed me that Dr Hasson is very good at large sessions and advised me to wait things out of I could, which was an interesting and honest response. 

Konior has a non-refundable $2k deposit, which really discourages me from booking something with him as a backup in case the border continues to stay closed into 2022.

I don’t doubt that Konior would do a great job, but wanted to call out for any other info I should consider and any advice or recommendations? 

 

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If you're happy with FUT these are arguably the best two clinics at it, Hasson in particular for larger megasessions. At the end of the day if you've come down to these two clinics I'd assume you already have a good sense for decision making, you really just have to look at their results yourself and decide who you think produces the best results to your eye consistently and in terms of aesthetics. On top of that the price, I'd also consider budgeting for a potential touch-up, not that you will absolutely have to but its worth considering in advance. Personally I do think Hasson produces more aesthetic hairlines, albeit at higher densities typically than Konior might. Konior however potentially marginally more consistent and better coverage per graft number.  My conclusion would basically be that if the 2k deposit for Konior is a meaningful amount of money for you I'd simply go with Hasson, on FUT prices one of the best valued surgeons in the world.

I'm not an American, but I do think just on the numbers that an end is *absolutely* in sight in regards to the border situation. That might mean 3-6months, but it it sounds like you've already endured the brunt of the wait regardless. For the period to extend another six months especially for those that have already been vaccinated it would mean a gargantuan failure of governance on behalf of both countries. 

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Realistically, I am able to wait it out - I don’t have a wedding or anything that is rushing things. It’s more of just a major annoyance, as I’ve researched for 5 years and finally was ready to pull the trigger with Hasson last year and then everything shut down and keeps getting pushed out. 
 

But it’s the unknown that’s frustrating me and the question of if I will always think “what could have been” if I go with someone else. Konior is obviously world class and I’d probably be fine, but it’s interesting (and applaudable) that he is honest with me in encouraging me to wait it out for Hasson if I can. 

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I can understand that, you put in the time, saved financially and mentally prepared yourself for this.

It won't be indefinite but challenging there isn't a specific timeframe on when you would be able to. Not sure if you saw the live stream on Instagram but he actually referred to Hasson when asked about mega sessions. @Melvin-Moderator do you have a link to this by chance?

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1 hour ago, makehairgreatagain said:

I can understand that, you put in the time, saved financially and mentally prepared yourself for this.

It won't be indefinite but challenging there isn't a specific timeframe on when you would be able to. Not sure if you saw the live stream on Instagram but he actually referred to Hasson when asked about mega sessions. @Melvin-Moderator do you have a link to this by chance?

Thanks for tagging me. I think Hasson and Konior are both excellent doctors that have different strong suits. Konior did mention that he believes H&W are probably one of the best for megasession procedures. That’s their forte. In my opinion, Konior is great for detail work and repairs.

For example, hairlines, temple points, etc. He has done large strips before, but if you’re looking to get a huge number of grafts in one sitting, it might be worth it to wait it out. 
 

Here’s the link to my interview with him and Dr. Nadimi

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CItfBT8j7KO/?igshid=ba3u2wyknoj9

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I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

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I booked with HW in November 2019.  Then had to reschedule three times, then gave up.  I then went to someone else which I now regret.  If Canada aint open in the next 4-6 months I think they will be closed forever.  YOull have to wait until they elect someone else.  Unless you want to vacation for 10 days in a cheap hotel b4 you are seen.  If they drop the Covid crisis they lose the control they have gained.  911 happened 20 years ago and we are still taking off our shoes at the airport.

 

There are other great docs in US.  Good luck...

 

 

 

 

 

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When you think about it most of the world has now been disconnected due to Covid-19 pandemic. I am looking at Eugenix for surgery because from my research, I believe that they are best able to do address my needs and goals. It's tragic what is currently happening in India and my heart goes out for the current suffering that is going on there. Second to this, it is obvious that my wait of already one year will now be blown out even longer. Will I opt for a surgeon I can reach or choose a surgeon that is local? Hell no. The results are what I will have to live with for the rest of my life regardless of my current age. No amount of waiting will deter me from ending up with that risk. Like all things in life often patience is the key.

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5 hours ago, O Hare 57 said:

I booked with HW in November 2019.  Then had to reschedule three times, then gave up.  I then went to someone else which I now regret.  If Canada aint open in the next 4-6 months I think they will be closed forever.  YOull have to wait until they elect someone else.  Unless you want to vacation for 10 days in a cheap hotel b4 you are seen.  If they drop the Covid crisis they lose the control they have gained.  911 happened 20 years ago and we are still taking off our shoes at the airport.

 

There are other great docs in US.  Good luck...

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t make any sense. But they cannot keep the borders closed forever. But I bet they will enforce some sort of Covid vaccine passport, which is such an invasion of PHI, but I digress. 

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I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

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Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

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I believe Dr. Konior is booked until April 2022. 

With the vaccines rolling out, the delays can't keep happening much longer. I think it will probably be delayed after May, but I would be surprised if it's open past June. 

 

 

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Its odd and not well known but vaccine passports have existed in some form for quite a while.  I went to Peru in 2005 and got lots of shots including a yellow fever vaccine.  Your doctor will give a you a yellow public health card with stamps showing what vaccines you have had.  Many countries will deny you entrance without a yellow fever vaccine stamp.  This has been the case for decades.  Most barring is when you fly from one infected country to another.  Americans have taken public health for granted for a long time.  I worked in lab researching Malaria.  Mosquitos suck.  The spread many diseases in third world countries. For the most part the U.S. and other first world countries have been spared this hassle/requirement.  Mostly due to good medical care and strong public health adherence afforded to people who live in well off countries with a virulent public health system. The covid 19 pandemic just happened to reach our shores as it is global.  I blame overcrowding and overpopulation, but that's just my opinion.

This picture is a of vaccine certificate I got 15 years ago.  Vaccine passports sound like a horrible infringement on your civil liberties and something Orwellian, but truth is they are already here. There just going to expand their reach to people who live in countries that haven't had to deal with these hassles b4.  I suspect if the c19 vaccine is good and the death and hospital rates go down a lot countries will open back up slowly by degree.  But this pandemic may have set a precedent that will become  a useful tool to further regulate our live in one manner or another.  UG....  I do hope Canada opens soon.

 

https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/disease-prevention-advice/yellow-fever/yellow-fever-risk-areas.aspx

 

passp11.jpg

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7 hours ago, O Hare 57 said:

Its odd and not well known but vaccine passports have existed in some form for quite a while.  I went to Peru in 2005 and got lots of shots including a yellow fever vaccine.  Your doctor will give a you a yellow public health card with stamps showing what vaccines you have had.  Many countries will deny you entrance without a yellow fever vaccine stamp.  This has been the case for decades.  Most barring is when you fly from one infected country to another.  Americans have taken public health for granted for a long time.  I worked in lab researching Malaria.  Mosquitos suck.  The spread many diseases in third world countries. For the most part the U.S. and other first world countries have been spared this hassle/requirement.  Mostly due to good medical care and strong public health adherence afforded to people who live in well off countries with a virulent public health system. The covid 19 pandemic just happened to reach our shores as it is global.  I blame overcrowding and overpopulation, but that's just my opinion.

This picture is a of vaccine certificate I got 15 years ago.  Vaccine passports sound like a horrible infringement on your civil liberties and something Orwellian, but truth is they are already here. There just going to expand their reach to people who live in countries that haven't had to deal with these hassles b4.  I suspect if the c19 vaccine is good and the death and hospital rates go down a lot countries will open back up slowly by degree.  But this pandemic may have set a precedent that will become  a useful tool to further regulate our live in one manner or another.  UG....  I do hope Canada opens soon.

 

https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/disease-prevention-advice/yellow-fever/yellow-fever-risk-areas.aspx

 

passp11.jpg

I still have the same yellow vaccination card from years ago when I went to many countries in Africa where it was mandatory to have certain vaccinations. 

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7 hours ago, O Hare 57 said:

Its odd and not well known but vaccine passports have existed in some form for quite a while.  I went to Peru in 2005 and got lots of shots including a yellow fever vaccine.  Your doctor will give a you a yellow public health card with stamps showing what vaccines you have had.  Many countries will deny you entrance without a yellow fever vaccine stamp.  This has been the case for decades.  Most barring is when you fly from one infected country to another.  Americans have taken public health for granted for a long time.  I worked in lab researching Malaria.  Mosquitos suck.  The spread many diseases in third world countries. For the most part the U.S. and other first world countries have been spared this hassle/requirement.  Mostly due to good medical care and strong public health adherence afforded to people who live in well off countries with a virulent public health system. The covid 19 pandemic just happened to reach our shores as it is global.  I blame overcrowding and overpopulation, but that's just my opinion.

This picture is a of vaccine certificate I got 15 years ago.  Vaccine passports sound like a horrible infringement on your civil liberties and something Orwellian, but truth is they are already here. There just going to expand their reach to people who live in countries that haven't had to deal with these hassles b4.  I suspect if the c19 vaccine is good and the death and hospital rates go down a lot countries will open back up slowly by degree.  But this pandemic may have set a precedent that will become  a useful tool to further regulate our live in one manner or another.  UG....  I do hope Canada opens soon.

 

https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/disease-prevention-advice/yellow-fever/yellow-fever-risk-areas.aspx

 

passp11.jpg

I don’t think you should be forced to take a vaccine to travel. For example, I’ve already had Covid back in October. I will not be taking the vaccine, which long term effects are unknown, for a condition I’ve already survived.

I also don’t agree with having to provide proof of any medical condition to travel anywhere. Just because something has been around doesn’t make it right. But that’s neither here nor there.


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

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Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

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If Dr. Konior is booked until 2022, that is a long time, but I believe the wait will be worth it. This is a permanent decision and you want to have the utmost confidence in your surgeon, I think waiting a bit more is worth that peace of mind. 

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6 minutes ago, asterix0 said:

If Dr. Konior is booked until 2022, that is a long time, but I believe the wait will be worth it. This is a permanent decision and you want to have the utmost confidence in your surgeon, I think waiting a bit more is worth that peace of mind. 

Yes, I agree. While I don't doubt Konior is world-class, not going to my doctor of choice will always result in the "what could have been" scenario that will hang over me forever. But who knows - Konior could be more fitting than Hasson in my scenario, but I think mentally the "cognitive bias" will at least give me peace of mind. 

If anything, this was a good therapy session to build up more patience. :) Thanks everyone - this community and forum is great!

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Yes, the process is very much psychological as well. The long waiting periods, the ugly duckling phase where doubt inevitably creeps in...through all that time you want to feel confident that your decision to invest your time, money, and energy will turn out well. 

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5 minutes ago, asterix0 said:

Yes, the process is very much psychological as well. The long waiting periods, the ugly duckling phase where doubt inevitably creeps in...through all that time you want to feel confident that your decision to invest your time, money, and energy will turn out well. 

That actually brings up a good point/question - how did you all hide the procedure during the initial months post hair transplant? I work in tech and CAN wear a hat at work, but I don’t that often and people will probably be like “why is he wearing hats all the time now?”

Especially with FUT, it seems it’s more hard to conceal with the a big scar across the back of the head. 

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The surgery takes one day but my scalp was pinkish red for over 4 months.  Someone did ask me, "hey when did you start wearing a hat."  Tell them you don't want to get skin cancer.  Mel, I agree. I don't like mandates.  Usually flying to another country involved giving you a "travel advisory" not a list of mandates.  Guess will know by the end of year if these things are permanent or temporary.

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Countries should absolutely have the right to manage a public health crisis, and vaccines passports are in-line with established federal and local laws pertaining to vaccines, for example, schools require students have certain vaccinations. But this forum is an odd place to discuss an obscure political ideology, so I digress.  Focusing on OP's situation, I believe the rules for border crossings are different if you enter by car. Perhaps you can fly into the top most city, and then rent a car to Vancouver. 

 

Even when border restrictions are lifted, you still may need to quarantine for a few days, which would cost additional money in hotel costs. 

 

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On 4/29/2021 at 12:12 AM, FuriousGeorge said:

Been pushing my megasession FUT appointment (4-4.5k grafts) with Dr Hasson for almost a year now and Canada is not looking very positive relative to the US. It seems super unclear when the border will open and it’s getting super frustrating to see no end in sight. 

I’ve decided I will only let Hasson or Konior cut me. 

I’ve recently consulted with Dr. Konior who has been great in providing good info on what he would do (4K grafts) and his overall assessment. I was transparent with him about my perpetual Hasson appointment and he openly informed me that Dr Hasson is very good at large sessions and advised me to wait things out of I could, which was an interesting and honest response. 

Konior has a non-refundable $2k deposit, which really discourages me from booking something with him as a backup in case the border continues to stay closed into 2022.

I don’t doubt that Konior would do a great job, but wanted to call out for any other info I should consider and any advice or recommendations? 

 

Why don't you just fly in and book a airbnb or something for 2~ weeks if possible? Pretty sure you can skip the quarantine with negative covid tests on both sides of the flight. BC is beautiful in the early summer, maybe make a mini vacation out of it once the healing is done? 

Edited by TrialAcc
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23 hours ago, O Hare 57 said:

I booked with HW in November 2019.  Then had to reschedule three times, then gave up.  I then went to someone else which I now regret.  If Canada aint open in the next 4-6 months I think they will be closed forever.  YOull have to wait until they elect someone else.  Unless you want to vacation for 10 days in a cheap hotel b4 you are seen.  If they drop the Covid crisis they lose the control they have gained.  911 happened 20 years ago and we are still taking off our shoes at the airport.

 

There are other great docs in US.  Good luck...

 

 

 

 

 

Yes because it's Trudeau's fault that America let covid go unchecked and we had to close our borders to protect our healthcare systems...

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5 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I don’t think you should be forced to take a vaccine to travel. For example, I’ve already had Covid back in October. I will not be taking the vaccine, which long term effects are unknown, for a condition I’ve already survived.

I also don’t agree with having to provide proof of any medical condition to travel anywhere. Just because something has been around doesn’t make it right. But that’s neither here nor there.

Not to start a debate here but it's fully reasonable and appropriate for a country to require things like vaccinations to allow foreign visitors into their borders. You aren't a citizen of that country, and they have every right to enforce whatever type of healthcare standards they see fit to allow you to visit. This exists all over parts of the world. If it's not something that you are interested in then you don't have to visit that specific country. 

 

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1 hour ago, TrialAcc said:

 

Not to start a debate here but it's fully reasonable and appropriate for a country to require things like vaccinations to allow foreign visitors into their borders. You aren't a citizen of that country, and they have every right to enforce whatever type of healthcare standards they see fit to allow you to visit. This exists all over parts of the world. If it's not something that you are interested in then you don't have to visit that specific country. 

 

True, looks like I won’t be able to travel for a while or ever 😪 oh well my choice. 

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I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube.

 

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4 hours ago, TrialAcc said:

Why don't you just fly in and book a airbnb or something for 2~ weeks if possible? Pretty sure you can skip the quarantine with negative covid tests on both sides of the flight. BC is beautiful in the early summer, maybe make a mini vacation out of it once the healing is done? 

Border is closed to all US citizens - only Canadians traveling back from the US are mandated to quarantine. If a US citizen shows up by plane, train, car, boat or hot air balloon, they will be turned away....unless it’s considered essential services ( I would argue hair restoration is essential - if only Trudeau were bald, maybe he’d agree 🤣). 

 

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