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Steven Gabel, M.D.

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Hair transplant patient

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About

Now in my 50s, I began losing my hair in my 20's and have progressed to a NW 6-7 . I have worn hair replacement systems for over 20 years. I'm tired of the regular maintenance of hair systems and have now reached a point in my life where I would like a permanent solution to my hair loss, even if it means a thinner head of hair. After extensive research I chose Dr. Steven Gabel to perform my hair replacement surgery.


My Surgical Treatments to Date

2 hair transplants (folllicular unit strip surgery) with Dr. Steven Gabel, Portland, OR

Procedure 1 - 3191 grafts - February 2013,
1s - 501,
2s - 1700,
3s - 855,
4s - 135,
Total hairs - 7006

Procedure 2 - 1883 grafts - February 2014,
1s - 369,
2s - 1001,
3s - 484,
4s - 29,
Total hairs - 3939

My Non Surgical Treatments

Minoxidil 5% once daily,
Revita shampoo daily

Bald Class

Bald class 6

Norwood stage 6

The balding areas at the temples join with the balding area at the vertex. The band of hair across the top of the head is gone or sparse.

As I began losing my hair in my 20s it significantly affected my self confidence. 

I have worn hair replacements for many years and have been marginally satisfied with the results.  However, they require regular maintenance and can be awkward in certain situations.

My first transplant surgery went very smoothly and surprisingly was a comfortable, if not enjoyable, experience.  The Gabel Center has assembled a first class team.

Very satisfied with the results of my first procedure which restored my front hairline and provided light coverage to the front of my scalp.  Just completed a second procedure with Dr. Gabel one year later, adding an additional 1883 grafts for density and further coverage.  Given my extensive hair loss, fine hair texture, and limited donor supply I couldn't be more pleased with the final results!

Used Minoxidil during my post operative period and it seemed to accelerate growth of the transplanted grafts.  There was noticeable growth at 4 months and good coverage at 6 months.

Restored self confidence and free of the hassle of maintaining hair systems!

Do the research!  The Hair Transplant Network is a great place to start.

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My Latest journal entries

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 2

Just for fun! Left to right:  Pre op, 12 months after HT 1, 8 months after HT 2

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 2

8 Months Post Op It's been a little over 8 months since my second procedure.  While I'll never have a full head of thick hair I'm extremely pleased with the overall results.  Given everything that was working against me, including extensive hair loss (NW 6-7), extremely fine hair, and limited donor supply, I'm amazed at the results Dr. Gabel was able to achieve.

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 2

Procedure No. 2 Post op Almost exactly one year after my first hair transplant I returned to Dr. Gabel's office for a second procedure.  The goal of this second procedure was to add density to the frontal and mid-scalp. There was significantly less reddening of the scalp the second time around, presumably because the graft count was much lower.  A total of about 1800 grafts were placed.   Not much to see in the photos.  Dr. Gabel worked around most of the hair that was transplanted in the first procedure so that I didn't have to go through the "ugly ducking" stage a second time.  Nevertheless, the waiting begins again! Multiple doctors have indicated that because of my extensive hair loss and limited density my available number of donor grafts would only be about 5000.  Dr. Gabel did slightly better than that, transplanting 5074 grafts.  I think I'm nearing the end of my journey!  Looking forward to the final result.

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 1

12 Months Post Op Dr. Gabel's Office Just a few photos taken by Dr. Gabel at his office at 12 months post-op and just prior to my second procedure.  A total of 3191 grafts were transplanted.  Dr. Gabel made great use of my limited donor supply and extremly fine hair texture. Looking forward to the results of Procedure 2!

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 1

11 months Post op A few photos taken 11 months post-op.  Making final arrangements to have a second procedure on February 24, which will also mark one year since my first procedure.  It's been quite a journey.

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 1

6 Months Post op Hard to believe that another couple of months have gone by!  Starting to see some length to my transplanted hair.  My scalp has healed nicely with no noticeable numbness remaining.  The donor scar is still visible when my hair is wet but it continues to fade and is much less obvious than a couple of months ago.  Overall, I'm happy with the results.  Can't wait to see how things look in another six months!

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 1

4 months Post op It's been 4 months since my procedure and I'm experiencing significant growth.  Uugh, the waiting continues to be the hardest part!  Apologize for the quality of the home photos but they do give a pretty good idea of where I am at in my journey.  It's exciting to see hair growing on scalp that's been completely barren for 25 years! I'll post again in two months after my follow up appointment with Dr. Gabel.

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 1

Post op photos These photos were taken immediately following my procedure with Dr. Gabel.  Approximately 3200 grafts were transplanted.

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Bald class: 6
Procedure 1

6 weeks Post op I'm about 6 weeks post-op and have shed nearly all of the hair from my transplanted grafts.  They say the waiting is the hardest part....they're right!  The good news is that small hairs have already begun to break through the skin and I've developed a mild case of acne, presumably from other hairs getting ready to break through the skin.   Still a long road ahead!  I'll post photos again in a few weeks as some of the new hair begins to grow.