David923

Hey Samuel, First and foremost, India is known for very affordable medical tourism. That's how I began my search, looking at clinics in Thailand and India. Everything included, I paid a little over US $5000, whereas in western countries the same procedure would have been around 15-20K. So if getting it done cheap is your priority, I'd recommend a country like India.

Hi everyone, Sorry, not sure how to start a new thread. But I posted photos and some notes on my operation with Dr Bhatti from last week. Check out my blog. Cheers, David

Hi everyone, I had my procedure done over a week ago. Here are my notes: Operation Timeline 730: Had blood drawn, filled out paperwork and consent forms. Dr. Bhatti shaved my head and drew the lines for implantation. 800: After applying a local anathestic, Dr. Bhatti drilled tiny holes all over the back of my head. He and his assistants then extracted the hair follicles to be used for implantation. 1230: Graft implantation for hairline. 430: Graft implantation for crown. 630: Finish. Operation Notes The operation was more painful than I anticipated. Of course the anesthesia shots are one thing, but the numbing wore off at both the tail end of my extraction and hairline implantation. This wasn't the fault of the staff, and I did have a long session. For the last period of my crown implantation I was numbed up thoroughly and felt no pain at all. Just make sure you communicate clearly with the doctor and assistants at the first feeling of pain. Pre-Op Recommendations Have a clear idea of exactly how many grafts you intend to use, and what areas you want to have covered. In hindsight, I realize my main focus should have solely been on my frontal hairline. Especially with thinning hair, it`s difficult and expensive to get a whole head of hair in one session. It`s possible, but I`m already anticipating that I`ll need more work done on my crown in the future. Perhaps I should have just stuck with the frontal hairline for my first visit. Buy a small spray bottle, saline solution and aloe vera water. These are provided in your post-op care kit, but I think it`s good to have extras, especially in the first few days of recovery. Prepare to sleep in a reclining position on your back. This was very difficult for me, as I always sleep on my side/stomach. And it`s really important that you don`t turn over on your pillow which will mess up your grafts. So make sure that you can sleep comfortably like this before the operation. Post-Op Recommendations Try to set aside 2 weeks vacation for the operation, 1 week at a minimum. I had 2 full days to stay in my hotel room before flying home, but I could have used a few more. Personally I wanted to avoid any hassle of going outside and having to wear a hat. Use a liberal amount of saline solution. The clinic`s instructions are for every 20 minutes the first night, and then every 2 hours the first few days after. While this is probably sufficient, it can`t hurt to keep your new grafts as clean and moisturized as possible (and they use it frequently during the implantation). Also it helps with itching. I`d advise to spray your head as soon as it feels itchy/dry (which will happen a lot!) When I switched from saline to aloe vera water, I kept spraying my head (still am), just now with aloe instead. Again, the benefits might be minimal, but it feels good and relieves itching at the very least. Notes for 1st week post-op Days 1-3 Donor area very tender and sore. A lot of blood the first night. Head is very itchy, usually within 30 minutes of spraying saline. Days 4-5 Donor area healing up well. Still quite sore, but no visible scarring, just redness. Crown area sore as well. Itchiness continues. Can see the beginning of scabbing, and implanted hairs blending with existing hair. Days 6-9 Donor area just a bit red. Still sore but not bad. Some alternating soreness and numbness on crown and top of head. Can tell the grafts are becoming more and more solid. Front hairline starting to look much and much better as scabs fall out. Temples are a little discolored but improving. Itchiness is decreasing by the day. Overall experience For the price and quality of work, I'd definitely recommend Dr. Bhatti. He and his staff have a lot of experience, and their skill and confidence level are very apparent. Though I currently live abroad and have traveled quite a bit, India is a unique cultural experience, especially in receiving a major cosmetic operation. My main advice is have realistic expectations regarding the procedure. It will be a long day, and your head will undergo substantial trauma. The pain and soreness is tolerable, but the more recovery time you have to just sit and relax on a couch, the better. Ok hope this helps all who are considering an FUE hair transplant. I'll post some more pictures as things progress. Please PM me if you have any questions.

I appreciate your response. My main concern is keeping my scalp healthy (no infections at least) during the critical recovery phase. It seems like there's a strict routine with shampoo/aloe/etc. I was planning to wear a hat for sun protection...maybe just try to avoid being outside altogether? Anyways, I'm sure Dr. Bhatti can answer all of my questions. I'll post some photos after the operation. Thanks again.

Hey your pics look great.* I'm going to have an FUE done by Dr. Bhatti in 2 weeks, probably around 4000 grafts. I was wondering if you could give me any advice/expectations for the first 2 weeks post-operation. I have to return to work 5 days after the procedure, and am hoping my scalp will appear somewhat normal by then.* Alright thanks for anything you can tell me. I definitely appreciate it. Take care. David