Dr. Konior - 3000 Graft FUT - July 7th 2021

[rocktitan]

Good evening everyone,

I had already posted my results in a separate thread in the Hair Restoration Questions and Answers section.  However in order to do Dr. Konior complete justice for his work I wanted to make a separate thread to increase visibility.  I plan to update this thread with pictures over the course of the next six months.

I completed my surgery with Dr. Konior on July 7th 2021.  Last Friday was my ~6 month result.  Per the title I had 3000 grafts transplanted with most in the hairline, temples, frontal lock, and some peppered in my midscalp / crown.

I have been more than pleased and I cannot imagine the results getting much better.  I presumably had early growth starting in month 4 with continued thickening in the 5th and 6th month.

I believe I am destined for Norwood 5 or 6 based upon my mother's father and his hairloss pattern.  I elected for FUT first in order to preserve as much donor hair as possible over the long term.  Dr. Konior made a comment that he could probably take another strip next time if needed.  Likely my next transplant will be FUT.  The one thereafter being FUE.  Upon further inspection of my hairline he mentioned that my hair was good at concealing my loss ... from the pictures I had sent, and in person, my actual hair loss was worse than evident in the pictures.

I have been on Finasteride for 3.5 years, Minoxidal for 5+ years.  (Just this week I tapered my down to 0.25mg of Finasteride per day and will likely discontinue starting 3/1.  Side effects started severely about a year ago and, unfortunately, have not resolved themselves.  I hope getting off will cure my issues.  I may try topical Finasteride.)

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions of the process. 

The order of pictures are as follows:

Pic 1 - Pre Surgery

Pic 2 - Pre Surgery 2

Pic 3 - Pre Surgery 3 (Top of Head. Harsh Light.)

Pic 4 - Pre Surgery 4

Pic 5 - Pre Surgery 5 (Top of Head)

Pic 6 - Pre Surgery 6 (Back of Head)

Pic 7 - Pre Surgery 7 (Back of Head)

Pic 8 - Directly After Surgery (Grafts shown)

Pic 9 - Directly After Surgery (FUT Scar)

 

Pic 10 - Directly After Surgery (FUT Scar 2)

Pic 11 - August 15th 2021 (1 month, 1 week)

Pic 12 - September 5th 2021 (~2 months)

Pic 13 - October 4th 2021 (~3 months)

Pic 14 - October 4th 2021 (~3 months)

Pic 15 - November 13th 2021 (~4 months 1 week)

Pic 16 - November 16th 2021 (~4 months, 1 week)

Pic 17 - December 13th 2021 (~5 months, 1 week)

Pic 18 - December 27th 2021 (~5 months, 3 weeks)

Pic 19 - January 3rd 2022 (~5 months, 3.75 weeks)

Pics 20-23 - January 7th 2022 (~6 months)

Pic 24 - January 12th 2022 (~6 months, almost 1 week) - Directly overhead.

Edited January 15, 2022 by rocktitan

[Tiger2050]

Wow, it looks amazing and you’re only at 6 months. Sucks that you’re getting side effects from finasteride. Are you sure the sides are from finasteride and not something else (new medications, lifestyle changes?) since weren’t getting them the first 2.5 years? Might be worth checking out Hasson and Wong’s new topical finasteride which has very little systemic absorption.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Tiger2050

[HappyMan2021]

@rocktitan great result! I'm curious, did you ever consult or interact with Dr. K's protege Dr. Nadimi, or were you dead-set on Dr. K? Any impressions of Dr. Nadimi if applicable?

[aaron1234]

Damn, those results are Spanker-esque! 🙌

Edit: Also, wise approach with the FUT for round 1, especially since you'll be quitting fin.

Edited January 14, 2022 by aaron1234

[PocketAces]

3 hours ago, Tiger2050 said:

Wow, it looks amazing and you’re only at 6 months. Sucks that you’re getting side effects from finasteride. Are you sure the sides are from finasteride and not something else (new medications, lifestyle changes?) since weren’t getting them the first 2.5 years? Might be worth checking out Hasson and Wong’s new topical finasteride which has very little systemic absorption.

Are there any published studies that show the topical finasteride has very little system absorption? If I recall, it’s the equivalent of 25mg of finasteride on your head daily. Seems really high.

[Tiger2050]

28 minutes ago, PocketAces said:

Are there any published studies that show the topical finasteride has very little system absorption? If I recall, it’s the equivalent of 25mg of finasteride on your head daily. Seems really high.

Dr. Hasson did an interview with @Melvin- Moderator announcing a new formulation of topical finasteride that only has 5% absorption in the blood stream. You can find more info here:

 

[George Clooney]

Wow. This is an example of what a hair transplant can do in the right person on the right meds. And at 6 months.

May I ask your age?

[Spanker]

Looking great. Congrats. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Wow absolutely incredible 

[Britanium]

Seriously only 6 months out 😯 wow ! 

[Ryan Daniel]

That's incredible for 6 months.  Some people need 2 procedures to get that amount of hair.. 

 

I hope you are disciplined with medication, otherwise the native hair you have on the front that is making your transplanted hairs look full will eventually grow thin and disappear..... hence making you back to where you were and needing another procedure once again. 

Happy growth!

[Z--]

Insane result!!

[rocktitan]

Thank you all for the kind words! 

Words cannot describe the mental freedom that comes with not having to worry about your hair on a daily basis.  Best money I have ever spent for peace of mind. 

 

@Tiger2050 Thank you!  Honestly if my symptoms are a result of something else (as long as it is curable) I would be thrilled.  When I first started taking Finasteride I noticed mild side effects, however, I pushed through and eventually it resolved itself. (Either I became used to the side effects or they became less severe.)  In May 2021 I had bought topical Dutasteride from Strut.  I used it for the first time a few days after I had microneedled. (I did not take Finasteride that day)  Later that night, or the next day, the sexual anhedonia hit hard and I haven't been the same since. I never took the topical Dutasteride again.  (I don't take anti depressants and nothing else changed with supplementation, workout regimine, etc.)  Therefore I always attributed the onset of my recent severe symptoms to Finasteride and the Topical Dutasteride.  I may go to a Dr. just in case ... hopefully there is a scenario where I can recover and stay on finasteride so as I can maintain the hair I have.

@SadMan2021I had only consulted with Dr. K.  I sent him an email in Jan 2021 with some pictures of my situation.  He responded promptly and gave me a run down on my situation / what he recommends.  I originally booked for Jan 2022, however, within a week he had an opening in July 2021 that came available. I jumped on the opportunity.  I chose Dr K given the quality of work I have seen on this website, Chicago Hair Institute, and across the internet in general. (I was hard pressed to find any negative comments about Dr K across multiple hair loss forums or outlets.  One of the few (or may be the only) negative comment(s) I had found is that he had transplanted someone TOO MUCH hair!  If that was the worst review I had found I was willing to take the risk!)

In regards to Dr. Nadimi I hadn't seen a lot of her work at the time.  The work I did see, however, was great.  If she trained under Dr. K then I am beyond confident that her work is just as meticulous.  Depending on the trend of cost with Dr. K she may be the one I see next when the inevitable comes.

@aaron1234 Thank you! Spanker's results are phenomenal. I hope mine will be able to stand the test of time like his.  (In regards to FUT, yes, my future potential hair loss was the sole reason I chose FUT.  I hope the efficient use of donor hairs, coupled with innovation in the industry, will buy me a lifetime of a reasonable supply of hair.  We shall see.)

@George Clooney Thank you! Yes, been on the medication for years.  I am 31. 

@Spanker Thank you Spanker! Your results were a big motivating factor for me to reach out to Dr K.

@Melvin- Moderator Thank you Melvin.  I look forward to following your thread on the 4000 grafts you just received by Eugenix.  You've been an inspiration for so many.

@JC71 Thank you!

@Ryan Daniel Thank you Ryan!  Yes, I am good with the medication.  I've been consistent for years now.  However I will unfortunately have to go off of Finasteride for the time being.  I know this will impact my native hair.  Hopefully I have a few more years to enjoy what was transplated before I have to go in for Round 2.

@Z-- Thank you!

 

I attached another picture at the gym yesterday afternoon. (1/15/2022) 

This was how I used to wear my hair years ago before the hair loss accelerated in 2020. 

]

 

The below picture is from November 2015 at a different gym.

Edited January 15, 2022 by rocktitan

[HappyMan2021]

9 hours ago, rocktitan said:

@SadMan2021I had only consulted with Dr. K.  I sent him an email in Jan 2021 with some pictures of my situation.  He responded promptly and gave me a run down on my situation / what he recommends.  I originally booked for Jan 2022, however, within a week he had an opening in July 2021 that came available. I jumped on the opportunity.  I chose Dr K given the quality of work I have seen on this website, Chicago Hair Institute, and across the internet in general. (I was hard pressed to find any negative comments about Dr K across multiple hair loss forums or outlets.  One of the few (or may be the only) negative comment(s) I had found is that he had transplanted someone TOO MUCH hair!  If that was the worst review I had found I was willing to take the risk!)

In regards to Dr. Nadimi I hadn't seen a lot of her work at the time.  The work I did see, however, was great.  If she trained under Dr. K then I am beyond confident that her work is just as meticulous.  Depending on the trend of cost with Dr. K she may be the one I see next when the inevitable comes.

thanks man! yea I'm in the research stage for my next HT this is really making me move the needle towards Dr. K. Not that I needed any additional convincing than I already had that Dr. K is amazing, just more evidence of it lol

 

[Lightmare]

Looking great at 6 months!

[rocktitan]

Quick update:

Below are my ~10 month pictures.  I believe I peaked at month 6 .... minor improvement since that time.  Overall I am beyond thrilled and the insecurities of hair loss has subsided.  Not having to stress daily is worth the money in and of itself. 

Keep in mind I started tapering down my usage of Finasteride over the course of the last 10 months.  1 Fin daily for first 4 months.  .5 fin daily for next 3 months.  0.25 daily or the next 2 months.  Over the last month I've been doing 0.25 every other day.  I plan to stop Finasteride completely starting June 1st or July 1st.

It makes me anxious that hairloss will likely accelerate, however, I've already made peace with the fact that I will need 1-2 tansplants additional over my lifetime.  Maybe I will be lucky and my hair loss will slow.  Fingers crossed that by the time I run out of donor hair there may be some more advanced preventative measures or replacement.

I will chime back in on month 12 as well.

Cheers

[RecessionProof]

Crazy good result, congrats!

[chaku]

Excellent for just 3k grafts and NW 4ish, crazy! Very natural hairline in shape and the incisions too as expected from Konior, full head now.

[stephcurry30]

Unreal result. i would love to see how the transplant looks a few years without finasteride. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Wow how did I miss this result, incredible! 🤩