sullirock

I recently got a transplant (my 4th). This time a new incision was made since the old scar couldn't be excised. I've experienced shock loss before in the donor area but this time it seems more extensive. The hair is falling out all along the scar but the worse side is the left side where it is nearly bald from old scar to new scar. Here's a picture tell me what you think.

Does anybody know what type of visa I should be getting for this transplant in India? I'm departing from the US and Dr. Madhu said to get a tourist visa but my concern is when I leave the country and take my hat off at the airport (Indian) they'll see my procedure. Now this isn't a problem if they don't consider an HT a medical procedure. So should it be a tourist or a medical visa? Medical visas are like a year in length. I only need 3 days. Plus if I just don't shave it, maybe it won't be so noticeable when I leave India. Not trying to avoid getting a medical visa. Just want to get the right one. Thanks.

-Added-

This is what a medical visa is. It doesn't state anything but ailments as cause for medical tourism.

A Medical Visa is given to those seeking medical treatment only in reputed/recognized specialized hospitals/treatment centers in India. Up to two attendants who are blood relatives are allowed to accompany the applicant under separate Medical Attendant visas, and the Medical Attendant visa will have the same validity as the Medical visa.

Although not exhaustive, the following list of ailments would be of primary consideration: Serious ailments like neuro-surgery; ophthalmic disorders; heart-related problems; renal disorders; organ transplantation; congenital disorders; gene-therapy; radio-therapy; plastic surgery; joint replacement, etc.

The initial duration of the visa is up to a year or the period of the treatment, whichever is less. The visa will be valid for a maximum of 3 entries during the 1 year.

Please note the visa is valid beginning on the day it is issued. So a 6 Month visa issued on January 1 would be valid until June 30

TomA,

I've already booked my consultation with Dr Madhu and was told by a lady that they would send me an email. They have yet to pick up the Money Transfer and yet to send me a confirmation email. As a matter of fact, they pretty much stopped replying to my emails. Now I'm not complaining to you about this. I'm just wondering how you got it all set up. Because I'm having a huge problem here. BTW I'm in the US.

Thanks. I just gotta get this visa thing out of the way now. I'm going to visit Dr Madhu. I'll give some updates after the procedure.

Which doctor and city are you going to? And how long will you be here?

For travel related queries, the best site is www.indiamike.com

They have threads/archived posts on pretty much everything india travel related. Mind you though, if you are just coming for the HT, 90% of their stuff wont matter, as its meant for the dedicated traveller, out camping, travelling city to city and what not. In your case, depending on which hospital/doc, you may have just a few days in a relatively clean environment and you'd be back, if those are your plans.

I'll be getting there on Jan 1st (late at night) and having the procedure on the 3rd and then leaving on the 7th (early in the day). No other plans outside of the HT.

I'm going to India to get a HT done but am not quite sure if I should be getting the Medical or Tourist Visa. Anyone been to India for a HT from the United States? As much info as possible would be awesome!

wb280, yeah I was thinking the same thing. maybe my doc (not a recommended doc) was killing or damaging existing hairs. I wish I had known about this forum back in '06. I wasn't completely bald either but I also didn't use propecia consistently. So many variables. I'm gonna try to snag my progress pics from my doc dating back to the first HT.

Dr Lindsey, I appreciate the consultation we had on Monday. I understand your concerns. By memory and guess, what would you say my grafts/cm2 would be? Also, how many useable grafts would you guess I have available?

Thanks for you honest input. I'm gonna put some more pictures up of when my hair was shorter (a few months ago) and when it was wet as well. In the previous pictures, my hair is longer. Check them out and tell me what you think. I'm certainly leaning towards another HT because of the pictures of my hair being wet. I just want a good doc with a steady hand a good eye. Dr Madhu seems to know his stuff.

BTW, the pictures in my previous post don't do a good job showing the thinness. I tried my hardest

The title is more a question than a statement. I've done a lot of research and cannot seem to find a definite answer to this question. Does anybody have a feasible answer? Now, of course, this applies mainly to someone who has hair in the recipient area and is not completely bald. I've had three transplants to date and am not looking forward to losing what I've gained. Am I stuck with the thinness I have (since I'm using Propecia and Rogaine and have stopped my hairloss)? I was told that I should wait for it to thin out more. I've had THREE transplants: 4600 grafts. I'm pretty sure there isn't any more that will fall out. Don't forget about my Propecia and Rogaine that is working! So here are some pics. Should I go for a fourth one or just stop here so close to the end?

Let me get this right. When you say shaving you mean shaving the donor area or the recipient area or both areas?

Yeah, I would think that would be the best option. How can I lure one over here?

Sullirock,

 

Although it's difficult to estimate grafts based on pictures alone, our graft calculator (featured at the hair loss learning center) may give you a jumping off point. Good luck!

Yeah, I tried to use this calculator but since I'm not completely bald I'm not sure how much I should slide the bar over. It was telling me 6,000g when I used it before :confused:

to look semi thin yet still manageable I would say a good 2k to the front third and about 1500 for the crown...

 

Depending on future loss I would guess to say you would need a minimum of another 1k in the crown and another 1k in the middle.

 

for the time being 3000-3500 is a good bet.

3,000 seems like a good estimate. But would 2,000 give me good coverage or would I still have noticeable thinning? The 2,000 would be spread out from front to crown.

He says that my hair is too fine making it difficult to fill in the thinning areas. Since I'm a Norwood 5A and have had roughly 3,000 grafts, I'm assuming that I'll need 2,000 more to finish the job. I read, I believe on here, that you multiply your Norwood scale by 1,000 to get the number of grafts needed.

Having said that, can anyone give me the best estimation of grafts needed that they can?

I know it's based on pictures and not an up, close, and personal examination, but I know someone has to have a good eye for this sort of thing.

Hey, I'm new to this forum but definitely not new to HT. I've had 3 procedures and am contemplating yet another one . The only thing is that I don't know how many more procedures I'll need to finish up or at least come close to finishing the job. My doc won't give me a rough estimate of grafts needed to achieve my goal. So I have some pics here. My hair is dry and wet. I don't think hair looks full unless it looks full dry AND wet. So tell me what you think. How many grafts does it look like will complete the job or give pretty close to it. Also, my hair is fine. Been like that since birth .

(The first and second pictures are when my hair is dry and the last two are of when it's wet.)

Now, mind you, my hair looks a whole lot worse when it's wet and all messy.