Stay with Hasson or Gabel/Shapiro/Cooley?

[FuriousGeorge]

Love this forum - been so helpful for me. Now I need some wisdom and advice:

I keep watching the Canada border news and it’s not looking positive for the near term.

I have a date with Hasson that keeps getting pushed due to border closure. Now I’m waffling if I should just commit to Hasson for whenever that will be, or if going to another top surgeon would still yield similar results.

My goal is a one-and-done FUT session.

Hasson quoted me 4,500 grafts. I’m NW 4V and need some dense grafts in frontal third. He also wants to fill in the temples.

Gabel isn’t far away from me, but he quoted me 3-3.5k grafts and had a more conservative approach, and looks to have openings in December. I was able to visit his clinic and consult with him in person - trustworthy guy.

Shapiro and Cooley’s reps also quoted me at ~3k grafts. 

Would I regret going to others when Hasson is so beloved on this forum and appears to be world class?

Bottom line - how much BETTER would Hasson be than the others and is he worth the wait? Or is there enough parity here?

I’ve added pics of Gabel’s quote and Hasson’s for reference. (Hasson’s has the temple line drawn in).

Thank you in advance! 

[Britanium]

Sorry you clarify which is which.? 

[FuriousGeorge]

Top pic is Gabel, bottom pic is Hasson 

[Britanium]

Thank you, I prefer the Hasson hairline and temple points to be honest. It’s clear where the extra grafts would be placed.

 

[ItHasToLookNatural]

4 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Thank you, I prefer the Hasson hairline and temple points to be honest. It’s clear where the extra grafts would be placed.

 

I agree. I think you need to consider rebuilding some of the lateral recession. It's all preference though.

[Melvin- Admin]

All three of these surgeons are elite, both of the hairline designs look reasonable. Have you consulted with both over video? Have you spoken to past patients? Have you taken into account the cost, travel, etc? I'm sure when you take all things into account it will be easier to make a choice.

[FuriousGeorge]

6 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

All three of these surgeons are elite, both of the hairline designs look reasonable. Have you consulted with both over video? Have you spoken to past patients? Have you taken into account the cost, travel, etc? I'm sure when you take all things into account it will be easier to make a choice.

I have consulted with both Gabel and Hasson in person. Spoke with reps of Cooley and Shapiro via phone. Will those doctors take video consultations? 
 

I have leveraged this forum to find past patients of all doctors. Majority have a good experience, so will mark that up as a wash in terms of decision making.

Cost and travel are not an issue (aside from Konior’s outlier of price). Quality and long-term satisfaction is my highest priority.

Thanks Melvin! Keep up the good work! 

[Melvin- Admin]

13 minutes ago, FuriousGeorge said:

I have consulted with both Gabel and Hasson in person. Spoke with reps of Cooley and Shapiro via phone. Will those doctors take video consultations? 
 

I have leveraged this forum to find past patients of all doctors. Majority have a good experience, so will mark that up as a wash in terms of decision making.

Cost and travel are not an issue (aside from Konior’s outlier of price). Quality and long-term satisfaction is my highest priority.

Thanks Melvin! Keep up the good work! 

All of these doctors should be able to do a video consultations, especially given the circumstances right now. I guess it will boil down to who you feel more comfortable with, and who's design you like better. Glad our forum was of use 🙏

[hairlossPA]

Im in the same scenario as you.. been pushed back date of H&W multiple times... 

[FuriousGeorge]

1 hour ago, hairlossPA said:

Im in the same scenario as you.. been pushed back date of H&W multiple times... 

I'm curious about what you are considering as alternatives? Feel free to direct message me.

Edited September 10, 2020 by FuriousGeorge

[ciaus]

I love to see temple points addressed, they are difficult so alot of docs will try to avoid them, but they are important for really pulling off a natural look and framing your face properly. Can't weigh in on the doc vs doc question, but the fact that a great doc has looked you over and wants to tread into that area without you pestering him about it would be the clincher for me.

Edited September 10, 2020 by ciaus

[Britanium]

15 minutes ago, ciaus said:

I love to see temple points addressed, they are difficult so alot of docs will try to avoid them, but they are important for really pulling off a natural look and framing your face properly. Can't weigh in on the doc vs doc question, but the fact that a great doc has looked you over and wants to tread into that area without you pestering him about it would be the clincher for me.

Totally agree with this. Temple points addressed and done well really do make all the difference! 

[pre-screened]

I would go as far to say your a case that Hasson specializes in - mega session FUT.

i could easily see you comprosmising for the more conservative Gabel alternative hairline and then being back in the chair 12 months later working towards something similar to what Hasson feels he can accomplish in one session.

I would wait if preference is the Hasson solution - you’ve waited long enough already what’s another couple of months. Borders will open post November election I think. 

[FuriousGeorge]

25 minutes ago, pre-screened said:

I would go as far to say your a case that Hasson specializes in - mega session FUT.

i could easily see you comprosmising for the more conservative Gabel alternative hairline and then being back in the chair 12 months later working towards something similar to what Hasson feels he can accomplish in one session.

I would wait if preference is the Hasson solution - you’ve waited long enough already what’s another couple of months. Borders will open post November election I think. 

I tend to agree and this is what I am leaning towards. I would rather go with (what I think) is a world class result that would help me achieve everything in one pass vs always wondering "what if"? But the thought in the back of my mind is if they can achieve the same level as Hasson, which doesn't seem likely, which is interesting. 

I am hopeful for November, since they are pushing vaccines for that first week, but won't be holding my (masked) breath. 

[ciaus]

44 minutes ago, FuriousGeorge said:

I am hopeful for November, since they are pushing vaccines for that first week, but won't be holding my (masked) breath. 

Like the other poster said, november is key because of politics, unfortunately the pandemic and lockdowns have been politically weaponized from the jump. Once the scumbag politicians have some breathing space until the next election things will open back up alot quicker.

[ShadowMoon]

How old are you?

Edit: Also, are you on Finasteride? If so, how long, and have you experienced further loss despite taking it?

Edited September 12, 2020 by ShadowMoon

[FuriousGeorge]

52 minutes ago, ShadowMoon said:

How old are you?

Edit: Also, are you on Finasteride? If so, how long, and have you experienced further loss despite taking it?

38yo.

Finasteride and foam Minoxidil for 3 years.

No growth, but haven’t seen much recession/thinning since. I wanted objective data, so have measured from my hairline to my right eyebrow over the past year and seen the same numbers.

Only subjective indicator I have is I notice 10-15 hairs in my hand after styling, which makes me nervous, but apparently that’s normal. 

[ShadowMoon]

1 minute ago, FuriousGeorge said:

38yo.

Finasteride and foam Minoxidil for 3 years.

No growth, but haven’t seen much recession/thinning since. I wanted objective data, so have measured from my hairline to my right eyebrow over the past year and seen the same numbers.

Only subjective indicator I have is I notice 10-15 hairs in my hand after styling, which makes me nervous, but apparently that’s normal. 

It's a difficult case, man. I get that it's a hard thing to give up temporal points, as they really do frame your face better. In my opinion, however, density in the frontal third and grafts in the bank for crown work is more important. You are slick bald in the frontal third and most of your vertex, and could very well be slick bald in the crown within the next 15 years. I don't think having the temporal points of Brad Pitt is a realistic outcome.

Dr. Gabel is conservative, but he is rightfully so. There are no guarantees when it comes to hair restoration surgery. The only thing worse than lack of temporal points are unnatural temporal points. Several points throughout my procedure with him, he said, "If it's not natural, it's not good." And I completely agree. Those temporal points drawn by Dr. Hasson look really aggressive. There is a high likelihood that they end up looking bad. Granted, Dr. Hasson is a fantastic surgeon, but there's something that looks off about having thick, healthy hair contrasted with the native miniaturized hair. 

Here's an example from Hairliciously's channel on YouTube where he recently shaved his head.

That's why I think everyone should take a conservative approach to hair restoration. The hair that you put in today is going to be with you until you die. You don't want to be late 40s, still in your prime, with a weird hair transplant. Get something that you can age with. 

If you get a transplant for the hairline, and it grows in well, it could be you don't even want those aggressive temporal points. Or, you could be unsatisfied without them, and elect to have a second procedure to get them placed. The fact is you'll have options. 

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do, you can't go wrong with any of the surgeons you listed. I recently had a procedure with Dr. Gabel and I think he is the most ethical surgeon in this industry by a long shot. He truly cares about his patients. He refuses to use consultants, which adds hours of work to his day at no cost to his patients. He even offered to fly to me for a check up, as he has a private flight license. He instantly responded to emails for the first week post-op when I was dealing with folliculitis, which I have a history of. I can't even begin to express how much that helped with my anxiety levels. On top of that, he has very reasonable pricing, especially if you go FUT, considering his training, background, and experience. 

 

[ShadowMoon]

4 minutes ago, transplantedphil said:

This thread by Gatsu had the same issue with his temple points as hairliciously (I believe its related to how hard it is to match the hairs in that area), but admittedly once grown out look amazing. https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/49230-2987grafts-with-dr-lupanzula/?tab=comments#comment-455084

Temple points are very much a luxury item, and in this instance Gatsu didnt get them until he had restored his hairline and was already around 4k grafts into his restoration at the time. In the end its a personal choice, and really comes down to whether you have the available donor and if they bother you. Might be worth experimenting with some pics of yourself first with both options and see what you want.

Wise words.

Gatsu is the best hair transplant result I've ever seen and looks like a male model, be careful about using him to set your expectations!

[FuriousGeorge]

Thanks all - this is great insight and info. 

Frontal third and establishing a natural hairline is #1 priority. 

Hasson told me I had 7-8k grafts total in the donor area. I would be super upset if 10 years from now i looked like a monk because I lost everything around the crown and couldn’t do anything about it  - I’d rather play the long game.

I feel confident in pushing back and just asking Hasson for a more conservative temple design, if anything, to save grafts for worst case scenario or future major loss. 

Hasson is obviously stellar and I will wait and see what happens around November and will decide if Canada even has a chance  of opening. If it doesn’t look good, Gabel is my guy. 

 

[LonelyGraft]

Whatever you choose...my advice is to not rush into anything. Part of it is going with your gut. 

[FuriousGeorge]

11 hours ago, LonelyGraft said:

Whatever you choose...my advice is to not rush into anything. Part of it is going with your gut. 

Agreed - been doing homework for 3+ years and I’m SO glad I did. It’s amazing how much there is to learn before making this decision. 
 

If I went for it back then I would have made terrible choices and ruined my donor.