Dr. Gabel is a hair restoration surgeon with a dedicated practice to creating natural and permanent hair restoration for men and women. He specializes in state-of-the-art follicular unit grafting to achieve the finest results in the field of hair restoration surgery.
Modern hair transplantation has evolved with astonishing advances in recent years that have turned hair restoration into a sophisticated and refined art within cosmetic medicine.
In the right hands, the days of hair plugs and artificial-looking hairlines have been rendered obsolete. Modern techniques combined with the artistry of a skilled surgeon have allowed an unprecedented sense of naturalism to be implemented into the design of hairlines, which has transformed the overall aesthetic and density of hair transplants.
Follicular units are the gold standard of modern transplantation surgery, and they are the means for a surgeon to create the most undetectable surgical hair restoration that modern medicine can presently offer.
At the Gabel Hair Restoration Center, Dr. Gabel and his team specialize in treating men and women who are looking to maintain and restore their living, growing hair utilizing the most modern, up-to-date hair transplant techniques.
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) which is also known as the Strip Harvest Method, is a surgical procedure where naturally occurring bundles of hair, called follicular units, are transplanted from the donor area to the area of alopecia, or recipient area. The follicular units are the most natural way that hair exits the scalp. Follicular unit bundles may contain 1, 2, 3, or more hairs. When transplanted, the follicular units are then arranged in the most natural pattern: the frontal hairline will receive the single hair units for a soft hairline, and the central area of the scalp will have the larger 3 or 4 hair follicular units to give a denser appearance.
In the FUT procedure, Dr. Gabel and the patient will review the surgical plan and draw out the area to be transplanted. In the procedure room, the back of the scalp will be numbed, and he will remove a thin strip of tissue. The tissue is then examined and the individual follicular units are separated using precise stereo-microscopic dissection techniques. While this is occurring, Dr. Gabel will make the small openings in the scalp in the recipient site where the grafts will be inserted.
In contrast to FUT, Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) is a technique where the individual follicular units are extracted one by one from the scalp. In this procedure, instead of making an incision and removing a strip of scalp, a round scalpel punch is used to make a circular incision around the follicular units allowing them to be extracted one by one. The follicular units are then examined under the high-powered microscope and trimmed as needed. They are then placed into the recipient sites that Dr. Gabel has created. There are several reasons to perform FUE on a patient, the most common being the ability for patients to cut their hair very short without visualizing a linear scar in the donor area. Dr. Gabel has tremendous experience with the FUE technique and has been performing it longer than any physician or group in the Northwest.
Surgical Hair Restoration FAQs
Can hair thinning be reversed?
Hair thickness (or caliber) can be increased with medications such as finasteride and minoxidil. These medications have been shown to be effective in approximately 85% of patients. Increasing hair shaft diameter can have a tremendous positive impact on the overall volume and appearance for people.
How do I choose a hair transplant surgeon?
Most importantly, be sure of the surgeons experience, the track record for results, and involvement. Make sure the hair loss surgeon is involved throughout the hair restoration process.
What is the difference between hair plugs and hair transplant?
Hair plugs are made with a 4-mm round resulting in 20 - 30 follicular units per plug. Modern hair transplants utilize a punch less than 1 mm in size resulting in individual follicular units that are then placed in the scalp to give the most natural appearance.
Can you be too bald for a hair transplant?
Yes: if hair loss is too severe, that means that there may not be enough donor hair to perform the hair transplant. Additionally, if someone has significant hair loss, and they would like to have a lot of their scalp restored with hair transplants, although they have a good amount of donor hair, they may not have enough to accomplish their goals.
Can you go bald again after a hair transplant?
The native hairs on people are always susceptible to genetics and hormones that cause hair loss. If I transplant a patient in an area that has native hair, the native hair may continue to miniaturize and eventually go away. Additionally, as people get older, people will lose about 15% of the hair in the donor scalp, which is thendonor hair for hair transplants. In summary, people can expect to lose about 15% of transplanted hair over their lifetime.
Can hair transplant damage nerves?
There are small nerves that transverse the skin. When an incision is made to either remove a hair follicle or create a site for the transplanted hair, there is a risk that the small nerves will be damaged resulting in numbness of the skin. Because the nerves are small, the numbness usually resolves in a few weeks or months as other nerves innervate the area.
Does transplanted hair thicken over time?
Unless the transplanted hair is treated with medications such as minoxidil or finasteride, the transplanted hair will not thicken over time. In fact, people can expect to lose approximately 15% of the transplanted hair over time which is thennormal aging process for all individuals. This is why it is important to continue tonuse medications to maintain native hair after a hair restoration procedure.
How can I thicken my hair?
The best way to thicken hair is with the use of medications such as minoxidil and finasteride. These have been proven scientifically in many medical studies and published in medical journals to thicken hair for both mens and women’s hair loss. Minoxidil is approved for both men and women is can be purchased over thencounter while finasteride is only indicated for men and requires a prescription.
How many months after a hair transplant do you see results?
Most people start to see some growth approximately 3 months after a hair transplant procedure. By 6 months after the procedure, 60% of the transplanted hairs are growing, and by 1 year, 95% of the transplanted hairs will be in the growing phase.
Is the hair transplant procedure painful?
The only discomfort patients feel is when Dr. Gabel administers the anesthetic or numbing shots. After that, patients should not feel any pain. It is important that patients notify Dr. Gabel if they are experiencing any discomfort as he will then numb the area again.
Dr Gabel and his surgical team perform an FUE on a patient in the Operating room. with extreme skill and precisionUltimately, the most important goal of the procedure is to produce a natural result that satisfies the goals and expectations of the patient.
