California

Sharing some pictures of our new Clinic.......Darling Buds India/Dr. Bhatti

Hi Raj, Thank you for sharing your HT journey so far and thank you for choosing Dr. Bhatti/Darling Buds Clinic for your procedure. I am sure that you must have put in a lot of thought and research into making the selection for your HT Surgeon. After all, that is most the important decision when it comes to hair transplants. I have tried my best to address the issues and concerns that you have raised in your write up. My intention is not to prove you wrong but just provide some clarifications from the Clinic's side. No offense meant to you or anyone else. We wish you all the best with your HT results. Full disclosure: Dr. Bhatti does wish to expand his business into other surgical streams like Orthopedics, Maxillofacial, Neurosurgery, etc, while focusing on HT only, himself. This is a 2 year project. The ground floor and the top floor of the hospital are dedicated to hair transplants only. The hospital has a potential total area of 175,000 sq ft of which 20,000 sq ft is devoted to Darling Buds Clinic where Dr. Bhatti is the only doctor associated to our Clinic. Dr. Bhatti's daughter, who is an MD, has joined his practice and manages the Dermatology Dept of the hospital. The hospital also has a full diagnostic lab which is run by Dr. Bhatti's wife Dr Amulya Bhatti. It also houses a state of the art PRP lab. My responses: RAJ: So i am done with my FUI and on my second day of recovery in India.I would like to share my experience. My procedure was scheduled for 24 April and i was told to come a day before for some blood work and consultation.I was given few choices of Hotels and i found one at my own which was really close by.I got to the Hospital on 23rd afternoon and i have to say that the place is built in a remote location which is pretty run down place.It makes you nervous that if you are in the right place.There are some confusing signs and mixed names of the hospital (Darling buds and five rivers).Well i was already feeling like shit as i got caught by a stomach bug and was having cramps and loose motions). California: Raj, since you/your family is/are originally from India, I would assume that your expectations would be realistic as far as what many cities in India look like. Also, you would know that the street sign/name systems in India are not comparable to the Western cities. Just to make things more convenient for all of our Patients, we do offer a complimentary pick up from the Chandigarh airport and also pickup/drop off from the Patient's hotel to the Clinic. Not sure what that did not happen in your case. I can understand that since you caught a stomach bug right after reaching there, things might have looked bad from your perspective. Traveling while sick is never fun. I am sorry that you had to go through the HT procedure while you were not feeling well. RAJ: Once you enter the building out of four floors or more only two are finished and rest under construction and a total mess.I waited for half an hr or so to see the doctor and i was told i dont have good donor area and my crown will not be covered which i understand.The doctor seems very tired even i was feeling sick.We did not have conversation or eye contact and he literally finished in five minutes which was bit disappointing.Most of my questions were answered by these techs who almost look underage but they are very courteous and professional.At this point i wanted to get the hell out of there and go to the hotel. California: The hospital has a potential total area of 175,000 sq ft of which 20,000 sq ft is devoted to Darling Buds Clinic where Dr. Bhatti is only doctor associated with the HT Clinic. The hospital project is quite big and like any other big construction, it does not look pretty. That said, the HT Clinic does not have any construction going on. Calling it a "total mess" might not be a fair assessment. Regarding the 30 minute wait to see the doctor, that does not sound excessive to me. I am used to waiting for 30-45 minutes (at least) every time I see a doctor in California Bay Area, under my PPO medical insurance. As is validated by hundreds of Dr. Bhatti Patients, he is a very humble person, easy to talk to and very straight forward. He does not sugar coat. Dr. Bhatti makes it a point to have an open and informal discussion with this Patients during the pre-op consultation. This includes drawing a hairline on the Patient's forehead and asking the Patient to think about the hairline placement, at ease. Also, the donor availability and the realistic expectation are discussed. Not sure why you thought that Dr. Bhatti looked tired. Again, I do realize that you were not feeling well yourself. That does make everything look bad. The technicians working in our Clinic are definitely not "under age". They are young females (mostly registered nurses) who have been with the Clinic for many many years. They are knowledgeable, experienced and very good at what they do. RAJ:My procedure was done by the doctor which includes cutting your hair, harvesting and making cuts. and plantation.First day harvested from the scalp donor area.Prcedure started at 7.30 and i was told to be there 6.45 but no one was there till 7.15am. California: I do apologize that you had to wait. Have brought this to the Clinic's attention. Again, the norm is that the Clinic driver picks up the Patient from his/her hotel and brings them over to the Clinic. I am sorry if that service was not offered to you. Could be a rare case of mis-communication from our side and if that is the case, we will make sure that it does not happen again. RAJ: Second day harvesting done from beard and chest .There was a Sikh Doctor who had some sense of humour and he held my hand and i had my first conversation (Sorry i am not used to this kind of customer experience dealing with robots like people) and was told to come next day as well to open the bandage and other paperwork.Most of the staff is very friendly and they are young girls who are fresh out of medical nursing college living around chandigarh.They were soft spoken and hard working California: With all due respect, the teams working at the hospital are very friendly, courteous and professional. The staff at our Clinic is like one happy family. You have said so yourself in your writeup. The "robot like" people comments does contradict that. Last time we checked, we did not have any robots working in our Clinic:) RAJ: So my transplant looks pretty good and i have minimal pain.Oh by the way on the third day when i went to open the bandage and everything was explained by on of the girls we were told that Dr Bhatti will come and talk to you.He was sitting next to us in his Office and i just wanted to ask him some qyuestions about PRP and therapy etc.We were sitting for more than 45 mts and doctor never came to say even bye or thanks. California: I am happy that your HT looks good. That is the main reason for traveling thousands of miles.....to get a world class HT at fraction of the cost (as compared to the Western countries). I am sorry that you felt less cared for at our Clinic. Every Patient in our Clinic is a priority and we try our best to make them feel special and well cared for. I am not sure why the Doctor did not come to talk to you. Did you let the staff know that you had specific questions for Dr. Bhatti? Dr. Bhatti does usually make it a point to wish a good bye to the Clients (unless he is tied up in the OT and not able to come out) RAJ: At this point i got the picture of the whole system. overall. 1.Place is run by one man show who obviously cant be every where and with no coordinator the doctor seems overwhelmed.There is only one email and you can not reach doctor. California: A "one man show" is true but only as far as the procedure itself is concerned. With the world wide fame that Dr. Bhatti has earned, he could have easily opened franchise clinics all over India, which would have been so lucrative. The reason that he has not done so is becuase he wants to perform each and every procedure himself. Obviously, for the other offices, he would have had to hire other HT doctors to perform the procedures. He chose not to do so. I sincerely believe that that is very good thing for all Dr. Bhatti Patients. Dr. Bhatti responds to each and every email himself. He had offers from his staff to answer the basic questions, but he wants his Patients to have a direct access to him. Always. RAJ: 2.The place is not what the pictures show at all including inside and outside.Its a construction zone.Its on a outer circle of Chandigarh with nothing around.There is construction inside which i am not sure even they are working on it. California: Again, there is work going on on the project but that does not make the entire hospital a construction zone. Construction can look like an eye sore and can cause some inconvenience but we try our best to make sure that our Patients are affected by this as little as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to you or any other Patient. RAJ: 3.Dr Bhatti is very good in his work with no peoples skill. California: Thanks for acknowledging that Dr. Bhattis is good at what he does. That is what matters to most Patients. Regarding the "peoples skill" part, that is a personal assessment/interpretation. Being a Dr. Bhatti Patient myself, I was pleasantly surprised that he did not talk down to me like most "big shot" doctors in India tend to do. He was kind, courteous, sincere and honest and that helped my nerves to calm down. RAJ: 4.If You advertise a place world class you gotta be on top of everything.As in your thoughts you are much better doctor and charge more than others,Your patient deserve better service from you and a clean place.You cant have construction zone in half of your premises and still using your old name in your bags.No courtesy of thanking your patient who flew to you from a different country is not acceptable. California: Again, I am sorry that you felt that way. Dr. Bhatti charges more than "others" because he is a way better doctor than the "others" and for most Patients, the Doctors skills, experience and the past patient results are what matters the most. The Clinic is always clean and Dr. Bhatti has a very strict protocol in place when it comes to cleanliness, hygiene, sterlization etc. When I got my procedure done at the Darling Buds Clinic many years ago, I forgot my phone in the OT (they let me carry my phone in there because I wanted to take some pictures). After I changed out of the OT clothes, I realized that I had forgotten my phone in the room and started walking back into the OT. I was stopped by a nurse who told me that I did not have the OT attire on me. I asked her to get my phone for me and she said that she was not dressed for the OT. I got pretty irritated but she would not budge. She said that there was no exception to the protocol that the Clinic had in place. She asked me to wait and called another nurse who was dressed in the OT clothes. Then I got my phone back! I have been in the US for almost 20 years now and have not experienced this level of "strictness" and "adherence to protocol" in any US Clinic or hospital. Regarding thanking a Patient before he/she leaves, I never got a thank you from any doctor in my life. On the contrary, I always make it a point to thank my doctor. They do say "bye" to me. Dr. Bhatti does make it a point to say good bye to the Patient's and wish them a safe trip back home whenever he is able to and available to do so. The fact that he was not able to wish you a good bye was definitely not intentional. My apologies that he was not available at that time to do that. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. We are with you through out your HT journey. Always, just a phone call or an email away. Best regards, California

Thanks Bill, for chiming in here. Very suspicious, indeed. Will wait for his response if and when it comes! Best regards, California

Hi Seftest, I think your hair looks great at the 6 month mark. Comparing your current progress to where you started from.....huge improvement! I am sure that it will keep getting better and better from this point onwards Wishing you all the best. Enjoy the ride! Regards, California

Hi Tressless22, You are lucky to have a good head of hair. I agree with the majority of the responses here, who have suggested that you should not get an HT procedure done right now. If I were you, I would not overthink this and enjoy my hair. The pressures of med school might not necessary result in your hair loss getting worse. You should cross that bridge when you come to it. Just my 2 cents. I wish you all the best. Regards, California

Hi Harry, The scabs/crusts from the planted grafts usually take 2-3 weeks to fall off, after the HT procedure. After that, you should be comfortable in public. Obviously, you will still have the look of very short trimmed hair (assuming your hair will be trimmed to a #1 grade before the FUE procedure). All the best. Regards, California

Hi Optimistic1, I would strongly recommend you to research as much as possible. If you run a search for Dr. Bhatti on this (and other) forums, you will get tons of Patient cases and reviews. Price is an important factor but not the only factor. The HT Surgeon's skill level, experience and past Patient results/feedback are even more important (in my opinion). If you have any specific questions regarding Dr. Bhatti and the Darling Buds, India Clinic, please feel free to reach out to me. I wish you all the best. Regards, California

Patient: 25 years old Hair loss pattern: Type-3 HT technique used: FUE Number of scalp grafts planted: 1686 Areas covered: Hairline and temple points The "after" pictures are from 4 years post-op. This Patient is now 29 years old. Best regards, California Here is the link to the YouTube video:

Welcome back, Seth. Your hair looks great! We missed you! No more intense debates now.....just positive stuff:) Regards, California

Hi Seftest, Thanks for sharing your HT updates. I think your hair growth looks good at the 2 month mark. It will only keep getting better and better from this point onward. Please do keep sharing your HT journey. Wish you all the best. Regards, California

Hi wjc1979, Thank you for documenting and sharing your HT journey so well. I am sure that your experiences and feedback will benefit other HT Patients. Please do keep the updates coming. All the best, Sincerely, California

Patient: 24 years old Previous HT at another Clinic: At age 22 Grafts planted during the previous transplant: 2895 Problem: Poor growth & over harvested scalp donor. Availability of donor grafts presented a dilemma. Dr. Bhatti planted 1345 scalp grafts (FUE) to improve the density. Balding has since progressed. Link to YouTube video Best regards, California

Patient: 28 years old Hair loss pattern: Type 4 HT technique used: FUE Number of scalp grafts planted: 2657 Areas targeted: Hairline, temple points, crown The first set of "after" pictures are from 6 months post-op and the second set of "after" pictures are from 3 years post-op. Here is the link to the YouTube video: Best regards, California

Patient age: 36 years old Hair loss pattern: Type-3 HT technique used: FUE Number of scalp grafts planted: 1709 Areas targeted: Hairline and temples The "after" pictures are from 4 years post-op This Patient is a Pollywood celebrity Here is a link to the YouTube video for this Patient case: Best regards, California

Patient age: 28 years Number of scalp grafts planted: 1836 Hair loss pattern: Type-3 HT technique used: FUE The "after" pictures are from 4 years post-op Best regards, California

Patient age: 28 years HT technique used: FUE Number of scalp grafts planted: 1236 Areas targeted: Hairline The "after" pictures are from 8 months post-op. Pictures & video taken under harsh lighting. Here is the link to the YouTube video for this Patient case: Best regards, California

Patient Age: 35 years Hair loss Pattern: Type 6 Number of scalp grafts planted: 3400 HT technique used: FUE The "after" pictures are from 2 years post-op when this Patient came back to our Clinic to get work done on his crown area. Here is a link to the YouTube video for this Patient case: Best regards, California

Patient: 28 years old Baldness pattern: Type 2 HT technique used: FUE Number of scalp grafts planted: 1236 The "after" pictures (taken under a harsh light), are from 8 months post-op Video link: Best regards, California

Thank you, Melvin. And here is the link to the YouTube video of this Patient case: Best regards, California

Hi Seftest, Thank you for sharing your HT journey so far and thank you for kind words about our Clinic. Highly appreciated. Your write up should serve as a beacon for hair loss patients that are hesitant about taking a long flight out of country, to get a quality HT done at a very affordable price. Please keep on sharing your HT journey. We wish you all the best. p.s Thanks also for your kind words about Shalini. She is the best! Regards, California

Hi Barberman1986, Thank you so much for sharing your joy. Awesome write up! We are very happy for you. Very kind of you to offer advise to anyone that is thinking about getting an HT procedure done. Please do keep sharing and updating on your HT progress. Best regards, California

Patient Age: 35 years Ethnicity: South East Asian Hair loss pattern: Type 6 Number of scalp grafts planted: 3400 HT technique used: FUE The "after" pictures are from 2 years post-op This Patient is back at our Clinic now to get work done on his crown area. Best regards, California

Hi estebanprc, A lot of well reputed HT Surgeons all over the world perform the procedures themselves. Please keep in mind that the HT Surgeon will usually not do the "plantation" of the grafts. Dr. Bhatti (Darling Buds India performs all the procedures himself at his Clinic. He has a pre-op consultation with the Patient, administers the anesthesia, harvests the grafts from the donor area and makes the slits in the recipient area. After that, our registered nurses take over and plant the grafts harvested by Dr. Bhatti in to the slits made by Dr. Bhatti (under Dr Bhatti's direct supervision) Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, California