Dr. Gabel , Scar Revision & 460 graphs (5th surgery) , Portland OR, Newbie to board

[alwayzclosing]

I'm new to the forum but have used this site as a resource for years. About a week ago I went to Dr. Gabel for a scar revision along with around 450 graphs. So far I am very pleased with the results. I turned 30 last week, and this most recent surgery was my 5th. Boy, have I learned allot over the past 9 years...

 

I wanted to share my history, since I have learned so much from everyone else on this board. My first HT was in 2004 in Spokane WA with Dr. Brown. I was 22 years old at this time enrolled in college. My hair was just beginning to thin slightly but enough to bother me. I can't remember how I heard about Dr. Brown, I think it was in the paper or saw a commercial. Whatever the case the marketing ploy worked... Initially I went to a consult with Dr. Brown, I didn't anything about HTs or possible alternatives. Dr Brown advised me that the other products such as finasteride and minoxidil where expensive really didn't work. Dr Brown stated a HT was the only permanent solution. He went on to say it was an out-patient procedure and made the impression to me that it was not a major procedure. I went ahead and had 600 graphs put into the frontal area of the hairline a week or so later. I was so naive, the night before the surgery I was partying and drinking til 4am, the surgery was at 7am... I was still half in the bottle when I arrived that morning. The transplant went fine but I was left with a major scar due to the strip procedure. At the time I buzzed my hair really short, I wish I would have understood that the procedure would leave this scar which would prevent me from keeping my hair this short unless I wanted the scar to show. I was young, didn't do my research and thought I could simply solve my "self contentious issue" with a simple procedure. 2 years later, at age 24 my hair loss continued and was amplified by the fact I needed to leave my hair longer to cover the scars, the thinning where the graphs were place made the transplanted hairs look "graphy", I elected to have another procedure with Dr. Brown for about 600 more graphs to try and band-aid the first procedure, for some reason he also put 100 graphs in the crown... The Surgery again went fine but the scar got larger... I had no idea what I was getting into.

 

 

Again the past transplanted hairs looked unnatural and I was very self conscious about my hairline. now not as much that my hair was thinning but the fact but the fact that the graphs looked so bad and the scar on the back of my head. I wanted to do something about it. After completing college and growing up a bit, I started researching online and and came across this board. I wanted to do things right this time, I decided to have a transplant with Dr. Gabel in 2008. He was very cautious of the amount of graphs, the placement the scar etc. due to my age, it was decided we would go ahead with around a 1,400 graphs to the frontal area where the previous graphs were placed. in an effort make this area look more natural. I really appreciated the straight forward communication from Dr. Gabel, he was honest about what he could and couldn't do, not giving me false expectations. He made sure I was aware that I would likely need future surgeries as my hair loss progressed over age, he also prescribed/ recommended finasteride, minoxidil, and Ketoconazole shampoo. My first procedure with Dr. Gabel went really well. I really appreciated his attention to detail and skill, along with this staff. I was astonished with my results several moths later when everything was healed and the graphs where growing my hairline looked completely natural! The front and hairline of my scalp looked pretty good but the top and crown of my scalp was beginning to look very thin (except for the 100 graphs Dr. Brown had put in my crown in 2004). In July of 2011 I elected to have a second procedure with Dr. Gabel, this time around 2000 graphs, to the top and crown areas. Due to the amount of scarring from the previous surgeries and the amount of graphs for this surgery, I would need a scar revision 6 months to a year down the road. I really wanted to try and do this revision at the same time as getting the graphs. Dr. Gabel again was straight forward again, telling me it needed to wait. Looking back I am very appreciative his professionalism and expertise. After this surgery there was a huge improvement. Friends, coworkers, and family were complimenting how good my hair looked (I usually wore a hat and never told any of my family members, and only my best friend about the procedures). I felt so good, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, the only weight left was the massive scar...

 

Almost a year has gone by, which brings us to last week. I had the revision surgery, along with about 450 graphs put into the crown and top area of my scalp. I get the sutures out tomorrow! I couldn't be more happy with the results so far, the scar looks like it is about 1/3 of what it used to be. he graphs look great as well but the most importantly to me was the scar. l have been very diligent in applying Polysporin and will be going forward with Mederma to treat the scar area. In the future if I elect for another HT in the future, I will surely go with Dr. Gabel, and will going with the FUE method vs the strip. After 9 years and 5 surgeries, I truly feel relieved. I highly recommend Dr. Gabel and his staff to anyone looking for consult or a HT. Thanks You.

[chrisdav]

It's nice to hear you are finally happy after the long journey you have described.

 

I do like Dr Gabel's work and I think he is a very good surgeon.

[Spanker]

Dr Gabel is really good. I wish he posted more results.

[TakingThePlunge]

alwayzclosing,

 

Welcome and congratulations! Dr. Gabel is truly world-class. I encourage you to share your pre and post operative photos by creating a blog or hair loss website.

 

Best of luck!