Its been 18 months! Hair Transplant with Dr. Gabel

[badger_01]

I haven't posted on this forum for a while and that's because I hardly think about my hair these days (and it feels great!). But, this forum (Bill, Spex and few regulars in particular) really helped me keep my sanity during the agonizing wait of the first few months, so I'm going to try to be more regular and offer advice to folks going through their HT journey now.

It has been a little over 18 months and I'm ecstatic with my results. I went in to see Dr Gabel this morning and he took plenty of pictures that he will post soon. I have put up a recent pic of myself on my hairloss blog and though it isn't good enough to critique the great job that Dr Gabel did for me, its an indication of what my hair looks like today, for anyone who is curious .

I'll end with some advice that I read so many times before I decided to take the plunge and get an HT, but cannot be stated enough. An HT is a serious surgical procedure and should not be taken lightly. The 6 month wait after surgery is the hardest part! In the end, the results far outweigh the agony of the journey. I heard this several times on this forum and it sounds cliche but getting an HT was one of the best decisions I've ever made!!

[Mountinvan]

Here, here....agreed! No more fear of the wind. Hooray.

[MikeTheDane]

Looks great badger!

[aaron1234]

What a difference! Did you see much change between the 12th month and the 18th month?

[Tao]

Very nice, Badger. Ya look great. I had a similar experience and hair situation. I used to dream about that little playdough barber shop toy where you could put playdough in, push down on the lever,and colorful hair would grow on a head that you then got to cut. I was definitely headed toward a massively bald look and was pretty down about it. I was skeptical of HT as there are a lot of snake oil salesmen out there. However, last April I held my breath, took the plunge and had a HT done with Dr. Konior in Chicago. Like you, I had the frontal third worked on. After four months, it was starting to change but I was still skeptical. However, by month 5 and 6, the change was dramatic and life changing. My hairline completely framed my face and made a huge difference. When I look in the mirror, I no longer cringe and in fact really like what I see.

 

The procedure is not inexpensive but I cut spending in a lot of places and have now almost paid off the first procedure. I'm going back and having the crown done in June and can't wait. If that procedure is anywhere near as successful as my first, I'll be ecstatic.

 

I am not an especially vain person and I could certainly have lived a very happy life with a balding head. However, I'm fortunate to have good thick donor hair that gives me lots of bang for my buck during a HT. Doing this has certainly increased my confidence and has positively affected my every day life. It's a damn shame we live in such an image conscious society as I certainly feel for those guys who do not have good characteristics for a HT or simply cannot afford it. I wish you all well on your own journeys and hope you find a place where you're content and happy.

[badger_01]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I'm really thrilled with my results and can't wait to get the crown done, though Dr Gabel feels we should wait a few more years since I'm only 32. I used dermmatch and toppik at the back and it looks quite natural, so I'm fine with waiting.

 

@aaron : I noticed alot of thickening between month 8 and 15. I was happy with my result at month 8 but looking back at my pics now, I see a HUGE difference between then and now. This was something SPEX always stressed on. There is alot of thickening that comes with the grafts maturing.

 

@Tao : Glad you had a positive experience with your HT! I can identify with a lot of your feelings except that I dont think I could have lived a happy life with a balding head. I have always been an outgoing friendly person, and for the couple of years before my transplant I was so concerned with how my hair looked that I became kind of introverted. I would even pick seats in a room that weren't directly under a light for fear of my hair looking thin! My hair was always on my mind. Its nice not to think about that stuff anymore

[Megatron]

looks fantastic badger. I would appreciate seeing some better pics though that we can really compare.

[badger_01]

Yeah..that was just a regular pic of me. Dr Gabel took a bunch last week, so I should have some new ones up soon.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Badger,

 

It's great to see you back and posting. Thanks for coming back to share your final results.

 

Your hairline photo on your patient website looks great. But do you have additional photos showing additional angles so we can truly appreciate the coverage and density?

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[badger_01]

Bill,

Good to be back! I visited Dr Gabel last week and he took plenty of pics and a video. I'm expecting a DVD with the pics from him any day now.I'll update my blog as soon as I have em.

[badger_01]

I have finally updated my blog with pics from my 18month follow-up visit to Dr Gabel. check it out and let me know what you think.

[hairthere]

Looks great Badger! Did you have any grafts put into your temple points?

[TC17]

It does look great, Badger. Congratulations!

[badger_01]

Thanks guys! No grafts in the temple points or in the crown. My plan is to have another HT but Dr Gabel and I have decided to wait for a few years. I'm pretty happy with where my temple points are, and dermmatch and toppik do a great job in the crown area.

[hairthere]

I think they look fine too, I just noticed Dr. Gabel outlined them. Congrats and good growing!

[markymark]

Badger_01: Your hair looks great! One of the best transformations I've seen on the site. I'm praying that I will have more thickening as you say from this point (11 months post-op). Did you notice anything from month 15 to 18?

 

MarkMark

[badger_01]

markymark,

thanks! I'm really thrilled with my results. I honestly don't recall how much thickening happened between 15 and 18 because I stopped thinking about my hair after month 12. I do remember clearly that at month 8, my hair was much thinner than it is now, especially on the left side, and I saw a drastic improvement by month 12.Good luck and I hope you achieve the results you're looking for.

[Raphael84]

Awesome. Your results are amazing. You must be thrilled. It looks like you have always worked well with Toppick, but your hairline and behind now looks very thick and extremely natural. You look great. Maybe you have mentioned this and I have missed it, but any plans to go in and address the crown?

[Abedogg]

Really nice results!

[badger_01]

Thanks for the encouraging words! I am very excited with my result. Dr Gabel and I talked about addressing my hair loss in two steps, but he suggested that I wait a few years to address the crown, since I'm only 32. I achieve a very natural look with toppik and dermmatch on the crown, and I seem to be maintaining pretty well on propecia, so I'm not in a hurry.

[stamos]

Excellent result. Congratulations to the Dr and you.

[Julius]

Congratulations!