Consultation with Dr. Gabel (w/ pics)

[LordWalden]

Hello everyone - long term lurker, first time poster. This might be a bit long-winded and a bit of a brain-dump.

 

Back in May 2016, I visited Dr. Gabel in Portland, OR and had my first consultation with not only him, but my first consultation with a hair restoration doc ever. I did quite a bit of research into different surgeons and was quite surprised that I am lucky enough to have a highly praised and well respected surgeon right in my backyard (I'm only about an hours drive away from his office).

 

I am currently 30 years old. I first started noticing my hair going the way of the Dodo before I even got out of high school. Throughout my early 20's, I had a wicked receding hairline - straight up "V" shape and over time the front thinned out considerably. I've tried Rogaine/Minox to no effect. Honestly, I hated it. I got on Propecia maybe a little over 3 years ago and it has pretty much completely halted my hair loss but did nothing to regrow it.

 

Some family history: my father has very similar hair loss to me, my mother has some mild frontal hairloss with overall scalp thinning (both are in the 60's). My mother's farther was bald. My father's father had a lot of hairloss. It looks as though I'm genetically doomed.

 

The photos attached show my current hairloss as of May 2016 during our consultation. The lines drawn are nothing set in stone. These are very simply a first pass at what could possibly be accomplished. We drew these once and very quickly. It was just to give me an idea of where to start. Dr. Gabel said, "Go home, buy an eyeliner pen, and draw on your head." From there, we'll assess what is actually possible with regards to my expectations.

 

Dr. Gabel estimated that to restore my frontal hairline it would take roughly ~3,000 grafts. I'm very heavily considering FUE. I like to wear my hair quite short and my hair has always been naturally very fine. I feel a FUT scar would be very noticeable and I do not wish for that. FUE scars I am fine with. We chatted for probably an hour and a half. He was very nice and knowledgable, as were his staff. I have received no sales-pitches or other junk since that day - I have only received emails from his staff checking in on my thought process and how they could help. I feel like I struck gold on my first round to bat.

 

Since this day, I've visited this page almost daily, reading about different surgeons and patient experiences. I've found a number of users who are very happy with Dr. Gabel's work on them and I too believe he did excellent work from what I see.

 

I am considering calling back soon, having another consultation, and as I write this, I feel very confident that I will go through with the transplant - I'm hoping sometime around February when my funding goals have been met.

 

Of course though, I do have some lingering doubts and wet feet. Should I look into more surgeons? Should I seek out other consultations? I don't know what they would tell me that Dr. Gabel hasn't already. I like his work and his philosophy. Would I be reckless going into this without further research?

[MAGNUMpi]

Even though Dr. Gabel is an excellent doctor I would strongly suggest seeing a few more doctors just to get some other opinions. It will only help.

Also keep in mind that 3000 grafts will cover the front but in the next few year the area behind it and your crown will also lose most (if not all) of it's hair. That will mean 2+ more HT's in your future if you go for it.

Fine hair is not very good at coverage in general and you will need a lot to get a decent coverage and look natural.

Have you tried shaving your head?

Just an idea. Might save a lot of money and stress. I would guess that in your 40's you'll be a NW5/6. You want to BE SURE you have enough donor to handle that eventuality.

[Ernie]

Even though Dr. Gabel is an excellent doctor I would strongly suggest seeing a few more doctors just to get some other opinions. It will only help.

Also keep in mind that 3000 grafts will cover the front but in the next few year the area behind it and your crown will also lose most (if not all) of it's hair. That will mean 2+ more HT's in your future if you go for it.

Fine hair is not very good at coverage in general and you will need a lot to get a decent coverage and look natural.

Have you tried shaving your head?

Just an idea. Might save a lot of money and stress. I would guess that in your 40's you'll be a NW5/6. You want to BE SURE you have enough donor to handle that eventuality.

 

OP is on finasteride, so there's a good chance he'll keep the hair he's got now for many years to come. Gabel is awesome but wouldn't hurt to consult with Diep (since you prefer FUE)

[pkipling]

While not completely necessary (especially with a respected surgeon like Gabel), I think it's always a good idea to get a few different opinions. It couldn't hurt to get input from other respected surgeons and see if they all happen to be on the same page. You never know what new/different perspective they might provide.

 

Regardless, you're doing your homework and asking all the right questions, so you're already ahead of the game.

[OtherSyde]

Hey Walden, just chiming in to agree that you should gather another opinion or two just for the sake of thoroughness, but also to say that with Dr. Gabel you're in outstanding and capable hands. And I'm saying this from experience - three experiences, in fact.

 

I'll also say you're probably right to strive for FUE from the get-go since you want to keep your hair short; I'll have to fill in my FUT scar with an FUE session on my next round.

 

I think the hairline you have drawn so far looks good. A truly good hairline usually takes two passes (the second one being much smaller). Learn from my mistakes and be as aggressive as you can on your first session, since you don't want to have to advance your hairline again later and then consequently have to get yet another procedure after that in order to thicken it up, like I did - get that nice rounded, as-low-as-realistically-possible hairline established with the first pass, then thicken it up on the second round as well as adding more hairs to the rear/crown area if you want.

 

Given that you've done your research on these forums you've probably already seen my threads, but I listed them below just in case. Hit me with any questions man!

 

FIRST HT - Live Surgery with Dr. Gabel

 

Second HT (mostly beefing up the first hairline created) - RIGHT NOW-Another Live Post From Dr. Gabel's Office

 

Third HT (advancing my hairline again) - Third Rodeo with Dr. Gabel: ~1,500 Grafts FUT

[ScienceHair]

I want to weigh in and give my honest opinion. I think you look good the way you are.

 

You've got a badass beard and the way you have your head buzzed, the combination looks good.

 

If you are going to have surgery done, Dr Gabel is a great choice, you can't go wrong with him.

 

Just remember, once you have your head cut, regardless of whether it's strip or fue, there's no going back. You're scarred for life. I don't say this to try to scare you, it's just a reality that you'll have to live with.

 

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

[LordWalden]

OtherSyde, I have definitely seen your threads. I have also seen Gabel's videos he puts on YouTube about patient experiences post-op, 6 months down the road, 9 months, etc, etc. I noticed you were on there.

 

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice. We will see where the next few months takes me.

[TakingThePlunge]

Welcome LordWalden!

 

First off, as you already know and as has been confirmed above, Dr. Gabel does excellent work! I'm sure he'll deliver the goods and also help you plan for future hair loss. That said, it's never a bad idea to consult with a number of physicians for a broader view.

 

I think a conservative approach to your hairline will definitely enhance your look and maintain some donor in reserve for any future procedures.

 

Please keep us posted on your decision. I'd be interested in following your progress.

[matt1164]

you should ask dr. gabel how many grafts you have left for future surgeries and then decide what to do. I went to diep and I specifically asked him if I had enough donor grafts to cover the top of my head if lost all my hair and he said yes. so I had my hairline done fully expecting to have more surgeries. at the current moment I am happy with my hair and don't really want another surgery.

 

I don't think you are going to low with your hairline because you have a big forehead. I think you will be happy with the procedure. I think you can get a good hairline with 1500 and then try to strategically place the other grafts to create the illusion of a fuller head of hair but gabel is good and he will lead you the right way.