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Hi, all. I haven’t posted here much since my last procedure in 2015, but happy to share an update with everyone about my latest surgery. As background, I had my first transplant with Dr. Robert Niedbalski in June 2012. I was a NW 2-3, and he transplanted 1,450 grafts via strip to form a lower, but still recessed, hairline. I wanted a flat hairline, so I had a subsequent procedure with Dr. Rahal in October 2015, when he transplanted 2,200 grafts, again via strip. The hairline design was great, but the right side grew in a little sparse. Nothing awful, and I could’ve gone without addressing it, but I wanted to go back to the well for a fuller hairline. I just turned 36, BTW. I've been on Avodart and Propecia for six years and essentially no longer lose hair--my loss is fully halted. I use Rogaine but discontinued before surgery per instructions. Links to thread about my earlier procedures are here: https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=2858 So, last week I drove from Seattle down to Portland for a third procedure--this time with Steve Gable. I’ve known Dr. Gabel for about five years and have really looked forward to working with him. He’s a precise, thoughtful guy, and I knew he’d be a great choice to refine my results. I left Seattle at 3am to check in at Dr. G’s clinic at 6:30. His clinic just moved to a brand-new facility, and it’s gorgeous--two ORs, a lovely lobby, and overall just a great, clean, attractive space. We sat down and discussed hairline approach, and agreed that we weren’t going to lower the hairline. I didn’t need it, and lowering it even a few millimeters would mean that I’d need to get in again to spruce up the density, and I wanted to be done. (My hair is still very dense and I want the hairline to match, so I don’t want to get stuck in a loop of chasing density in an ever-lower hairline.) We agreed 1,000 more grafts across the hairline--and concentrated in the right side--would do the trick. The procedure was very smooth. Strip excision took about 30-45 minutes and I didn’t feel any pain. Dr. G excised part of my prior scar, which ran from just inside left ear to above my right ear. He didn’t need to run all the way from end-to-end on the scar. He closed the strip with staples, which I hadn’t had before; he thought they’d do a better job at holding the tension and has had good luck with them recently. Once the wound was closed, he did the incisions--nothing eventful, and nothing painful. I didn’t bother to watch TV, but just spent the time chatting with Dr. G and his techs. If you haven’t met him, he’s a really personable, chatty guy, which was engaging during surgery. I had a Valium before surgery but didn’t feel it much, which was fine; I’m not the anxious type and was perfectly relaxed during surgery. I seemed more comfortable than my previous surgeries, but that’s probably due in part to the fact that it was fewer grafts so the sit was shorter. When we got to placing grafts, I’d estimate that Dr. G placed about 50%. He places grafts in all his procedures, and I was his only patient that day, so there wasn’t any need for him to pop out and attend to someone else. If you haven’t gone through a transplant before, it’s really disconcerting when you feel like a surgeon disengages from the procedure once the incisions are made and just turns everything over to the techs. Dr. G was omnipresent and was in the room for virtually the whole procedure. That’s not the norm. Of my three procedures, this was the smoothest and easiest. That’s no knock on Niedbalski or Rahal, but a huge compliment to Dr. G and his staff. The post-op materials were first-rate and included a calendar specialized for my surgery date so I didn’t have to count post-surgery days. That’s a nice touch that I hadn’t seen before. The recipient area was also very clean--virtually no blood or scabbing. They carefully washed it the next day and showed me how to shampoo. Great post-op hand-holding all the way, and Dr. G responded to an email same-day later in the week. Pictures are below, and obviously there’s not much to report in terms of growth. My scabs are falling off, but the recipient area is hardly noticeable because although it was shaved, I’m combing my hair forward. Hard to cover up the staples, but they’ll be out in another week. I’m definitely experiencing a lot of tightness in my donor area given that it’s been excised three times, so I’m trying especially hard to keep my head tipped back to keep tension off the scar. I’m a little concerned about a widened scar given that it’s my third strip, but I’ll keep everyone posted as that progresses. Please fire away with questions/comments; I’ll be checking in every day. Thanks! When reviewing pics, please keep in mind that the after pictures are both immediately post-op and then the next day; my hair is wet in both. Remember that the transplanted area contained both native hair AND previously transplanted hair, so the density will be much, much higher than the number of grafts you can see. -
Hello all, I finally bit the bullet. To give everyone a rundown I’m 39 years old this year. I live out of Austin, TX but I’m from closer to the Houston area. I started thinning when I was 18 and I tried everything to slow down the process, admittedly without a lot of knowledge back then. This was 1998 and I didn’t know much about propecia or minoxidil. I tried shampoos and all kinds of gimmicks. I did try propecia and minoxidil liquid but because I didn’t know enough about it and didn’t see immediate results I just stopped and got on with my life. It all started in my crown and then over the course of a decade marched its way forward toward my hairline. While my crown was very noticeably thin my hairline and frontal third stayed noticeably strong until my mid to semi late 20’s. At 24 I went and had my first consultation at a Bosley clinic in Houston and the whole experience made me feel uneasy. The doctor wasn’t really concerned with my crown which is where all the thinning was happening and wanted to lower my hairline which was still a teenage hairline. It was less than four fingers down on my forehead and still really thick. Ah, how I miss that wall of hair... lol. I politely passed but they called me every single day for two years straight trying to get me to come in for the transplant. They wanted to charge me 20K to lower my hairline and sprinkle some grafts in the crown. Knowing what I know now I think back about how they didn’t even bother to mention propecia to help slow loss. Bullet. Dodged. I got married in 2010 which ended really badly very soon after and my hair really started to go after that. Around 2012 I went to Dr Brad Limmer and got on Propecia/biotin/minoxidil foam to slow things down. Sadly he passed away the next year almost to the day of my consultation with him. I’m an actor and I was staying in Houston with a friend in 2014 while filming a movie in Louisiana when someone mentioned Dr. Arocha. I scheduled a consultation and we immediately got on very well. I loved his attitude, how much knowledge he wanted to share, that he was very honest about what we could achieve. I was traveling a lot though and it just wasn’t the right time to pull the trigger. While I traveled around the states for jobs I would schedule consultations with other doctors. I spoke with Feller and Bloxham, Gabel, Hasson and Wong, and others-some through email, FaceTime, in person. Ultimately it came down to me feeling the most comfortable with Arocha although Gabel was pretty close. I’m a diffused thinner and if my father and maternal grandfather are any indication I’m going to end up a 6 on the Norwood’s scale. I was going to go ahead with the procedure last year but my wife (I got married again in 2017) and I found out we were pregnant with twins so I decided to wait until things settled down with them. Side note: I did not stop taking finasteride when we found out we were pregnant and our babies our beautiful and healthy and at the time of this post almost 6 months old. The Big Day! I got to Arocha’s office a little after 7:30 am (traffic in Houston sucks) I signed the paperwork. We took some preop pics. Dr Arocha designed the hairline basically within my existing one. The plan was to work through the existing hairline, fill in the temple corner recession, and bulk up the frontal forelock. We discussed what we would do next year, reassess the front or go ahead and work on the crown. Everybody was really nice. I was visibly nervous and my blood pressure was a little high due to my being a little antsy. The Valium quickly helped out with that. When they were injecting the numbing solution into the back of my scalp I noticed I started shaking and feeling queasy so I spoke up immediately. They turned me over and raised my legs and put ice on my chest. I almost immediately felt better. Dr Arocha was there and cracked a joke about how I was his first patient of the day but probably his 7000th patient altogether so there was really nothing to worry about. TBH I wasn’t nervous about his ability to help me as much as I was just nervous about this giant step I was taking. After this procedure there was no going back. I turned back over when I was ready and they took the strip out. They kept complementing me on how good my donor was however I never got a number from them. I asked but they were just like, “don’t worry, it’s really really good.” I believe I heard say as they were looking at it that it looked like 80 to 90. Dr Arocha started to make the incisions and we talked for awhile before I dozed off and the next thing I know is I’m waking up to salmon kabobs, a killer salad, and potato and black bean soup. I eat up and then I go back to the chair where the techs start to insert the grafts. We chat for quite awhile. Dr Arocha was there for quite a bit of it as he would interject in our conversations. Every once in a while he would remind them about this or that concerning my grafts. I dozed off again and when I woke up we were basically done. They informed me that while I was out they put PRP all over my head. They went over cleaning instructions and we took some post op pics. My wife came in to pick me up and everyone came out to meet our twins. After that we were off and back to Austin. The ride back was pretty rough. There was a lot of pressure in my head and I got a pretty bad headache. Even with the pain pills. It didn’t even last the entire three hour drive though. I’m attaching some pics. Some preop through day two. I don’t have any pics with the design yet. I’m going to speak to Arocha’s office and see if I can get my hands on the hairline design. -
Hasson & Wong negative reviews
vinzaf19 replied to zach0786's topic in Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews
I have heard that as well, though Dr. Konior does excellent work. I know he does the surgical part of the procedure and placing too. Another one I’ve heard that also does the same is Dr. Gabel in Portland(I think he trained or learned from Dr. K), they both seem to have consistently excellent results and reviews. I know when I have mine done in a few years it’ll be one who is ISHRS certified.. heard too many horror stories about HT gone wrong to take a chance! -
@Curlinginthesquatrack Dr. Gabel, is a top notch surgeon and a great guy, while I think this result is great. I am not you and you are the patient. Therefore, if you're not happy the surgeon's not happy. Please private message me your name and surgery date and I will personally reach out to Dr. Gabel for you. That said, you chose an excellent surgeon and clinic and I am positive he will do everything in his power to make you happy. -
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. -
This 31-year-old male had 2084 grafts via the FUE (follicular unit excision) harvest method. He had spent much time in the past worrying about his thinning hair since high school. His main concern was the frontal zone of the scalp. We decided on the FUE harvest method since he likes to be able to trim his hair short in the back of his scalp for styling purposes. Additionally because of his age, we felt that the FUE harvest method would be in his best interest long term so he could style his hair shorter in the back of the scalp. The patient had 2084 grafts performed 2 years ago. The photographs and video show the results and longevity of the procedure for which he is extremely happy. At the 2-year visit, the patient stated, “Now, I don’t worry about what my hair looks like, in fact, I don’t think about it at all.” He is planning on returning on a yearly basis to follow the progress and growth of his hair.- 2 replies
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Out of curiosity, have you considered any other surgeons besides the ones mentioned? Perhaps Dr. Konior, Drs. Ron and Paul Shapiro, or Dr. Gabel? Also, you may consider really studying and viewing multiple consistent results from robotic FUE before committing to a procedure. You are not in a rush, so I advise you to take a step back and really do your research and meet with more surgeons in person. -
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I am a transgender woman and have wanted a feminine hairline since my early 20s. I recently had a hair transplant at The Gabel Center in Tigard Oregon. This was my second transplant to fix the one I had in Miami Florida (For professional reasons I will not disclose the name of the surgeon who ruined my first hair transplant.) In Miami I was left with one side completely unfinished and told by the planter who was working on my grafts that the density wasn't acceptable and that I should complain to her boss to try to get a reduced cost for another surgery. Those are the words you never want to hear on a supposedly "life changing" operation. Oh, also they left a huge scar on the back of my head due to not using proper suturing techniques. The place in Miami ended up offering me a "free" second surgery but with such a mortifying experience I decided to look for other options. I scheduled a consultation with Dr. Steven Gabel and was impressed right away. At the consult he went over everything about hair design and personal goals. Dr. Gabel has an amazing aura of positivity, experience, precision, and caring. I chose him to do my procedure and have absolutely no regrets. Not only did he design a wonderful hairline but the flow and each individual hair has a purposeful positioning and placement. The aftercare has been really wonderful as well. Dr. Gabel had me come into the office the day after, eighth day, and twelfth day. These appointments included inspection and cleaning of the grafts and donor area. The first two weeks after surgery is a stressful recovery time and it was really helpful to have a professional keep close eye on how everything was healing. The staff is really amazing as well. They are very caring and have wonderful synergy with each other. I highly recommend The Gabel Center to anyone who wants to proceed with hair restoration. I certainly wouldn't want to go anywhere else. -
Thanks for posting your experience. Dr. Gabel is one of the best and such a nice and caring doctor. Please consider creating a patient website/blog of your experience. We will link it to Dr. Gabel’s profile. https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/
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Dr. Gabel is a stickler for cleanliness. A true professional. Give this it time it needs, I am confident it will be just fine. Are you doing any medical therapy, by the way? -
Congratulations! Dr. Gabel is fantastic and I am sure you will be pleased in the end. Happy growing. -
First let me say that I am a semi-public figure, so unfortunately I will be unable to share pictures, but if I could, you would be as impressed as I am. I spent 3 years researching and interviewing doctors for my hair transplant. I probably met with a half a dozen doctors. I am thinning in front and, especially because I give live speeches and appear on TV, my work (and ego) required a more youthful look. I am fortunate indeed that I finally found Dr. Steven Gable. Dr. Gable is an artist and a scientist. He was easily the most passionate doctor I met about my hair transplant, and the most knowledgable, and his expertise was evident in all aspects of his center and his crackerjack staff -- from their professionalism to their state-of-the-art materials and work to their pre and post surgery processes and on to the actual, fantastic, hair transplant. 7 months ago I had 2,300 grafts placed. Mostly FUT but some others as well. Just yesterday I was getting my hair cut and I told the barber. She was dumbfounded. Had no idea and she was staring at my scalp. My hair and hairline is organic, natural, full, and great. One other thing to note: The morning that I went in for the surgery, my blood pressure reading was high, too high. Dr Gable put safety first and told me I had to get it back down or the procedure would put me at risk. Disappointed, we cancelled the procedure and I left. Later I saw my cardiologist and we changed my medication. Thereafter I rescheduled and had my surgery a month later. It is no small thing to cancel a patient on the day of a surgery. Space and nurses had been allocated. But my health was clearly more important than anything else to Dr. Gable. I cannot give him a higher recommendation. He is The Best. -
I will try to keep it short. So after years of thinking I finally decided to go through FUE surgery (3000 follicles) I think I am NW4 - 5. After searching for a while I decided to go with Dr. Gabel. Looked at his work and after talking to bunch of other doctors, Gabel made everything clear from start. He even called me on a weekend when I wanted to know some things from him. Overall a straight shooter, after I saw his work and other reviews I became little more confident and believed in him. So far looks like I'm right. Dr. Gabel recommended FUE over 2 days, Day 1: I booked a hotel near the hospital for 4 days and drove to the hotel the day before the surgery had a good night sleep and was asked to meet in hospital by 6:30 early morning (little early for me but its okay). For next couple of hours we went through constructing hair line, I wanted the hairline to be little aggressive and Dr. Gabel discussed about density and after back and forth we decided on the hairline I liked - he was really straight forward which I liked very much, and he explained me how the day will be progressed and had to sign bunch of forms. Took Diazepam and ibuprofen, shaved my head and changed to surgery clothing and proceeded to the surgery room, I was meet by 5 technicians who are ready to go by the word of the doctor. Immediately Dr. Gabel came in and started with anesthesia injections which I am not going to lie are little painful (but I was warned before the injections so I prepared for it) after that Dr. Gabel started with extractions, he said we would probably do 1600-1700 on the first day and remaining on day two. Dr. Gabel did all the extraction with the technician helping to remove the extracts. This went for next two hours and technicians are counting the extracted hair giving the numbers to the doctor. Then Dr. Gabel started with slots for placing the follicles, some times the anesthesia wore off and I started getting some pain in that area, but upon mentioning this to Dr. Gabel more anesthesia injections helped to get rid of the pain. After this, lunch was provided which tasted pretty good. And after quick lunch, Dr. Gabel and technicians started placing the grafts in the slots that were placed before lunch. Both doctor and technicians made sure I am comfortable all the time and made it as simple as possible, with valium I dozed of couple of times as well. After another 3 hours of placement and we are done for the day. they informed my friend to pick me up and then gave me ATP liquid to spay on grafts and head cap while I head home for the night. Overall, very good experience for the first day. Sleeping at night for Day 1 is challenging even though Dr. Gabel mentioned I can sleep on my donor area but be careful not to touch the recipient area, I was extra cautious and slept on a sitting chair which made it little challenging. No pain what so ever, I was in pretty good shape (did not even have to take pain medication) Day 2: I was asked to meet at the hospital again at 6:30 AM for day 2. After reaching the hospital, things are pretty much similar to day 1 but much faster since they know what they have been working on, by 4 PM on day 2 we are done. Same thing they called my friend to pick me up and reached the hotel. Dr. Gabel also did 200 more than we discussed (in total 3200) which I appreciate. Sleeping on day 2 is also challenging, i had to struggle a bit to get a good angle but it was better than day 1. I also visited the hospital for quick washes on day 3, day 4 (What surprised me here is day 3 is Sunday and even then Dr. Gabel and his fellow assistants were there just for me, washed my hair and answered all the silly question I had for them) I should say I was really comfortable with the way they treated me and appreciate their patience. For HT, patience is key. Day 5- 7 : I was being careful not to rub my recipient area and was covering my head with a special cloth I was given by the doctor. Have some itching but I am resisting myself against them. No pain for me, it was really itching on day 6 that bothered me but after that it was okay. Here is breakdown : Day 1 : 1-Hair: 128 (7.8%) 2-Hair: 953 (57.9%) 3-Hair: 523 (31.8%) 4-Hair: 41 (2.5%) Total : 1,645 Day 2 : 1-Hair: 74 (4.7%) 2-Hair: 643 (41.2%) 3-Hair: 719 (46.1%) 4-Hair: 123 (7.9%) Total: 1,559 Total :3,204 (204 more than we discussed, thanks to Dr. Gabel) Overall, very satisfied with the HT, Dr. Gabel took really good care and very available for any questions, I am glad my decision is right so far. I am going to periodically update this thread with the progress. -
This is absolutely incredible. You should seriously consider creating a patient website. A lot of guys researching Dr. Gabel would really benefit from it. https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/
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WOW! amazing work from Dr. Gabel, you should be thrilled -
Dr Antonio Armani has died (Alvi Armani)
Triple7 replied to Balboa's topic in Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews
If I was in CA I would drive up to Portland, OR and visit Dr. Gabel. -
Gabel or Hasson
flyinghotnow replied to Recedinggenes's topic in Hair Restoration Questions and Answers
Hi @Recedinggenes, there's a couple factors that i would suggest you do, first try to get an online consultation from both if you can. You will be able to ask alot of questions and they will be able to tell you the process and what would be a good fit for you. I did it with Dr. Hasson and felt very comfortable with speaking to both Chris and Doug and eventually Dr. Hasson to make a formal decision. I am not quite familiar with Dr. Gabel but the staff and Dr. Hasson are really personable and fantastic whom take very good care of you. His results are amazing as you can see through multiple people's results in the forum. However, I just got mine 5 days ago so I am basing it off what i just been through so far. Another factor why I decided to go with Dr. Hasson is due to location was key as i wanted to be closer to where I live, and Dr.Hasson's team constantly posts recent patience's results in this forum which showcase his amazing work. I kinda like that about a team whom is really proud of their projects.And If you are from out-of-town they do provide some reimbursement credit for accommodation i believe. Side note, I was also considering Dr.Diep but they lack communication was very poor, till this day I am still on their waiting list since Sept 2018 and had never had any email indicating when the next opening is. Luckily I did not give them my deposit as they request for it. I can only imagine what kind of communication I get if I needed post-op care. Good Luck. -
Few simple questions
optimus replied to Recedinggenes's topic in Hair Restoration Questions and Answers
About year ago i went through the same dilemma and decided to do it (it was a difficult decision to make and i thought about it for couple of years before i pulled the trigger and i am glad I did it). So, here are my answers 1- how did your friends/family react? - Only close family/friends knew about it and others did not notice. After the growth, others just said I look good and younger 2-how did it change your life? - One thing for sure that is improved is my self confidence, before the surgery looking at mirror made me sad (sometimes) and wish I could have done something. After, I feel I gained a lot of confidence and more peaceful. I got married as well, so all my wedding pics are with hair 3- was it worth it/ do you regret it? - I went with FUE and researched before I took the decision. I went with Dr. Gabel, and it was like I did not have surgery .. my donor area is no different and my hairline was natural. I went for hair cut 6 times after the surgery and not even one barber noticed (I asked everyone if they noticed it and all said no). Was it worth it - I would say, YES. For the effort, the result is pretty great for me. No regrets for me. I would say pick a experienced doctor (I recommend Dr. Gabel) or other reputable doctors and you are in safe hands I can answer any questions you may have, but make a informed decision with ample research -
Ok guys, listen to Steven...first off he has a mop of hair. Some courtesy of a few FUE cases by me, but mostly from his GENES! Here he is 77 months after I first operated on him and he's signed up for a little tweak of the hairline and partline in a month or so. He does however give excellent advice on hair loss and hair transplantation. Even seasoned veterans would be wise to hear his 2 cents on the life long progressive nature of hairloss. And that is despite meds and surgery. The video is: Dr. Lindsey McLean VA -
Hi all, In January I had an FUT hair transplant with Dr Gabel (will post about my experience with photos very soon). It's been 2.5 months since and a couple of days ago I started applying Caboki hair fibers as I had been doing for years prior to the surgery. Since I don't shampoo everyday, there is a fair amount of residue on my scalp at all times, and I wanted to make sure this is OK. I'll obviously stop if there is any risk of impairing hair growth. From a quick search online it doesn't seem like it. I've emailed Dr. Gabel, but I just want to make doubly sure by asking everyone here about their experiences with hair fibres post-HT.
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LONG time reader, first time poster. At the age of 22, I made a mistake and got a HT from an ISHRS doctor to fill in my somewhat receding hairline. I freaked out at the first sight of recession. I had about 2000 grafts implanted. If anyone around that age is reading this post, I would strongly advise against HT's. The hairline was too low and the density was thin, so I went back to the same doctor 6 years later and got another 2000 grafts implanted to attempt to add more density. Obviously, this did not remedy the situation. I got by throughout the years with a combination of longer hair styles and Dermmatch, but I really just wanted to reverse the mistake I made in the first place as much as possible. I started doing consultations with some top docs, as mentioned in these forums. I discovered posts about Dr. Gabel in these forums and luckily had moved near his Oregon office. We decided to extract out nearly all of the grafts that were transplanted there before. I can not begin to tell you how much happy I am with the results. I feel free again! There is still a little work to be done on the temples and hairline, which I plan to discuss with Dr. Gabel in a couple months after I heal to see what he recommends. I can not say enough good things about Dr. Gabel and his staff. Gabel answers every one of my questions and emails within 24 hours. I have searched these forums for many, many years and I can tell you Dr. Gabel is one of the best hair docs in the US. -
Coboki hair fibres after HT
Dr Blake Bloxham replied to Ancien's topic in Hair Restoration Questions and Answers
Ancien, Dr. Gabel is truly excellent. Congratulations on the procedure. I believe you will be very happy 12 months from now. This is what I tell my patients about topical powders in the post-op: You can start using them at day 10, but do so sparingly and always wash them off when you are home and done for the day. Frankly, I have never seen convincing evidence that they do much damage in the post-op. However, a lot of very respected physicians don't want patients using them for a while afterwards; so it is possible that they have some anecdotal evidence to base this on. My personal belief is that they do cause irritation and a slight inflammation when left on the scalp for a prolonged period. You don't want any extra "excitement" in the recipient area after a transplant, so I think a good "rule of thumb" is to only use sparingly and when necessary, and wash them out thoroughly after you are home. And, of course, listen specifically to whatever Dr. Gabel recommends. You should always follow YOUR doctor's post-operative instructions to the letter. Hope this helps. -
I recently " June 22" had a 1920 graft procedure by Dr. Steven Gabel. This was my second procedure, the first I had by another doctor in LA "1500 grafts FUE" But I ended up losing more native hair than what I gained through the transplant because of permanent shock loss/poor yield. I was also left with some scar ridging and some pitted recessed graphs. Dr. Gabel replied to all my emails and answered all my questions regarding estimate graft count that I would need for my second procedure. Once the surgery date was scheduled his Surgical Care Coordinator kept me updated with pre op check list and everything that needed to be done. I arrived one day early before my surgery date "unannounced" to see if I could fill out some of the paperwork to get it out of the way to help expedite the day of surgery. Dr. Gabel made time to meet with me and go over what my expectations were and give me a better estimate of how many grafts would be needed. He suggested 1500 grafts so I would have some grafts in reserve if I ever needed another procedure again. But I told him I wanted to go for the full 2000 grafts instead. He ended up taking 1920 grafts because he did not want to over harvest so I would not have a noticeable scar if my hair was cut short. Keep in mind I already had a 1500 graft procedure done and he only took grafts out of the safe zone. The day of the surgery I arrived at 6:20 one of his staff "Daya" greeted me and went over everything that was going to happen for the day. Dr. Gabel had me draw the hair line I wanted, then he made some suggestions and I ended going with what he suggested. My hair was then buzzed down, and washed for surgery. The chair that I was in for the procedure was very comfortable and the surgery room was very organized and the kind of room you would expect to have surgery in. I believe he had 6 maybe 7 assistants helping him with the procedure, each having their own job. When he started extracting the grafts he did a few test grafts to determine what angle was needed to avoid harming the grafts. And as the procedure went on he was constantly getting feedback from his staff how the grafts looked. He also divided the back of my head into zones 1-8 so behind my right ear was zone 1 and behind my left ear was zone 8. The lunch break happened once the extraction was finished and while you are eating the staff rearranges the room for the second part of the procedure. When it came time to put the grafts back in he uses lateral slits made with special blades so the grafts fit tighter and the hairs can fan out providing more coverage. This also helps with healing since the grafts fit tighter. When he put the grafts back in they started by putting the grafts extracted from zone 1 "except the singles from all the zones were put in first in the front of my scalp" then to zone 2 and so on, which is good to ensure graft survival. He also uses a special saline that helps prolong the life of the grafts, I cannot recall the name of it. The extraction took around 4 hours I believe and graft placement took maybe 4 +/- hours? I am not sure exactly, Dr. Gabel and one of his staff "Courtney" implanted all the grafts. Dr. Gabel worked one side while Courtney worked on the other. This was nice since usually for the Dr. to put in the grafts it costs extra but Dr. Gabel is very meticulous which is a good thing. After the procedure was done I was feeling weak because I did not eat the lunch that was provided because I was nauseated during lunch. Dr. Gable gave me a Gatorade and a fig bar and after 10 minutes or so I was feeling good enough to walk. Dr Gable and one of his staff were actually nice enough to walk me to my hotel room "which was across the street", that just tells you what a nice and caring guy he is. The next day I arrived for a cleaning, I had very minimal bleeding compared to my first procedure. Also I could not believe how good I felt when I woke up the next morning, I had only taken two ibuprofen tablets before bed and that's it. After my first procedure in LA it felt like the back of my head was mauled by a large cat. I had great mobility in my head without feeling pain, only when my heart rate picked up from walking around did my head start to hurt a little. Dr. Gable was there for the cleaning to look at the grafts and make sure everything was ok. Then one of the staff "Karina" cleaned the recipient and donor sites and adjusted the seating on a few of the the grafts. Also I was given a saline spray and another type of saline spray that helps with graft survival. Along with a bunch of other things that I would need and Karina explained how to properly clean and care for my grafts which was nice. I wish I would have gone with Dr. Gabel the first time around. I could of saved 10,500 "Cost of first transplant" and had 1500 grafts in reserve. Well I hope if any of you are on the fence on who to go to for your first procedure or a repair procedure like me that you consider Dr. Gabel. Remember you only have so much donor hair so don't waste it on a Dr. that is conveniently closer or cheaper and also you have to wait 1 year to 18 months to realize you have a failed transplant. You need someone that is experienced that takes pride in their work and goes above and beyond the competition. Also I should mention I am not receiving any compensation or discount for my review, I just want to help someone make an informed decision to avoid a costly mistake. I will try and upload some pre op and post op pictures and update along the way. -
2499 +1 grafts with dr. Steven Gabel Hillsboro Oregon. After a couple years research I decided to schedule my Fue HT with Dr Gabel. we spoke a few times over the phone and after speaking with him, and reading other testimonials, I felt completely confident in his abilities to schedule a consultation. I booked my flight from the East Coast to go meet him at his facility. After meeting with Dr Gabel at his office and having a very lengthy in-depth consultation, I was confident enough to go ahead with the tentatively planned surgery the following day. Together we put together a game plan for my HT, that was realistic and efficient we figured between 2000 and 2500 graphs and designed a realistic hairline to accommodate the Harvest. The next morning brighten early I was greeted by his staff of 10 who were absolutely welcoming and hospitable... all there for mine and mine only private procedure. After a quick revaluation and some measurements I was ushered back to a completely sterile staged clean procedure room with a full staff looking at me in full shrubs, ready to go. The procedure lasted approximately 12 hours, the first six hours Dr Gabel tediously extracted my graphs followed by the remaining six hours of meticulous incisions, and placement, with a few breaks for lunch and bathroom in between. I think what separates Dr Gabel apart from the rest first of all is his passion for this particular surgery and you can hear it and feel it in his energy when he speaks and shares his extensive knowledge about hair transplant surgery as well as his advice. And also the fact that Dr Gabel extracts all the grafts himself as well as places the graphs as well. There was not a moment that went by (other than short breaks) where Dr Gabel was not, literally seated next to my head for the entire 12-hour procedure. This made me very comfortable, and all the difference for me. I can't say enough about his staff of absolutely welcoming experienced young ladies, who all work together like a well-oiled machine. After Dr. G extracted the graphs and the team did the final count we all had a good laugh because the count came to exactly 2499... as a perfectionist this was not good enough for Dr. G Who set up his punch one more time for one more graft to make it an even 2500... After what was a very long tedious day the crew wrapped me up took care of me and I went back to my hotel. the next morning I received a text from Dr Gabel asking how I felt and was eager to get me back in the office for a follow-up... upon arriving he was amazed that the healing that had already had taken place, and again put me in the hands of his completely capable crew who remove my bandages and dressings, and spent over two hours cleaning and redressing my head for my flight home. ... all in all a fantastic experience there was never a moment I didn't feel I was in a fully capable competent hands. Now time for the healing and the process... I will check back I tried to blog as much of this as I can. Norwood ll Donor stats: 1 Hair / 382 /15.3% 2 Hair / 1,140 / 45.6% 3 Hair / 868 / 34.7% 4 Hair / 110 / 4.4 % -
This patient is a 66-year-old transgender female who desired a more feminine appearance to her hairline, frontal zone, and fronto-temporal angles. She had 2771 follicular unit grafts placed 15 months ago at our Portland Hair Restoration Center. Her post-operative course was uneventful. She returned to show us her progress. Her hair is growing out very well and she is extremely happy with the results so far. This has drastically changed her appearance, and according to her, her life. When she is in the Portland/Seattle area in the future, she will come to the office, so we can check on her progress. Steven Gabel, MD, FACS Gabel Center Website
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