4580 Grafts via FUT with Dr. Wong (of Hasson and Wong) | 31M

[TimeForAChange]

Hi everyone, I got a hair transplant a month ago at Hasson and Wong. This forum was a great help in my research and I wanted to give back to the community by documenting my experience. It may not be the most helpful but I wanted to use this forum as my hair transplant diary so bear with me. It’s going to be long. My memory is a bit hazy since I’m writing this a month later but I’ll try my best.

Background

A little background of myself: I’m a 31 Asian male from Toronto who didn’t notice I was thinning until around age 25 (2016) (so the hair loss probably started years before). Specifically, I have diffused patterned alopecia headed towards a NW6 on the Norwood scale. I think I may have some retrograde alopecia as well. After years of delay, I started finasteride in December 2020. I tried minoxidil for a brief period of time but quickly dropped it due to difficulty with compliance. I waited around 1.5 years in the hopes that the finasteride would help regrow my hair but it only seemed to help maintain what I had left so I started my research (in early October 2022) on hair transplant surgeons.

Surgeon Selection and Initial Consultation

I narrowed my search to Dr. Konior of Chicago Hair Institute and either Dr. Hasson or Dr. Wong of Hasson and Wong. My logic was that I only have a finite amount of donor hair so I’m going to give myself the best chance of success by going with a renowned surgeon. Additionally, with that logic, I wanted FUT surgery as I believe getting a FUT surgery first provides the best lifetime graft yield. This however eliminated Dr. Hasson as he no longer does FUT surgery. I went to each of their respective websites and filled out their consultation forms. Both clinics responded within a day but Dr. Nadimi responded to my inquiry to the Chicago Hair Institute instead of Dr. Konior. Dr. Nadimi wasn’t on my shortlist although she’s very good in her own right but I was turned off by the $200 consultation fee. One of Hasson and Wong’s consultants reached out to me and we scheduled the online consultation for a week later. In the consultation, the consultant answered all of my question but he did try to push Xyon Health’s (Dr. Hasson’s company) topical finasteride which I didn’t appreciate but I understood he probably has some sort of financial incentive to push it which I didn’t hold against him. The consultant ballparked that I would need 4000 to 4500 grafts. After the consultation, I paid the $500 deposit to book the earliest date which was late August 2023.

Intervening Period

In the intervening period between booking the surgery (in mid October 2022) and the actual surgery date (in late August 2023) I was debating on whether I made the right decision as there was some controversy surrounding Dr. Wong. Most notably there was one case on Reddit where he allegedly passed off the majority of incision work to a technician. In addition, there was some discussion about his slit cutting technique and how he cuts slits in rows. I wasn’t too concerned of the rows because I saw plenty of good before and after photos where rows were used. Additionally, I don’t plan on buzzing my hair so even if the rows were visible at short hair lengths it wouldn’t affect me. With respect to poor outcomes in general (not specific to the aforementioned case), there is no surgeon who is perfect. I realize I’m taking a risk by choosing Dr. Wong but that risk is there with every surgeon.

The consultant recommended that I do scalp laxity exercises two months prior to surgery. I only started scalp laxity exercises one month prior but I wasn’t even that diligent with it as I remember frequently missing days. I would advise against doing what I did and follow the clinic’s directions. There’s no such thing as too much scalp laxity when doing an FUT surgery. Fortunately, my scalp is naturally quite loose. Note that the clinic will pay for three nights at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. I assume it’s three nights because one night is for the pre-op consultation, another for the actual surgery day and the last night for the hair wash. The clinic will also give a $400 travel credit if you are flying in from out of town.

Pre-op Consultation

I flew from Toronto to Vancouver well in advance of the pre-op consultation which was scheduled the day before surgery day as I wanted to explore Vancouver. I also booked a few extra days at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre for recovery purposes. At the pre-op consultation, Dr. Wong tested my scalp laxity and looked at my donor area. He noted that my scalp laxity was good. We also discussed the plan for the hairline. To be honest, I simply went along with his recommendation as I always planned on getting two procedures (one FUT and one FUE) and could always get the hairline adjusted in the second procedure. For the hairline, he suggested to go behind my existing native hairs with the logic being that I’ll recede into it. We will see how it plays out but I don’t think those hairs will die out anytime soon since part of my forelock is quite strong. He also mentioned that I can always get grafts implanted into my scar via FUE.

Day 0 (Surgery Day)

I was to be at the clinic at 6:15am. The front doors to the building don’t open until 7:00am so you have to enter through the underground parking lot at the back of the building. I arrived early and went to the back of the building but the gate to the underground parking lot was closed. I started to panic a bit and walked around to try to find an alternative entrance but couldn’t. I then walked back to the underground parking lot and the gate was now gone. I think the gate opens at a certain time (probably 6:00am) and I was just too early. I went up to the clinic and was greeted at reception.  I filled out some paperwork (e.g., consent form and waiver form) and choose what I wanted for lunch from the lunch menu provided. I changed into the provided shirt and surgical booties and took pre-op photos. I can’t remember if this was before the shirt change and pre-op photos but at one point a nurse asked me some questions about my medical history and took my blood pressure. Also at some point, I was given anti-anxiety medication. I wasn’t anxious at all but took it anyways. Dr. Wong came into the room, shaved my head and then marked it up.

The actual surgery started with Dr. Wong injecting the anesthesia and then cutting out the strip from the back of my head. The anesthesia injections weren’t painful (maybe 3/10 in terms of pain) as they use a vibration device while doing the injections to mask the pain. After the injections, it feels as if you have a helmet on your head. Once the strip was harvested the technicians began dissecting the grafts. Dr. Wong then did the incisions on my crown and a technician implanted the grafts as other technicians loaded the implanter pens. While they were doing all of this, I was watching Netflix. We all then broke for lunch. My lunch was from a nearby café; I got a tuna sandwich with a side salad and cookies. It was delicious and very filling which was great since I didn’t eat a lot for breakfast. I fell asleep multiple times after lunch so my memory of the rest of the surgery isn’t great but it’s more of the same thing where Dr. Wong does the incisions and a technician placing the grafts in the slits Dr. Wong made while other technicians load the implanter pens. I remember a technician giving me post-op instructions while grafts were still being implanted. I found that part to be a bit rushed as I expected to be given post-op instructions after the procedure was done and not when several people were working on my head.  After the surgery was completed, I briefly met with Dr. Wong and he told me to take it easy for the rest of the day. I then changed and a technician showed me how to put on and take off the over-sized hat that the clinic provides. I left the clinic at around 6:00pm. I got some takeout and took the SkyTrain back to the hotel where I stayed for the rest of the day. As an aside, I remember seeing four patients in at the clinic that day. My assumption is that there were two patients for Dr. Hasson and two patients for Dr. Wong.

That evening was uneventful; I didn’t use any of the sleeping pills provided and only took one painkiller pill just in case I started to feel any pain. I showered but obviously was very cognizant not to get my hair wet. The clinic didn’t tell me how to sleep so I just slept at a 45-degree angle since that was recommended by others and because I didn’t want to dislodge any grafts while sleeping.

Day 1 (Hair Wash and Scalp Check)

I had a good night’s rest all things considered although I did wake up a couple times throughout the night. The pillow case cover had some blood on it but it wasn’t overly bloody. I went back to the clinic for the hair wash and the nurse washed my hair with a special shampoo that was different than the one provided in my “goodie bag”. After the hair wash, she started poking my head (the recipient area) with a needle which I assume was to pop any pimples that had formed. She noted that my grafts looked really good and that I was healing well. One thing to mention is that the clinic doesn’t automatically provide antibiotics for Dr. Wong’s patients. They will determine if you need antibiotics when you come in to get the hair wash. I don’t recall seeing Dr. Wong this day but I could be wrong. Before I left, I got more pillow case covers from reception and asked them to send me my pre-op and post-op pictures. I also got a physical copy of the graft count sheet from them. On this day, I had very minor swelling develop which went away after a few days.

Day 2 (Hair Wash and Scalp Check)

This day was just supposed to be just a scalp check but I asked the nurse during the previous hair wash session if she can wash my hair the following day and she said yes. It was the same process as the previous day but this time she used the same shampoo that was provided to me in my “goodie bag”. I’m certain I didn’t see Dr. Wong this day because the nurse mentioned that there were no surgeries on Dr. Wong’s schedule that day.

Day 3 (First Day Washing Hair by Myself)

I washed my hair by myself for the first time this day. I followed some YouTube videos and washed my hair by pouring water on my head with a cup. I made sure to be very gentle when applying the shampoo to the recipient area as I didn’t want to dislodge any grafts. I was probably a bit too gentle this day but was progressively less gentle on the following days as I got used to washing my hair.

Days 4 - 13 (Healing and Scabs)

I stayed in Vancouver up until Day 4 post-operation. I flew back to Toronto on Day 5. For follow-up, the clinic wanted to see healing progression for the first 14 days. I had to send them clear photos of the grafted area at 4, 7 and 14 days after surgery. Nothing substantial happened between days 4 and 13; I just followed the post-operation instructions. The only deviation was that I started washing my hair normally (i.e., not with a cup) on Day 10 when the instructions said to start on Day 8. I wanted my grafts to fully take and I read somewhere that its takes about 9 days. The scabs started to come off after I started washing normally following the post-operation instructions.

Day 14 (Staple Removal)

I went to a private clinic run by nurse practitioners to take out the staples. I figured nurses would be gentler than if I went into a walk-in clinic and let a doctor do it. The staple removal still hurt. It was more painful than the actual surgery. Around 70 staples were removed.

Days 15 – 28 (Itchy Scalp)

Nothing major to report on these days. My scalp was really itchy on some days so I took antihistamines as the clinic instructed. I started applying silicone gel on my scar on Day 18.

 

Edited October 9, 2023 by TimeForAChange
More photos

[BaldReaper]

Doesnt look like 4580 grafts, good like with your results.

[Amiele]

@TimeForAChange With that many grafts I think Dr. Wong set you up for an excellent outcome. Do you have pictures of what your hairline looks like and did you voice concern about your hairline to Dr. Wong prior to the procedure? Your procedure reminds me of JohnnySins procedure with Dr. Wong, and I’m really curious to see how your and his cases turn out. 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Amiele

[JayLDD]

10 hours ago, BaldV said:

Doesnt look like 4580 grafts, good like with your results.

Density is far higher than a typical midscalp and crown focused case. Typically you won't see cases with density planted this uniformly across the area. Clearly looks like 4600 grafts, however its rare you'll see this without much more aggressive frontal work. 

[Vann]

wow first off, congrats on your first steps and great write up.

 

I think you definitely chose the best method possible to maximizing your lifetime grafts. However, why not try to get Konior to do your FUT? I think the man is a cheat code when it comes to anything hair transplant related.

Still H&W is a good choice, so please dont feel discourage if I mention that.

Nonetheless, I really like the conservative approach of FUT and working on this first procedure to give you as much coverage as possible then future proofing. The second procedure will most definitely be needed to give it the final touch up. But if you have a solid beard you could potentially restock your donor.

All the best and happy growing.

[JohnnySins]

So funny to see how similar our stories/ hair procedures are! I'm basically at the 2-month mark and well below baseline (kind of freaking out) but hoping it's just temporary shock loss of my non-transplanted hair. Wishing you all the best on your journey!

[TimeForAChange]

23 hours ago, Amiele said:

@TimeForAChange With that many grafts I think Dr. Wong set you up for an excellent outcome. Do you have pictures of what your hairline looks like and did you voice concern about your hairline to Dr. Wong prior to the procedure? Your procedure reminds me of JohnnySins procedure with Dr. Wong, and I’m really curious to see how your and his cases turn out. 

 

 

I have a weird hairline in that it curves downward instead of upward. Below is a picture of it before they shaved my head. In the pre-op consultation, I did ask Dr. Wong what he thought of if the hairline was brought lower to match where my native hair was and he said that it wouldn't look good. I kind of just dropped the subject after that since I trusted his opinion and knew that I could always get my hairline adjusted in my next procedure.

20 hours ago, Vann said:

wow first off, congrats on your first steps and great write up.

 

I think you definitely chose the best method possible to maximizing your lifetime grafts. However, why not try to get Konior to do your FUT? I think the man is a cheat code when it comes to anything hair transplant related.

Still H&W is a good choice, so please dont feel discourage if I mention that.

Nonetheless, I really like the conservative approach of FUT and working on this first procedure to give you as much coverage as possible then future proofing. The second procedure will most definitely be needed to give it the final touch up. But if you have a solid beard you could potentially restock your donor.

All the best and happy growing.

I was under the impression that Dr. Konior doesn't do a lot of surgery anymore and that Dr. Nadimi does most of the hair transplants in that clinic. I could be wrong though. Additionally, the cost if I went with Dr. Konior would have been slightly prohibitive.

9 hours ago, JohnnySins said:

So funny to see how similar our stories/ hair procedures are! I'm basically at the 2-month mark and well below baseline (kind of freaking out) but hoping it's just temporary shock loss of my non-transplanted hair. Wishing you all the best on your journey!

Your thread inspired me to post my own journey! Wishing you all the best as well.

[TimeForAChange]

I forgot to include pictures for Day 21 and 28 so I'm including them here. I can't edit my initial post for some reason. Also, this site orients some pictures upside-down. I can't be bothered to figure out why so it is what it is.

Graft Count

Day 21

Day 28

Day 61

No growth but that's to be expected. I'm probably at baseline. I still haven't had a haircut yet. I'll probably get one this month.

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by TimeForAChange
Grammar

[TimeForAChange]

Day 98

Late update since I had to get surgery for an unrelated issue. As a result, no haircut still. I had some issues with scalp pimples/ingrown hairs and dandruff. The dandruff issue was because I stopped using anti-dandruff shampoo (only using baby shampoo) after the hair transplant. T-Gel and Nizoral cleared both issues up. Apparently, a warm compress and topical antibiotic ointment helps with scalp pimples but I didn't need it.

Day 122

Finally got a haircut (buzz all around with a #4 guard). Tough to see if there has been any improvement from baseline. Pictures of scar forthcoming.

[Steeeve]

@TimeForAChangeThis is a really interesting case. Very rarely do you see, with your level of loss coupled with where you’re scalp is headed on the Norwood scale, work done in the crown, mid scalp, and frontal third without any hairline work being done first. I understand the doctor’s logic (I think the post-op work looks great) and I agree with you that the remaining hair in the front shouldn’t fall out anytime soon. I’m really interested in seeing how the strength of what was implanted blends with your natural hairline. I feel like it would make for a very natural looking, very full head of hair until that hair decides to retreat. Even then it should still look pretty strong.

Very interested in following this. It looks like your implanted hair is just at the beginning of taking off.

How does your scar look with a grade 4 buzz? Is it evident or is it already concealed?

Edited January 8 by Steeeve

[TimeForAChange]

On 1/8/2024 at 12:08 AM, Steeeve said:

@TimeForAChangeThis is a really interesting case. Very rarely do you see, with your level of loss coupled with where you’re scalp is headed on the Norwood scale, work done in the crown, mid scalp, and frontal third without any hairline work being done first. I understand the doctor’s logic (I think the post-op work looks great) and I agree with you that the remaining hair in the front shouldn’t fall out anytime soon. I’m really interested in seeing how the strength of what was implanted blends with your natural hairline. I feel like it would make for a very natural looking, very full head of hair until that hair decides to retreat. Even then it should still look pretty strong.

Very interested in following this. It looks like your implanted hair is just at the beginning of taking off.

How does your scar look with a grade 4 buzz? Is it evident or is it already concealed?

I think the scar is quite evident at a number 4 guard buzz (see below for pictures). However, I kind of expected it as that is the risk of FUT. I'm planning on getting another procedure (FUE) and I'll fill in the scar at that point.

Day 130

[Anon94]

You should expect the scar to become less noticeable over the coming months. There is almost certainly some shock loss around it making it more prominent than it should be. 

It really shouldn't be this noticeable at that hair length. 

[Steeeve]

3 hours ago, Anon94 said:

You should expect the scar to become less noticeable over the coming months. There is almost certainly some shock loss around it making it more prominent than it should be. 

It really shouldn't be this noticeable at that hair length. 

My sentiments exactly! I dealt with shock loss around the scar during my first procedure and I’m dealing with it 2 months into my second now. I’m sure it’ll continue for a few more months. I keep my hair around an inch to keep it concealed while the shock loss resolves itself but I understand the want to shave it to have everything on top uniform.

I never shaved it down to a 4 that I can currently recall but I have cut it down to a 5 and there was no evidence of the scar whatsoever.

@TimeForAChangeAnd like you I also plan to throw some FUE into it anyway to help with concealment. I think you’re in a great position!

[Needhelpwithscar]

Sorry to tell you, your scar is not going to get much better, I think most of the people on this forum are nice and try to be optimistic. it will be less red eventually for sure but it won’t change much in terms of width, it might even stretch more until 6 months mark. Asian hair does not lay flat like Caucasian hair when it grows, and has lower density, making it a lot harder to hide a fut scar and Asian are more prone to produce collagen hence the scar stretching happens. Asian should not have an fut procure, period. It’s hard to know but it’s true.

 

 

 

 

 

[Steeeve]

1 hour ago, Needhelpwithscar said:

Sorry to tell you, your scar is not going to get much better, I think most of the people on this forum are nice and try to be optimistic. it will be less red eventually for sure but it won’t change much in terms of width, it might even stretch more until 6 months mark. Asian hair does not lay flat like Caucasian hair when it grows, and has lower density, making it a lot harder to hide a fut scar and Asian are more prone to produce collagen hence the scar stretching happens. Asian should not have an fut procure, period. It’s hard to know but it’s true.

 

 

 

 

True, the scar will not get smaller and if you exercise the wrong way or do a lot of heavy lifting, yes, it can stretch. Sleeping on your side also provides the potential for stretching, however, while the scar is maturing in the first months after the procedure the scar will go through a period where the hair around the scar is shocked out due to the trauma and then will grow back in, this regrowth period can happen from month 4 to month 12. Regardless of one’s ethnicity once the hair grows back in it will help to conceal the scar. That is generally what myself, and I believe others, are referring to.

In my case during my first procedure the hair didn’t grow back causing the scar to look even worse than it was. I’m now 2 months post my 2nd FUT and my scar already looks better due to my being more regimented about taking the right steps to keep it from stretching. 

No one here is trying to be nice as much as advising others based on what we have seen/I have seen in the last decade+ on this forum. 

The research does suggest that Asians don’t scar as well as caucasians, however, a lot should still be put on the individual’s genetics. I have never seen a case where FUE was put into the scar and it didn’t grow well unless the patient had some sort of underlying health condition which doesn’t actually occur all that often (at least as far as anybody posts) As far as I can tell that also still seems to be based on the individual’s genetics. I’ve seen cases where not enough grafts were used and a second pass was needed which provided successful concealment.

If you went through FUT and your scar stretched and you’re unhappy about that then there are options for you to enhance that. Don’t let anybody tell you different and I truly wish you the best of luck moving forward.

[TimeForAChange]

Day 158

I believe I'm a bit above baseline at this point. I'm currently dealing with a reoccurring pimple/ingrown hair on my crown which dates back to a couple months ago (you can see on the Day 130 update). You can see a "bald spot" on the right side of my crown where the pimple/ingrown hair is. Admittedly, I keep picking at it and need to stop so it heals properly.

[TimeForAChange]

Pre-operation Photos

For reference these are the photos that I sent to the clinic about 10 months prior to my surgery.

[Melvin- Admin]

You’ve turned the corner.

[TimeForAChange]

Day 190

I'm well above baseline in my opinion. However, there are still clear weak areas which I hope improve over the next 6 months. My hope is that the hair eventually matches the native hair on the sides although I do understand that an exact match isn't quite possible. The "bald spot" on the right side of my crown is still there unfortunately. I've stopped picking at it incessantly so I hope hair starts to fill it in. Note that all photos were taken after a buzzcut with a #3 guard. The bottom three photos are of the scar. The scar size isn't ideal as it's visible at a #3 guard. I'm planning on getting FUE surgery sometime in 2025 to get grafts into the scar as well as to reinforce my hairline. I'm probably going to back to Hasson and Wong as I want Dr. Wong to "finish the job". As an aside, I also want an eyebrow transplant (I made a separate thread asking for surgeon suggestions) but my second hair transplant will take priority over the eyebrow transplant. 

[jjalay]

26 minutes ago, TimeForAChange said:

Day 190

I'm well above baseline in my opinion. However, there are still clear weak areas which I hope improve over the next 6 months. My hope is that the hair eventually matches the native hair on the sides although I do understand that an exact match isn't quite possible. The "bald spot" on the right side of my crown is still there unfortunately. I've stopped picking at it incessantly so I hope hair starts to fill it in. Note that all photos were taken after a buzzcut with a #3 guard. The bottom three photos are of the scar. The scar size isn't ideal as it's visible at a #3 guard. I'm planning on getting FUE surgery sometime in 2025 to get grafts into the scar as well as to reinforce my hairline. I'm probably going to back to Hasson and Wong as I want Dr. Wong to "finish the job". As an aside, I also want an eyebrow transplant (I made a separate thread asking for surgeon suggestions) but my second hair transplant will take priority over the eyebrow transplant. 

Can you post some better pictures?

[TimeForAChange]

Day 221

I'm roughly 7 months out from my hair transplant. It's tough to tell if there is improvement or if my hair is just longer giving the illusion of density. I'll be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about the density since I've seen other people's 7 month progress pictures. However, I realize I shouldn't compare my hair transplant journey to others. Fingers crossed for more growth in next few months.