Painful decade long journey. 34 yo | 3x HT

[track_rat]

2 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

@track_rat

I'm sorry to hear about everything. I truly hope you can find a solution. Please keep me updated. If you're ever in the LA area hit me up. 

You already know I will! Will take you up on that soon. 🍻 

[track_rat]

I started traveling on weekends and taking a Monday or a Friday off here and there to take consults from surgeons in the states. I started doing this around the 5 month mark from my procedure when I accepted that things weren’t really going to improve.

I understand I had more coverage to come in future months, but coverage I doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t look natural.

Of all the surgeons I met, I really was drawn to Dr. Konior. When we met, I asked him what he would do if he were me. I didn’t go in with any requests. He immediately said a multi-stage de-bulking of the crown and invited me to visit him every couple months on a Saturday to pick away at this to improve my situation. We agreed on a 200 graft test procedure to remove some beard hairs and strategically place them on the upper fringe of my horseshoe dip. The beard hairs behave well in the donor or when cut short.

All in all, my first procedure with him went very well. There was a slight surprise to me that too many hairs were trimmed to get to the beard hairs, but Dr. K cleverly left this region behind where he extracted totally intact to give me coverage over the next few months as things grow. Dr. K did comment that he didn’t agree with the angles that were made with the beard hairs and that they were going all over the place. But that’s just my double whirl doing it’s thing I guess.
 

Anyways, Dr. K was on a roll and ended up giving me about 450-500 graft de bulking in only the area you’ll see below. We re-implanted these into the region right above my donor to try and close the circle a little. It won’t do much, but it’s something.

This was done on May 14. 

Before:

 

Immediately after. I’ll ask the clinic for my post op photos they took. Pics look worse than it was. My hair sits flat now in that area and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb anymore. Will get some updated photos now that it’s been 2 months. He does really clean work and I was impressed with my time with him. He didn’t want to do any small talk while working lol, I respected it. Laser focused.

 

[track_rat]

I should add that I chose Dr. K specifically for this test procedure. He’s ethical, and I’ve read that he’s turned patients down before if he didn’t think the surgery was worth it. I felt very safe in his chair.

I’m not sure that I’ll return to him just yet. Will be going to different surgeons for different specialties. This will be a long road my friends.

Wish me luck.

 

[Vann]

1 hour ago, track_rat said:

I should add that I chose Dr. K specifically for this test procedure. He’s ethical, and I’ve read that he’s turned patients down before if he didn’t think the surgery was worth it. I felt very safe in his chair.

I’m not sure that I’ll return to him just yet. Will be going to different surgeons for different specialties. This will be a long road my friends.

Wish me luck.

 

I think you made an amazing turn around despite the previous track record you have. Konior in my opinion is a cheat code so I really do wish you the best with the rest of your recovery and growth. 
 

i look forward to your future updates!

[HappyMan2021]

2 hours ago, track_rat said:

We agreed on a 200 graft test procedure

would you mind sharing how much this cost you?

there was a prospective Konior patient on here recently who only needed 500 grafts worth of work. Konior quoted him at $24/graft. 

Would not be surprised if he quoted you something ridiculously high like that as well. 

But hey, I would pay that much too if I had the money and really really REALLY believed in the surgeon. 

[track_rat]

9 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

would you mind sharing how much this cost you?

there was a prospective Konior patient on here recently who only needed 500 grafts worth of work. Konior quoted him at $24/graft. 

Would not be surprised if he quoted you something ridiculously high like that as well. 

But hey, I would pay that much too if I had the money and really really REALLY believed in the surgeon. 

Sure man, dm’ing you now. Do people share costs openly on here? Happy to post also if so. 

[RTC]

That's great to hear, Konior is world class. Really hope that will improve things.

[Vann]

13 hours ago, track_rat said:

Sure man, dm’ing you now. Do people share costs openly on here? Happy to post also if so. 

Some people do. Its really up to you whether or not you want to share what you spent or are willing to spend.

[track_rat]

5 minutes ago, Vann said:

Some people do. Its really up to you whether or not you want to share what you spent or are willing to spend.

Sure, I’ll post and I don’t think Dr. Konior would mind me doing so.

As you know, I’m far from a straightforward case. Truthfully, I’m surprised he took me on and got me in so fast on a Saturday. Dr. Konior proposed a $9k session fee. He felt it to be pointless to do the math on graft count (when I asked) because of the complexity involved in the relocation of the beard grafts. His estimate was to move at least 200 grafts. He got into a good rhythm and was smoothly removing, so my graft count went up to about 500 extractions that were relocated strategically into the upper donor region.

I’m guessing future sessions would be more friendly on price (but don’t quote me on that). Again, I don’t think I’ll return for a future session. I only chose Dr. K because it introduced very few variables and I just was comfortable that there was zero room for error with him. Kind of a go for gold for me at this point since I’ve been screwed so much. It was a test; a good first step and allowed me to gauge healing and scarring for future planning. I’m happy that I went to him, albeit being very expensive. But I don’t go out much these days so my extracurricular spending is at an all time low. The visit served its purpose.

[jjsrader]

Thanks for the follow-ups.

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by jjsrader

[HappyMan2021]

1 hour ago, track_rat said:

I’m guessing future sessions would be more friendly on price

doubtful

[THE TRUTH]

Konior is amongst the best in the world.

No doubt about that. 

His work is really solid, extremely meticulous and precise. His strip scars are as thin as can be. The coverage he's able to achieve with very few grafts is amazing. 

Konior will give you more coverage with 700 grafts then Erdogan's nurses with megassession of 5000 grafts 😂😂

Unfortunately his prices are absolutely ridiculous....I mean really it's crazy. 

But if you are lucky enough to be able to afford him then go for it ! 

I read your thread and also your old one with Unger and waw you've been through a lot....Crazy stuff bruh....

Wish you the best. Hope it finally works out for you this time INSH'ALLAH ☝️

Btw were on oral Finasteride/Dutasteride between 2012 and now ? 

Because it appears that your baldness on the crown has progressed significantly between your Unger surgery and now. 

[HappyMan2021]

Just now, Ali took over said:

Unfortunately his prices are absolutely ridiculous....I mean really it's crazy. 

 

OP was quoted $45/graft for 200 grafts. Bonkers. Even with Konior 'generously' throwing in an additional 300 grafts for 500 grafts total, that comes out to $18/graft. 

OP does seem really educated and experienced, so I am surprised he went this route. 

The only thing I can think of is Konior was willing to see him very quickly whereas a different elite doctor it would have been many months of waiting to be seen. 

But yea...I'm just not sure how $45 or even $18 can be justified by any doctor in the world. 

But at the same time, its capitalism, supply and demand, etc. 

If people are willing to pay the exorbitant prices then whatever, its their money. 

[THE TRUTH]

Yeah....

Konior's pricing is exagerated. 

If I was a millionaire then yeah why not I'd definitely give him a shot because I do believe Konior's work is outstanding. Sadly I can't afford it. I' have to stick to "Fuecapilar and Bicer" 😂🤙

However,  there are other extremely expensive surgeons which i would never go to even if I was a billionaire !   For instance Dr. Craig Ziering... I mean look what he did to Lebron...🤦‍♀️ 

Dude charges 20k to 30k $ per surgery but his results are average at best  

[Melvin- Admin]

Guys,

What does his pricing have to do with anything? 

I suggest we stick to the topic of the repair. Cost is irrelevant, as OP already decided that’s what was best for him. 

[Vann]

Regardless of how much he charges people are still willing to go. There are doctors people go to in order to meet their budget, there are some people who go for results, then you have cheat codes like Konior who charge an insane amount and give you the moneys worth. 

Regardless of how much he charges there will always be people willing to go. Whether he charges $100 there will still be people lined up. Probably a lot less... but still a good amount of people who want the best results possible. I am not saying Konior is the ultimate best, but his results speak for themselves and I low key think he charges a lot but I honestly think its justified with how well he does.

Edited July 13, 2022 by Vann

[BDK081522]

You guys shouldn't be thinking of this case as a per graft dollar amount. It's a very difficult repair case. It involves many advanced aspects of hair restoration including beard grafts extraction, scar tissue, wrong angled grafts, etc.. As a patient, you're not paying for a standard per graft hair transplant. You're paying Dr. Konior for the years of experience, meticulous attention to detail, and perfecting of his craft that has taken a long career to achieve. 

[mrmane85]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:48 AM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Guys,

What does his pricing have to do with anything? 

I suggest we stick to the topic of the repair. Cost is irrelevant, as OP already decided that’s what was best for him. 

This!

Please start your own thread @HappyMan2021 & @Legal action and refund if you want to break down different surgeons and their pricing.

This thread is about the OP. He's putting himself in the spotlight here and generously sharing his journey which will help many others. 

@track_rat although you've been through a lot, the attitude in which you are moving forward with is truly inspiring.

You could have let this really bring you down, but instead you are consulting with the best of the best, analysing what your objectives are, how you can achieve this step by step and taking action.

Thank you for sharing your journey. I strongly feel at the end of this you'll have a pleasing result. You'll be proud of yourself and will have grown tremendously. You'll also be able to share this wisdom to those who have also suffered poor results (which are so many) and show them how to positively move forward. 

[track_rat]

41 minutes ago, mrmane85 said:

This!

Please start your own thread @HappyMan2021 & @Legal action and refund if you want to break down different surgeons and their pricing.

This thread is about the OP. He's putting himself in the spotlight here and generously sharing his journey which will help many others. 

@track_rat although you've been through a lot, the attitude in which you are moving forward with is truly inspiring.

You could have let this really bring you down, but instead you are consulting with the best of the best, analysing what your objectives are, how you can achieve this step by step and taking action.

Thank you for sharing your journey. I strongly feel at the end of this you'll have a pleasing result. You'll be proud of yourself and will have grown tremendously. You'll also be able to share this wisdom to those who have also suffered poor results (which are so many) and show them how to positively move forward. 

Thank you so much for saying brother. These sorts of comments help me to keep going and I truly appreciate it. 

On the pricing dialogue..as BDK mentioned, I’m not an easy case and this procedure shouldn’t be qualified by price / graft math. So much went into it beyond just 500 grafts.

- I was in correspondence with Konior only a few months post Eugenix. He was well versed in my case with monthly photo updates and prepared when we met. He refused to meet with me until April (8 months post Eugenix), and scheduled me for a month later in May for the procedure. 

- He is ethical. He promised only 200 grafts for the test. He went on to 500 because things were going well. He knew when to stop.

- He knew which grafts to extract (and how many) to get me back in the office in 3 days. My procedure was on a Saturday, and I was back in the office on Tuesday. I looked thinner, but more natural.

- He knew which hairs to keep in place to provide coverage. This is clever, because I embarrassingly panicked when I saw how sparse the extraction region was due to trimming. He assured me that combing the behind region forward would completely disguise the extracted region. He was right, and my crown sat flatter (requiring a lot less styling effort). 

- I needed one solid success under my belt to give me the courage to continue. I’m not ready to give up yet. 

[Legend007]

I think once u get most of the bird nest out strategically n spread them out into different areas,  it will look more natural .. . ur hair looks pretty good in the  front n u have coverage up top .. don’t get too sad… when u can’t change how things are at the moment , u can still control how u feel about it  

i know u missed the thinning hair look prior to surgery , since it’s more natural .. but they were weak hairs on their way out .. the new Hairs u have now is more cosmetically pleasing n will last u a long time..

Best wishes to u .. 

 

[mrmane85]

How's it going @track_rat?

 

[HelpfulFriend]

Hey @track_rat,

Firstly, I just want to commend you for having such a strong, measured, and ultimately understanding mindset. 

You've been through a lot, and you've handled it extremely well. It's very brave of you, and you should be proud of the kind of person you are.

I am also elated to hear you are going with Dr. K. I have heard NOTHING but absolutely glowing commendations from this community. He really does care about his patients, and if there's anyone who can set you right, it's him. I also think that a little will go a long way. I believe that with some of his tinkering, you will end up with a night-and-day difference. You just need the crown buffered/reconstructed a little, and the hairline is an easy fix.

I truly wish you all the best. Stay positive.

[track_rat]

Are these beard hairs that I’m looking at that are mixed in my hairline?

I plucked one to look at closely…and I don’t think any of my straight and fine native hairs do this.

Edited September 5, 2022 by track_rat

[Berba11]

Just looks like normal wiry/kinky-ness that happens with transplant hairs that haven’t fully matured. I’ve a lot of hairs like that after 9 months but it has been improving over time as expected. 

[track_rat]

Thank you Berba. Just wanted to check, I was noticing a few of these super wiry hairs scattered in the hairline and got confused.