win200

I see what you're talking about, but the first pass of a completely new hairline--which this is--usually doesn't have super strong density. I went through the same process and it was only the second pass that truly beefed up the density. This was a lot of real estate covered, plus dark hair on fair skin, so you're bound to see scalp between hairs.

Hey, I'm one of the guys who Melvin tagged! 28 is not too young--I had my first at 29, and I'm 38 now and it's held up great! I've had two more procedures, I have the hairline of my dreams, and hair loss is far from my mind. Dr. Cooley is fantastic--Dr. Gabel did my last procedure, and my decision was between him and Dr. C. You're in terrific hands and all will go well. Just remember that the recovery period is rocky your first time--you'll look worse before you look better. During my first recovery, I was sure something had gone wrong and I'd been butchered (far from the case!). Lean on this forum hard, upload pics, and get community feedback to reassure you. Feel free to PM me if you'd like. Cheers!

Thanks! Yeah, the Rahal procedure is what built my current hairline. Gabel augmented the density, but Rahal created it. It totally reframed my face.

Thanks, Melvin! And yes--I've had a custom wraparound jaw implant from Michael Yaremchuk, plus lip fillers (but also fillers in the cheeks and nasolabial area). I'm gay, so our beauty standards are a little different and are probably much "prettier" than most straight guys would prefer, but lip fillers can look completely undetectable and appropriate on men (gay and straight). If you have thin lips, fuller lips can add proportionality and structure that help bring your face's dimensions into better alignment. I will also say that the jaw implant made a HUGE change. Huge. I had a fairly weak jaw/chin, and the implant totally rebalanced my face and gave me a much more square, masculine look. Money extremely well spent, as far as I'm concerned. That said, be aware that changing your jawline is rejiggering one of the key defining "structures" of your shape; mine dramatically changed my appearance, so be very cautious going in and realize that you're making a significant change. I got a nosejob in 2011, and far more people noticed that something was different after the jawline than the nose. My Instagram handle is @winbmar if you want to see more; the jawline implant was October 2016 if you want to gauge the before/after.

I've been on dut for ~5 years. I switched from fin because I just wanted the stronger DHT inhibitor. It's tough to gauge my loss because I have a hairline transplant that covers any recession, but I can add that since my first transplant in June 2012, there really isn't any visible chance to my hair. So, take that for what it's worth. I do experience some sides, but I've found that sides are often spoken about like they're a binary--either you have no sides or you become impotent. That's not accurate for a lot of folks. On dut, I don't get spontaneous erections, and I've had occasional performance issues. On the whole, though, I don't notice the difference and find the mild sides I get to be very tolerable. I will say that the long-term effects of Type 2 5ar on the brain concerns me. Is there a possibility, for instance, that this contributes to/causes Alzheimer's/dementia? I think about that a lot.

Thanks! I'm super impressed by Dr. G's work.

Custom-designed wraparound. The angle implants don't integrate well with the rest of the jawline. Sliding genioplasty is a very invasive procedure; not that it isn't worth it, but relatively few people need it versus an implant. Get a couple consults to make sure it's the right procedure for you. I had a fairly recessed chin but did not need a genioplasty.

Thank you!

Mainly that Gabel is close to me, I trust him completely, and I've wanted to work with him for years. Michael Yaremchuk did my jaw implant. Barry Eppley is also fantastic for that procedure.

Hi all, apologies for neglecting this thread. I'm almost exactly one year post op, so results are fairly final. I buzzed my hair to a number two guard today just to check for density and thinning, and I couldn't be more pleased. As you can see, the density is indistinguishable from my native hair. This is without any product, dye, concealers, etc., and BRIGHT direct overhead lighting. I'm beyond stoked. Happy to answer questions.

This one is gonna be great. Can't wait to see the results mature.

Not trying to condescend to anyone, but this is a normal and acceptable outcome. When you're building a new hairline on virgin scalp, so to speak, it's incredibly difficult--and sometimes impossible--to get a native-appearing density on the first pass. Especially when, as is the case for this patient, you have relatively pale skin against dark hair. It's just a limitation of how densely you can implant in one surgery. This happened to me and I got another pass that made it flawless. Plastic surgery isn't magic; there are practical and physiological limitations that even the best surgeons butt up against. Get 200-300 FUE grafts and this will be outstanding. No harm, no foul. Gabel is a great guy and he'll take care of you. He's one of the most ethical guys in the business and he'll stand behind his work.

Yeah, this is a great result, especially for a 51-year-old. It's age appropriate, but you still have far better hair than most guys your age. Congrats!

Donor looks good! Interesting thing, though, is that the area below the scar thinned a bit after every one of my three procedures. If I look back at my 2012 pics before my first procedure, it's very noticeably more dense. Just a quirk of my reaction, I guess--some shock loss that didn't heal completely. I don't care, it's the back of my head. I'll try to upload some pics soon.

A rhinoplasty and a jawline implant, yup. Plus a boatload of Voluma, for those keeping track at home.

Thank you!

He does and he did make that offer to me, but I wanted to work with Dr. G after being acquainted with him for years, I thought Dr. G was best-positioned to do the follow-up work, and his proximity to Seattle was a huge draw.

No comp whatsoever. A couple things: a) I don't have any privacy concerns about showing my face and whatnot, and b) Dr. G spent a lot of time with me for four years before I paid him a dime, so I felt grateful for his time and patience and didn't mind doing and post and a promotional video for his IG. No comp, no discount. The only thing I got was that when I came up in December to drive a friend to his surgery, Dr. G let me try his EmSculpt machine for free while I waited for my buddy to finish his FUE. There was no discussion of that prior to or on the day of my hair procedure, and I paid full price for my hair transplant.

Yup. I see a lot of people thinking that they were botched or wronged somehow because their first procedure doesn't get them 100% of what they want. HTs often don't work that way. You just can't implant at near-native density in one fell swoop without risking compromised blood supply or necrotic tissue.

Thanks! It's a good feeling! I started down this road just over seven years ago (eight, if you count a year of research), and it feels amazing to finally have the hairline and density I always wanted. (Also fun to see how annoyed my 23-year-old fiance is that I have a better hairline than his. Poor guy will cope, I'm sure, as long as he keeps taking his Avodart.)

Man, this is gonna be a great outcome.

Look, I see what the patient is talking about. This is a great result considering where he started from, but it's true that the density in that corner isn't the same as the hair behind it. BUT, I think we need to acknowledge that this kind of result is really common, even among the best surgeons, when a patient is starting out where this guy did. Gabel was building a new hairline on a patient with fair skin and very dark hair, and transplanting into slick bald areas. That makes it incredibly hard to get something that passes for full density and doesn't show scalp, and it's pretty tough to do in one pass. I had a surgery with Dr. Rahal that built a hairline just like this, and one side was relatively weak and showed scalp almost exactly like this. It was not even close to a failed surgery or a poor job; just the reality of the limitations of coverage you can achieve in one pass. This is very good work, and I would be pleased. But it's also totally reasonable to want to do a second pass and beef up the density in that corner. It's what I did, and it turned out great. We just need to remember that a great surgery can still leave some work to do--building a new and dense hairline on a patient like this with minimal loss takes time.

Thanks. I think your response is the correct one; there's always a risk, but: It's been over seven years since my first transplant (at 29), and there is no sign of the work not holding up or shedding behind the transplant. I've been on Avodart and minoxidil consistently and respond well to both. I still have grafts in the tank. There is no sign of miniaturized hair behind the hairline. If you comb through, you just see thick hair. Could be something I'm not seeing, but the hair caliber looks good and the hair behind the grafts isn't becoming thin, either in terms of the shafts themselves or the spacing of follicles.

Shoot, sorry for leaving this dormant for so long! Been a super busy eight months and it's easy to forget when everything is going well. The procedure has grown in extremely well; tough to see in pictures because it only thickened the existing hairline and didn't change anything beyond that, but it's much thicker and the weak spots in the corners have been resolved. I'll post some better pics soon; this is just what I had on my phone.

I'm feeling like this is gonna be a home run; very similar to both my before and after hairlines.