hairlossinSF

Sorry for the long delay, I had meant to post more photos as my hair grew in but alas I've just been so busy enjoying it! Again, I appreciate all the support I got from this forum as I was considering my treatment options. At this point, I'm several months post procedure and couldn't be happier with the result. I feel like the hair line that Dr. Gabel gave me looks incredibly natural and still age appropriate. To be honest, it's come to feel so natural and familiar that I really have to look at old photos to remember where I was just 6-7 months ago. I felt a little shy about going through with this procedure so didn't tell all that many people about it, which left me nervous about how people might react. That said, I've had so many people tell me in the past few months that I'm looking really good or healthy and happy, which I take as a positive sign. For anyone considering this sort of procedure, I totally understand if you are feeling nervous about going through with it - I know I was. While I'm sure every doctor is different, I can't speak highly enough of Dr. Gabel and his work. It has really surpassed all of my expectations and I am so grateful for having given this to myself and feel so fortunate to have had such great care. I would recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone interested in hair restoration. I know it sounds sort of crazy, (and maybe a little shallow,) but having a full head of hair again has really energized me in almost every avenue and given me so much more confidence. Definitely no regrets here! I'll continue to post photos as my hair thickens in the coming months. Until then, good luck to you all and thanks again for the kind words and support.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm really happy with the density. I know 2900 seems like a lot, but Dr.Gabel did about 1000 on each side in the areas where I was receding and then about 1000 in the middle area, which is less visible because of my hair. His concern was that the donor hair was thicker than the hair on top of my head so he wanted to blend that hair throughout for a more natural appearance. Really looking forward to seeing how this grows in - I'll keep you posted with progress shots. Also, here's more of a frontal view.

Well, I made it through! Tuesday was definitely a long day... In the end, Dr. Gabel did about 2900 grafts, so I'm really happy about the density. Here are a couple photos I took to give a sense of how things look a couple days post-op. Pretty swollen now, which isn't so fun. All in all, I'm feeling really happy that I decided to go through with this and to fly up to Portland for Dr.Gabel. Yes, I was nervous and anxious, but once I got to the office, and we drew out my new hairline, and walked through the whole procedure step by step, it was really exciting. I hadn't known what to expect with Dr.Gabel and his office, and was really pleasantly surprised by how nice personable and discrete they all were. First off, the office space is really nice and the surgical suite felt very comfortable and private. I hadn't realized that this would be the case, but I was actually the only patient there so had the complete attention of the entire staff for the whole day - including Dr.Gabel, who was there placing the grafts for the entire process. I've heard that this is pretty rare, and that many doctors "supervise" rather than place, so it was a real comfort to have him involved for the entire procedure. I'm not going to lie, the removal of the donor area was not fun, but fortunately, its a relatively short part of the whole experience... I've found these before and after posts to be pretty helpful, so will be sure to keep you posted in the coming weeks. Thanks again for your support. Feeling very happy to have done this and am so looking forward to seeing this grow in! Happy to answer any questions. Thanks

Thanks everyone for your comments and thoughts. It's been helpful to know that there is a community out there as a think through the options. After another conversation with Dr.Gabel, and a few weeks of reflection, I've decided to go ahead with the procedure. I've booked an appointment for this coming Tuesday and will be flying up to Portland on Monday! I'm feeling really excited but of course a little nervous, but the more I read and spoke with Dr.Gabel, the more comfortable I felt. I think we'll be doing somewhere between 2000-2500 grafts, but will have a better sense once I'm up there and we can discuss in person. And yes, it sounds like ultimately I will have to incorporate some other non-surgical treatments as well as I move forward, but I feel good about jump starting the process by doing the procedure. I'll be sure to keep you all posted after my big day on Tuesday. Also, here's a photo that shows where my existing hairline and roughly what I'm going for. Thanks again.

Hi all. I'm new to posting on this forum but have spent some time in the past few months reading and appreciating all of the posts, so thank you to everyone who has contributed. So, I'm a 33 year old guy, enjoying an active and healthy lifestyle in SF, but can't seem to shake my desire to do something about my receding hair line. Ever since graduate school (part of me still blames all of those late nights) I've noticed a significant loss of hair at my temples and a general thinning on top of my head. I've been using Rogaine off and on for the past few years but wasn't really getting the results I was hoping for. I considered Finasteride for a short period, but kept getting hung up on the side effects and generally don't like the idea of being on daily medication, so ultimately didn't feel good about that option. All that said, I've been exploring the transplant approach and thinking more and more that this could be the right solution for me. I went in and had a consult at the Bosley Center here in town but left with pretty mixed feelings. On the one hand, they seemed to be accommodating with scheduling and seemed open to making a "deal" for the $/graft price, but on the other hand, I felt unsure if I was going to get the transplant that I "needed" or if it would just be the transplant that I could afford. Also, I have to admit, they've been pretty aggressive in following up with me which has gotten to be a little annoying and invasive. Anyways, I was about to scrap this whole idea, but was just referred to Dr. Gabel up in Portland by someone who said that his practice was very personal and discreet and that Dr. Gabel was upfront and helped manage expectations in an honest way. I've had one Skype call with the doctor (hadn't known this was even a possibility until his office manager suggested it...) and got a really good feeling from him. He said that he can't diagnose over Skype exactly how many grafts I would need, but he did help in laying out possible approaches and options, which was great. Curious to hear if anyone has any experience with his office and/or could offer feedback. I'm starting to think that flying a few hundred miles up to Portland might not be so crazy after all...