Curlinginthesquatrack

Amazing results. Envious.

Amazing result. Lucky guy! Keep us updated. Looks great!

17 hours ago, CosmoKramer said:

Given your time-frame now, I do get your concern, I would hope that Dr Gabel offered you a touch-up in the area of concern without being contingent on you spending additional money to add more grafts elsewhere. When styled it does look good, but don’t let it sress you out, I would feel comfortable going back to Gable and letting him do a touch-up to make me satisfied...without a contingency that I spend more money that is, as that wouldn’t be good customer/patient service imho.....unless you plan to get more HT work elsewhere on your scalp anyway.

He said the area was outside of where the transplant occurred but I do feel differently. Looking at shaved head pre op and post op can see where grafts where placed and I have thinness in those areas. However, left side doesn’t have these problems or further recession.

So I left feeling as if he meant he wouldn’t charge me to touch up the few grafts that didn’t take but that any work that would significantly alter the right side would require another surgery/paid surgery.

Plus I really would not want to shave my head again. I am okay with shaving underneath the back donor hair but I wouldn’t want to shave my temples again.

 the left grew in great for the amount of grafts places there. 

The right side is hard to style, the hair is thinner and there are areas exposing scalp.

I feel like if I had the right side matching the left it would be a home run.

3 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

It's hard to say, when I look back at the pictures in the first page, it does look like the recession has crept up a bit, at the same time, your issues are in that overall area. I will say that I do believe Dr. Gabel, that all of the grafts have grown. I just think you need more grafts to be satisfied. Not a lot maybe another 700 grafts.

Personally, I think it looks great, no one would notice. I'm pretty sure if I started complaining about my hair transplant to my gf she would say it looks off too, you could have a tiny stain on your shirt that no one would notice, unless you point it out. 

Thanks for your honest opinion Melvin. Spouse commented a couple of times. It was random and I was not making comments about my hair at the time. 

I have not actually brought up my personal struggle with my HT because I know they would be upset if I mentioned it. 

Legend, thank you for your reply. I do agree with you on the one side of my hair. I can run my hand through it and it falls perfectly, good coverage and layering that’s sits nicely, naturally. 

The right side has the gap and thinness running down the length of it, so it can all sit rather limp that side, exposed scalp in the gap area and I find that Styling it to feel comfortable with it, short or long, is hard because of these factors:

Just had my one year appointment with Dr Gabel a few weeks ago.

I was told that nearly all grafts have grown. Any that he thinks have not, he would fix those few grafts up at no cost if I decide to go through with and pay to have another procedure with him.

The areas I had concerns with is apparently further native loss of hair beyond the transplanted area and is causing the bald spot/thin area, according to Dr Gabel.

I have some thinness on both transplanted temples but the right side actually has a near bald area. 

However, I have had slow hair loss over the years and noticed the areas of concern after the hairs grew back in post transplant (two months in). 

it easily looks to me, tracing up my temple points to native hairline in the pictures, that grafts were actually placed within the area I have issues with - because that’s where the balding was taking place - the whole of the temples of the hairline - and looking at pictures/from what I remember pre $ post surgery.

I emailed dr gabel regarding the above and did not hear back.

My partner says that they didn’t notice my thinning hairline before because I had my hair long (and it’s thick) but it was noticeable when I had it cut very short on top and she saw the temples had receded badly.

partner also said the transplant looks natural when I have it styled but any time I don’t take time to really style away the thinness or take off my hat, they comment about how it looks ‘off’ or  weird. I think they mean they can see the thin/sparse areas and just don’t want to hurt feelings and come out and say so.

I will also say I am still concerned having my hair short like months 3-6 because of the thinness in areas and needing to push other hair over the thin temples.

I told Dr Gabel I am up and down on my results. I really want both to be happy with the result.. 

overall, as of now: I am finding myself disappointed with my near final results. 

I do not mind that my hairline has a mature shape to it and not a lowered or slightly straighter shaped hairline.... if I had good coverage in the temples.

Dr Gabel is a great guy, surgeon & his staff and facility are fantastic. I am overall, with everything considered, just not pleased with my results. 

I will continue to take finasteride and update on any progress.

Almost a year out. Below is with the hair back to show what hairline is like. 

I was hoping pulling it back would hide the thinness but unless it’s perfectly combed over it appears very thin.

my hair really hasn’t gotten any denser since month 4.

I do also wish my hairline was a little more even/symmetrical instead of off lower one side and temple points being worked on, which I was told would blend fine when longer.

However, my main concern is the lack of density on the temples and hairline. From where the hair was transplanted in front to the back area. I would be happy if this where full and even both sides.

I haven’t noticed much difference from months 8-11.

I’ll be following this one. My surgeon did not think it were wise for me to have my temple points restored. He said it was unpredictable and a lot of the time it looks off and can go badly.

as of now, yours looks great and I’ll keep up to date. Good luck!

58 minutes ago, win200 said:

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.  

This I know. I had a very good impression of dr gabel during our email conversations and consult before surgery.

i plan to see him in the next month or so. 

I Will update at the 12 month period (this is 11 months out) before then.

thanks legend. I have been back on finestaride for some time and hope to preserve what I have (unless I get negative symptoms from it).

1 hour ago, Aftermath said:

The one side looks ridiculously good! Do you think it was a case of an inexperienced tech implanting on the one side?

The main tech actually did the left side.

dr gabel did most of the right, from what I can remember lying down. I could be wrong though - perhaps a tech assisted him on that side when he left the surgical room at times. Not 100% certain. 

i also agree - the left looks great - especially styled. Thanks.

Even though I wanted it longer, I am considering shaving my head. Hiding the thinness of the temples with my native hair thickness and short hair is too challenging and longer the hair is the more unpredictable it becomes depending on the type of hair day I Am having and I have to keep brushing it over the right side.

below shows both temples. I am very happy  with the left side temple . It blends decently with native hair and has enough density to be combed and parted.

The right side is still thin from beginning of hairline to temples.

I am going to try and see dr gabel next month so he can give me an expert opinion.

10 hours ago, fortuneplant said:

Overall, my hair looks better and healthier now than before the HT.

I expect my native hair to stay mostly the same as they have been pretty stable for decades. But I also take care of it now; like I use better shampoo/conditioner,  take Fin 0.83/mg six days/wk (i.e. Proscar cut into 6 pcs),  Minox 5% once/day, Laser Cap 2x/wk,  Multi B Vitamins (100mg).

Would you say the area that you had concerns with has gotten better to the point it doesn’t bother you? I don’t see it in the pictures you posted any longer but I know that pictures are not functional representation of the hair and that surgeons are occasionally guilty of posting pictures of people at their worst (hair pulled back with a hair and, shaving the native hairline, etc) and then with the hair grown out over the hairline.

23 minutes ago, Legend007 said:

Hehehe curling, yeah I meant what I said on ur post .. ur hair looks great .. I question the low graft count at first.  But when u shows ur pics .. ur doctor did u good .. 

- but after seeing ur later posts with ur hair spread out showing weak areas .. yeah I saw ur concern n totally agree with u .. I just didn’t comment because all the good posts goes away too fast .. n new posts comes up .. n I don’t check my emails so sorry if I don’t respond to people .  

but yeah I know what u mean .. true the hair looks good , but it’s gappy because of low graft count . N u don’t understand why the doctor didn’t do more grafts when u were willing to pay for it .. n now it’s a hassle to come back for a second surgery when it could of been done the first time .. I feel u . N I  understand ! 

Thanks for explaining. Totally understand when you see just the pictures of hair pulled back it doesn’t look bad. Yours looks great until you expose the thinner areas too. It looks like you have less gaps and thinness though so I am hoping yours evens out just fine with thickening.

I doubt my wife will allow me the time and expense to do another surgery pass after a year out from previous. She would lose it. That’s kind of why I wanted it done with. It’s a lot mentally and the  time away from work, and such makes it difficult. 

I am hoping yours thickens up and continues to look good!

I can see what you are concerned about. Though..., how come you go to my post and be critical of me for my concerns with my own density. 

4 hours ago, fortuneplant said:

@Curlinginthesquatrack I see what you mean. While your front looks good, the lack of density around the area of the temples is frustrating. You probably want to wait out the whole 1.5 years, let the hair mature and normalize, before deciding on the next step.

Like you, I did 1,600 grafts via FUT covering a similar total area. I went through a shed on months 9 and 10. My hair became normal, as against being stringy, on month 11.  I estimate that from months 11 to 18, I sprouted 10%-15% new hair. (See pic below.)

P.S. Am on Fin .83/mg six days/wk (i.e. Proscar cut into 6 pcs),  Minox 5% once/day, Laser Cap 2x/wk,  Multi B Vitamins (100mg)

 

Awesome. Appreciate the advice and knowledge. 

1 hour ago, win200 said:

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.

Thanks so much for this post win. Everything you post is always well explained. I really appreciate your input and advice. Congrats on your hair and work with dr gabel - you look amazing.

This is when the hair is combed and dry.  

To be clear, I don’t think my hair was botched at all. My donor looks good and my recovery was fine. How I feel about the look of my hair after surgery is one thing but I wasn’t botched.

Win200 I have seen your posts on a lot of other gabel related promo, blog, as well as advertising   Another procedure of his.

for full disclosure, did dr gabel provide a comp surgery or discount for surgery?

your hair looks great. Congrats. Apart from higher v hairline, which I have, Transplant one didn’t show any real thinness and looked good. Only after getting a teenager/low and straight hairline did I see some density issue there (second one)..

Amazing. Congrats man. One transplant, even with bad recession, and a complete home run.

On 7/5/2019 at 3:41 PM, pkipling said:

Hey man - Reading through this thread and wondering if you've reached out to Gabel personally about your concerns. I see the validity of both arguments here: you not being completely satisfied, and those that think your results are top notch. I think it'd be very valuable to communicate all of this with Dr. Gabel and really see if you two can find some common ground in terms of how to proceed with this. From what I hear, he's extremely nice and personable and I imagine would be very willing to have an honest conversation with you - and he'll have access to the more complete story here than any of us.  

Thanks. I did reach out and he responded. He thinks it is native hair loss post transplant and not the transplanted area. If I can make it back across to the office at some point, he wants to take a look to see if this is true or not.

I still think there’s density issue there at the front. But I could be wrong.

ive attached a couple pictures. Pre op and now. I definitely enjoy having a hairline that I clearly did not have before, especially pulled back. I am just a little frustrated that instead of rocking that I am still checking my hair a lot to make sure the thin areas of temples are not totally exposed, as it could look more odd than a receding hairline.

.

Fantastic difference. Looks great.

i am sure it has changed your life. Congrats!

3 hours ago, Lennney said:

This issue comes up a lot, so I will try to address it here as clearly as I can. 

I think a lot of your issue with the bald spot comes down to you having such a high contrast between the transplanted area and the surrounding hair. I'll make my point.

 

The gentleman below (A) has some receding temples, but nothing too crazy. His recession is pronounced due to him having lots of hair on the sides and the top. The stark contrast between hair density and the void of density is what makes this apparent. Would the recession look less serious if his hair were shorter? I think yes. 

 

Another gentleman below (B) has a similar haircut and doesn't have as much recession. He still has recession, but if you notice, he can mask some of it away with a "lighter," less dense look on his sides + top. He doesn't carry the [exaggerated] look that (D) has. By keeping the sides less "full" (B) doesn't show the contrast, and the density appears more uniform.

 

Dolph (C) has a shorter haircut and less density than (B) and more recession and thinning than (A). Dolph's hair looks a lot better than (A)'s because the transition from hair (not crazy dense) to thinning area (less dense) isn't as pronounced. Imagine Dolph with (A)'s haircut. His hair would not look good. Dolph is thinning and receding, but his hair looks fine because he avoids the pitfall of too much density.

 

Would you critique Dolph's hair? Maybe. But at passing and general observation, his hair looks fine, and he styles it appropriately to minimize the effect of thinning/ recession. By contrast, you have more of (A)'s haircut. Any difference in density will be very obvious. 

 

The remedy to the contrast is a shorter haircut on the sides, and the use of thinning shears/ thinning scissors. You need to rid yourself of the bulk which makes it painfully obvious if any area doesn't have the same heavy density. Go for style (B) or (C) if you want to minimize the contrast. Keep your hair as it is if you're comfortable with styling over the less dense area. 

 

Again, I've seen many others, not just you, @Curlinginthesquatrack who have this issue, and I would use words to explain. I think this is as clear a demonstration I can make.

 

 

 

(A)

(/A)

(B)

(/B)

 

(C)

(/C)

(D)

(/D)

 

I appreciate your post and advice/support. I will say this tho:

i did not go to a fantastic doctor and spend a lot of money on a hair transplant to have a similar look to dolph. I think his hair looks great for him.. but he is 61 years old. 

Maybe the  hair of his 20-25 or more years younger would be more acceptable and definitely more Age appropriate for my age range.

also, I can’t pull off a’s or b’s haircut.

(A) has more slope and recession around his temples/hairline but he has even fullness and thickness behind it. If I don’t slime my hair Around with product and perfectly style it, you’d see the scalp coming through easily.

I’ll be 10 months post op in a few days. Not happy with the results. I see an improvement at the initial hairline but behind it, temples, it’s thin on both sides, especially the right.

as of now, unless I have a shaved head or push hairs from the middle across and glue them down with product, I have empty areas.

Fantastic result. Congrats !

amazing results. Glad you look like you’re hitting a home run. Congrats!