Experience with Dr. Steven Gabel Hillsboro Oregon

[hirsute87]

First off THANK YOU to everyone on this forum and this site. So helpful and resourceful.

 

In addition to all of Dr. Gabel's patients who have posted here, let me specially mention both SteelBlue7 and OtherSyde. Their thorough and detailed posts really led me to seek out Dr. Gabel and I'm so happy I did.

 

I traveled from California and had an initial consult, and I was impressed by that enough to go ahead and book it. We discussed FUE and FUT, I chose FUT after long consideration even though his initial recommendation was for FUE, because I wasn't having a significant amount of work done 1439 grafts total, and because at the time I was hemming and hawing about the scar. But then after more consideration and seeing Dr. Gabel's closure work I decided to go with FUT and feel fine about it.

 

So then travelled back for the actual surgery date, just a few days ago and will basically echo everything that has been said about this fantastic surgeon, all aspects just professional. It was fun actually, weird to say to anybody not having had it done, but the experience was so fluid and smooth and here I am on day 2 post op writing this message feeling great about it.

 

Anybody researching surgeons, really do yourself a favor and see the other reviews and experiences posted here about Dr. Gabel and his team, SteelBlue7 and OtherSyde in particular and know that's what you can expect just professional and in capable hands and really great because Dr. Gabel is in the room placing grafts chatting and overseeing his excellent staff do their thing, you just feel really taken care of.

 

Major shout to the Dr. Gabel and an equal and also enthusiastic shout out to his team which during my surgery was made up of... Aileen, Karina, Amanda, Katie, Bridgett, and Jennifer.

 

Privacy reasons prevent me from posting pictures but the results so far are so in line with what I expected, density in frontal hairline, placement, etc... it's all great.

 

If there are any questions, I'll do my best to answer but again the aforementioned patients have full and detailed accounts of the process you can expect with Dr. Gabel and his awesome team.

 

Again thanks to this site and all the contributors, so helpful.

[TakingThePlunge]

Congratulations! I'm happy to hear that you had an excellent experience and not at all surprised. Dr. Gabel is a class act!

[Squatch]

Good luck. I'm at three weeks with my FUT. Dr. Gabel and his team were excellent.

[hirsute87]

Thanks David and Squatch. Read your posts too Squatch, looks like you're progressing along very nicely. Congrats, so far so good on my end.

[hirsute87]

Was just doing some reading up on your experience David, great documentation and what results! Well done.

 

I'm on day 5 now nothing too exciting, just following post op instructions. (cleaning carefully, little dabs of mineral oil on recipient area and polysporin on donor site at this point) Some mild tightness at the donor area and numbness up top, but nothing other than that. Looking forward to shedding and security in grafts having taking root, because being so careful and delicate and pretty sedentary is not in my nature. But I understand it's part of the process so my normal go go go self has turned into slow slow slow. Just taking it easy.

 

Interesting, I've read of the swelling associated with many on days 3-5... but aside from some minor forehead puffiness on day 2 I've experienced none. Don't know if I can attribute to just how I handled it or amount of fluid used or what, but that's been my experience. I will say one big thing I can only think helps is great hydration and eating very nutritiously pre and post op. Just my two cents.

[OtherSyde]

Thanks for the shout-out man! Glad to hear everything is going well! You won't be disappointed

[hirsute87]

Thanks OtherSyde.

 

So now at day 7, everything is going as per instructed. I'm now at a point where I can gently rub the grafts to helps remove crusts, which seem minimal but I'm not doing it and I'm being kinda a chicken about it.

 

I've kept the area clean and soaked for the first time today, but am still not letting the shower pressure hit the grafts directly (using the cup method still)... probably being over cautious.

 

I still don't feel that comfortable touching the grafts because I don't know how much pressure and can't call the office today given the holiday. Anybody with thoughts on this? Maybe just let the shower pressure knock them loose? Also any thoughts on rubbing pressure? Obviously lightly, but any specifics there?

[Squatch]

I was chicken also. I just gently messaged it at day seven. The mineral oil helped it. Soaking the grafts in warm water also loosened them. I was at about day seven when they started coming off. It took about four days to remove the bulk of them. I am at the shedding stage right now. 3.5 weeks out.

[hirsute87]

Thanks Squatch. Haha, chicken, it's funny it's so careful i'm being. Better safe though.

 

Yeah my initial thought is just leave them alone and not mess with them. Did you let the shower pressure hit them by day 7?

 

Sutures coming out Monday so I'm looking forward to that!

[Squatch]

No chicken there also. I paid good money for those. I used a cup until about day 11. I would say soaking it worked best. I actually sent Dr. Gabel a email about some scab channeling. He said normal just keep working it with mineral oil.

[hirsute87]

Alright, I'll probably do the same haha... thanks for the insight Squatch, very much appreciated.

[Biz]

Mineral oil will indeed do the trick, along with soaking as Squatch noted. Congrats and happy growing!!

[hirsute87]

Thanks Biz, yeah Day 12 now and all crusting is gone. Stitches out yesterday and I've settled on a hairstyle that works for now. Back among the living.

 

Had a great office visit yesterday, saw Dr. Gabel and his staff. All is looking good and now comes the tough part, lose some grafts and then wait. But hey spring will come soon and things will begin taking shape. Now it's just trying to figure out which exercises I can and can't do for the next while.

 

Thanks for everyone who has chimed in on this thread, very much appreciated.

[hirsute87]

Day 16 and all is well. They've begun to fall out slowly but surely, basically thinning each shower. I followed the post op guidelines very carefully and was happy to have no issues other than the things to be expected, numbness up and some tightness in back. But that seems to be less and less as the days go by.

 

Dr. Gabel phoned me yesterday to check in and was happy to hear there were no hiccups and I had a couple minor questions. I'll see him again in a handful of months.

 

So now I guess it's time to let time do its thing.

 

Thanks again to everyone on the board for being so informative and that great search function that came in so handy, when questions would arise.

[Squatch]

Glad it's going smooth for you. Almost a bittersweet shedding the hair isn't it?

[hirsute87]

Thanks Squatch, and yes it's bittersweet for sure.