3700 grafts Dr. Steven Gabel

[sikh]

Hi. I received 3700 grafts in March 2012. Here is a one year preview of my procedure. I am open to feedback. Blue background is before pic.

[james84]

sikh welcome to the forum.

 

How do you feel about the results?

 

From the pics posted i would say you have had very little growth.

 

Have you been in touch with Dr Gabel?

 

was it FUE/FUT?

[sikh]

Hi James. Thanks for the quick reply. I Did the strip method for my procedure. Dr Gabel's patient coordinator seemed satisfied with the results. . I expected more growth and density for 3,700 grafts. This is my first post and looking to get members to chime in on the results

Edited April 3, 2013 by sikh

[KO]

Yes, I think it is disappointing. I'm wondering if the lack of medications like propecia has an effect on outcome.

[james84]

Well my honest opinion, this in my eyes would be a failed result.

 

Sorry to say that, but for 3700 grafts i do not see how Dr Gabel's patient coordinator seemed satisfied with the results:mad:

 

Have you had any feedback from Dr Gabel?

 

Did the patient coordinator tell you he's opinion on why he thinks this is a satisfactory result?

 

would like to see what the other forum members think of this because i do not even think you have had 20% growth.

[james84]

Yes, I think it is disappointing. I'm wondering if the lack of medications like propecia has an effect on outcome.

 

Even without medication the 3700 grafts should give a much better result than this, meds only help the existing hair and have no effect on transplanted hair!

[TakingThePlunge]

sikh,

 

I'm sorry to hear that your results have not met your expectations. I do have to ask though if you discussed a long-term plan with Dr. Gabel and if this procedure was meant to be the first in a multistage plan?

 

You had a very large area to cover and also devoted a portion of those 3700 grafts to rebuilding your temple points. Frankly, I would not have expected much more than what you got from this procedure. Perhaps the density is a bit low.

 

I had more than 4,000 grafts in a much smaller area and would still like another procedure to add density.

 

Our Managing Publisher Bill has had more than 9,000 grafts to restore his NW6 hair loss.

 

I'm certainly not trying to dismiss your concerns. I'd just like to get a better idea of your expectations for this procedure and what Dr. Gabel told you was realistic given the session size.

 

Also, are you medically stabilizing your hair loss with Propecia and/or Rogaine?

 

I see that you spoke with Dr. Gabel's patient coordinator. Have you had a follow up exam with Dr. Gabel personally? Has he provided you with any feedback?

 

I'm certain that Dr. Gabel will stand behind his work in the event that your results are truly subpar. I am going to contact him and ask him to comment on this thread but I also encourage you to reach out and request a followup visit with him.

 

Best of luck!

Edited April 3, 2013 by TakingThePlunge

[sikh]

Dr Gabel is a great doctor. I wanted to get forum opinion on the outcome of my procedure.

We did not graft the temple area as seen from the attached pic 2 weeks post surgery. I will have Aileen schedule a meeting to get his opinion on the outcome.

[james84]

TakingThePlunge,

 

Are you saying this is a good result? No work was done on the temples, and looks like very little growth.

 

Quite frankly for 3700 grafts i would expect a lot more regardless of expectations or medications being taken.

 

Hopefully Dr Gabel can comment, because i can not see how this can be seen as a good result.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Guys,

 

I've been in touch with Dr. Gabel and he plans on posting a reply to this topic after he speaks with his patient. I believe he said he left a message for his patient this morning.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[TakingThePlunge]

james84,

 

No, I don't think this is an acceptable result but I do think that a patient with such extensive hair loss should not have expected much more from 3700 grafts. This degree of coverage simply requires a much larger procedure or multiple procedures (if the donor supply permits) in order to provide an adequate illusion of density. This was never going to be a "one and done".

 

So, what i am saying is that he probably should not have gone under the knife unless he

 

a. had the donor supply and finances to pursue a larger or multiple sessions.

b. was prepared to have a thin, wispy result.

 

As for whether or not the graft placement should have provided greater density, I could not have commented on because the patient only provided graft placement pics after I left my first comment. In my first reply, I did say that perhaps the density was a bit low.

 

Given the graft placement shots and the fact that the temple points were not transplanted, perhaps it could have been fuller but there are other factors such as hair caliber that factor into the illusion of density. I personally don't see this as a failure. Rather, I see it as a first step.

 

As Bill stated, Dr. Gabel has been in touch and will post his opinion once he has communicated with the patient.

 

We can speculate all we like but only the doctor and patient know what was discussed. Let's wait and see what Dr. Gabel says.

[dingdong12]

looking at results posted lately by some docs with similar sort of graft numbers this is a pathetic result

i disagree with taking the plunge

[OtherSyde]

I agree with Bill and TakingThePlunge; Dr. Gabel's a standup doc and not shady - At my first consult in Seattle over two years ago, he warned me straight up that some people just aren't great genetic candidates and my mileage may vary, and even mentioned that he'd once had a unique patient whose grafts simply "would not take."

 

At least the fellow in question here got a moderate yield, and I'm sure Dr. G will straighten it all out. All cosmetic surgery, or any organic surgery for that matter, is sometimes iffy, even when well-developed and technologically and artistically refined.

 

I sincerely hope this works out in the end for the original poster though; I'm sure we can all empathize with his feelings of worry and frustration. I'm optimistic though.

[dingdong12]

lorenzo ;is this doc in florida you mention recommended on this site?

[james84]

Not questioning the Doc i am questioning the result, which from what the pics show looks like very little growth.

[KO]

I understand that for a patient with advanced loss, 3000 will not do a great deal. That being said, does that really look like 3k?

[TakingThePlunge]

I agree that it appears that not all of the grafts grew. I disagree with labeling this result a "failure". I am also not calling it desirable. .

 

My personal feeling is that, had 100% of the grafts grown, it probably would not look much better. That's a lot of real estate with virtually no existing native hair.

 

I would like to know what the plan was for this patient. What his expectations were and what Dr. Gabel and he discussed. Only then can we fully understand what we are looking at in my opinion. I'm sure more information will be coming.

[TakingThePlunge]

Lorenzo,

 

I do want to make clear again that I would not be happy with this result and I don't believe most people would. But again, I don't think that the results are unrealistic given the area transplanted and the number of grafts.

 

I think that "the first half" of the head is a bit ambiguous. Most guys who undergo 3700 grafts are going to have them placed in a smaller area and also have some existing hair to build up the density.

 

I think that if he had covered only the boxed area below with the bulk of the grafts up front and had some existing hair to feather into, it would have been a different story given the same growth.

 

I don't want to hijack this thread and go into detail about my own procedures here but most people know that my first HT had less than desirable growth. Lots of people commented that it was a favorable result (including some notable clinic reps) and my expectations were too high. With my second followup procedure, I've had more than 4000 grafts in a significantly smaller area and have retained most of the native hair I had at that time and my density is still less than what I would like. I'll need a third to get the results I want.

 

Sometimes, it's an easy call to say a procedure failed. I don't think that is the case here. Definitely undesirable but I feel that may be more due to the plan than the growth. Then again, this is only my opinion. I'm no doctor and I don't have the full story or the benefit of seeing the result in person.

 

I do trust Dr. Gabel's expert opinion, ethics and desire to see his patients get a realistic and attainable result. I'm sure he'll give an honest assessment.

Edited April 5, 2013 by TakingThePlunge

[sikh]

Dear Posters

Thanks for all the help and feedback. I spoke to Dr. Gabel over the phone and he was very happy to discuss and further evaluate the situation. I feel I am in good hands with Dr. Gabel and at no point before and after the procedure did i feel uncomfortable with him. I willl also post new pictures without the wet look to give a better understanding of the outcome.

[TakingThePlunge]

sikh,

 

I'm very happy to hear that you've been in communication with Dr. Gabel and I hope that whatever the outcome, you eventually end up with a result you are happy with.

 

I look forward to viewing your updated pics. Please keep us informed.

[Biz]

Sikh, For those of us who have chosen Dr. Gabel as our HT doctor it's always interesting to see how these posts play out. Look forward to the updates.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Lorenzo,

 

I am confident that you mean well. However your last post showing another patient's results with 3800 grafts is not constructive.

 

Comparing results using graft counts alone is a lot like comparing apples to oranges. Sure they're both pieces of fruit, but there's many other characteristics that make them both unique. Similarly, two patients may receive 3800 grafts by have very different hair counts, hair characteristics, area size to cover, hair/scalp contrast ratios, etc. Furthermore, the photos showing this patient's results are taken under extremely harsh lighting conditions. I genuinely believe this was not done intentionally, but it is noteworthy to point out.

 

I will leave the specifics of this case for Dr. Gabel to explain. But after speaking with him, I genuinely believe that this is an optimal result given this patient's unique characteristics.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

Guys,

 

I appreciate everyone's opinion on this topic. And while I agree that the result in itself may not be indicative of a typical 3700 graft result, there are a lot of factors here that Dr. Gabel will explain later when he posts. The only reason he has not posted yet is because 1) he wanted to talk with the patient first and 2) he's been in surgery all day.

 

I suggest reserving judgement until Dr. Gabel has a chance to share all the details and variables that make this result appear much thinner for 3700 grafts.

 

Thanks and best wishes,

 

Bill

[james84]

To be honest i should not call the result a failure as i do not know the ins and outs of the patients case and really should of reserved judgement until Dr Gabel had chance to comment. However i judge results by what i see and would expect a much bigger improvement for 3700 grafts.

[sikh]

Dear Posters. I believed the pictures I posted may show not show appropriate results. I am attaching pictures of natural dry hair . I believe these pictures may show a better outcome as originally posted. Dr Gabel has been very good at answering all questions and concerns. I do not think the procedure was a failure. I simply wanted explanation of low density which Dr. Gabel explained this morning.