Transformer

Hi All Apologies for the radio silence - no excuse really aside from just enjoying the summer and my new hair and so on. I am currently in between internet providers and will post an update as soon as my new service is in place within the next 10 days or so. Hope to have more exciting things to share with you then.

Looking good. Your hair seems to be falling into a natural style pretty well too.

I am using the same medicine as what the Doctor prescribed - which is a generic type of Minoxidil, Finasteride and Biotin. I am not supplementing this with anything else aside from an active lifestyle maybe?! The results seem to be ok so far and I am not experiencing any adverse affects from using these tablets so I may keep using them for another 6 months and then review once again. From what I remember the beard hairs were mainly used on the frontal third and then phased out as they moved towards the crown. I think I had somewhere in the region of 800 beard hairs extracted/implanted out of a total of 5,000 grafts so 20% or so of my transplanted hair will have originally been from my beard. So far I can't really tell the difference between beard or scalp hair aside from maybe on each side of my temple where the concentration of beard hairs seems to be greater and therefore slightly thicker and more unruly than the rest of the hair. I've attached some pictures of my neck, one is at 7 days unshaved and the other is this evening after I had shaved this morning. Generally I'm happy with having used the beard hair and do not notice any difference although I would say that on the left hand side the Dr did extract some hairs slightly above my jaw line which has resulted in a slight difference in the pigmentation of the skin which is visible. Or maybe it's because I shave old school with a Merkur that the difference is so visible! Either way I will try a take a picture of this at next months update. Let me know if any questions.

Hello All So here is my update at 5 months and 2 weeks. The growth over the last few weeks has been pretty impressive / noticeable. I have now had a number of people at work who were previously unaware of my HT comment that my hair seems to be growing well and top. I guess something must be working well in that case! I got my last haircut some two or three weeks ago. I got it buzzed on the sides to a number 2 and I asked for the top to simply be cut evenly using scissors, I mentioned that I wanted to start growing the length of my hair on top so didn't want to have it cut too short. The hair on the front seems to be growing at a great pace and is somewhat more manageable now although stiff difficult to work into much of a style aside from this little quiff type thing I've got going on now. The hair around the crown seems to be a few months behind the rest of the HT hair and I would say is probably going through the ugly duckling phase now. I'm hoping the next few weeks and months seem the same trajectory on growth as the last few have done. I'm thinking that my next haircut in May might just actually be a 'proper' one with a stylist at Tony & Guy. Happy to hear your thoughts and comments.

I'm not expert but if I compare where you are in comparison to where I am you results look great for 5 months growth. I think you are two weeks ahead of me (also with Dr Bhatti) but my growth has been fairly patchy so far and I am definitely in the midst of the ugly duckling stage whereas your hair looks less wiry and more manageable. Did you do anything specifically to help this? I have been shaving my head down to a number 1 every month since my HT although I think I am just going to try and grow my hair out now and hopefully this will make it more supple. If need be I will only get the sides trimmed and maybe scissors only on the top to even out the length. Also sounds like you and Raj had a good time hitting up the hot spots in Chandigarh.

Both are branded under the name of 'Dr Reddys'

5,059 grafts in total. 4,212 which were from scalp and 847 from the beard. Singles = 925 Doubles = 2,012 Triples = 1,275

Hey buddy - hope you are doing well. I'm still on the fin, biotin and minoxidil. I haven't noticed any side effects and it's hard to tell whether it's the medication which is helping my hair growth or whether it would've happened naturally. I have no way to compare as this is the first time I have undergone a transplant and/or taken any medication for my hair loss/growth. I am obviously conscious of the side effects associated with finasteride and although I don't think I am experiencing any I think once I am 6 months post I may decide to stop using the product. Given that I was a NW6 at the start I don't see any detriment of stopping finasteride as their are no DHT susceptible hairs in my case. I'm keen to know if my logic holds true on this or whether I'm missing something? I'll probably carry on taking the Biotin and Minoxidl for the foreseeable future.

Dear All So it's my update for month 4. Technically I'm now at 4 months and 2 weeks since my HT in late October. A few changes to inform you all of; I'm noticing that of the grafts which have sprouted the pace of growth is fairly even, as a result I haven't had to get my hair cut since late January. The coverage also seems to have become more dense because the thickness of the hair seems to be increasing but I'm hoping that there's still quite some way to go. I do see some very fine hairs and dark spots, especially around my frontal area so I hope these will grow out to be hairs which add further to the overall results. Most of the hairs do seem to be a bit unruly and growing upright but I'm hoping these hairs will become more supple as they mature and maybe even grow in length. I haven't yet decided if I will opt for a buzz cut over the coming few weeks or try to outgrow this phase and simply let my hair work itself out into a natural style of some sort. I'm also feeling more sensations return to my recipient area with somewhere between 70/80% of the sensation in comparison to what I was pre-op. Happy to hear your comments and/ or questions.

The transformation looks great. Thanks for posting the update.

Hello Forum Members I'm a bit late with my update at month 3. It should have been posted around the 30th of each month but as I get my hair cut at every 3 or 4 weeks the timing of my last hair cut (23rd) wouldn't have left much to see in the update pictures. Going forwards I will try and update this thread around the middle of each month. So here are my pictures at the 3 month mark and having got my last hair cut some 3 or so weeks ago. I can clearly see many news hairs that have grown in and look healthy. I can also see a number of miniature hairs when I look closely in the mirror - I am hoping these will begin to gain thickness over the coming few weeks. Along with some further density in the hair line region as we had intentionally packed these with a larger number of grafts per cm. So far no obvious difference visually in the transplanted beard hair and scalp hair. I would also estimate that I have approximately 60% of the original sensations back in my recipient area. Am looking forward to soon being able to style my hair and getting something other than a buzz cut when at the barbers. Looking forward to your comments and questions.

Work looks good and I'm sure it will be a result that you are happy with. It's great that there's many options out there for hair loss sufferers, especially for those on the NW 4+ scales like you and I. Just a couple of things for the benefit of others which I see you have already made a few comments on. 1) I think you used the travel pillow which you fill up with air. These types are probably the most uncomfortable due to their unflexible nature. I went for the travel pillows that are filled with some sort of soft fibre. These feel fairly sturdy but are quite supple and did aid me when sleeping upright for the first few days. I would recommend this kind over the air travel pillows. 2) Determining whether or not to tell your colleagues is a quite a dilemma. I told my manager and immediate colleagues on my team about my HT and they were generally supportive etc. but I felt that I couldn’t just tell them and leave it at that and needed to justify my reasons for wanting to do it and what the process entails etc. I also didn’t know what I would look like on my return so obviously didn’t want there to be any shocks if they saw me with a swollen forehead etc. I can honestly say that when I returned to work 15 or so days after my surgery none of my colleagues would have noticed even if I hadn’t told them, like most hair loss sufferers I used to have a buzz cut anyways so no obvious change in appearance. If I had known this from the start then I may not have mentioned anything to them at all. I’m sure that as my hair starts to grow again I may get some other colleagues questioning how my hair has managed to make a miraculous recovery but in my mind that is a lot more easier and happier story to tell.

Hello and Happy 2015 to fellow Forum members. I'm now at the two month mark and wanted to check in with my progress. So far things are going as expected (I think!), I'm not really experiencing pain in any of the donor areas or the recipient area. I occasionally have a slight itching feeling across some parts of the recipient area but nothing too uncomfortable. I'm happy to be seeing a number of hairs growing from where I didn't have hair before and I am hoping that over time these will grow thicker and longer. The hairline for some reason is growing slower than the rest of the recipient area but I'm not sure if this has anything to do with beard hair being transplanted in this region and therefore it grows/ beds in slower in comparison to donor scalp hair?. I am hoping that over the next few weeks there will be more density showing up in my hairline given that we consciously increased the density in this region as well as using the thicker beard hair. I can still see a number of black dots across various parts of my scalp so I'm hoping for some more magic to occur by next months update. In terms of routine I'm still on the Finasteride, Biotin, Minoxidil foam, Hair oil and J&J Baby shampoo as advised by the doctor. The 1 bottle of 2% minoxidil foam which the Dr prescribed is almost coming to an end and I imagine that by the end of this week I will start to use the 5% Minoxidil foam as advised by the Dr. Please note that I had a grade 1 buzz cut around 10 days ago to even out the sides with the top. Happy to hear your comments and questions.

Hello All I'm now at the 5 week mark so just wanted to provide you with an update of how things are going and open it up for any comments / questions. In general I have been quite diligent with ensuring I take my meds at the same time every morning followed by a thin application of Johnson Hair Oil. In the evening I am applying 2% minoxidil foam. I also wash my hair twice a week with Johnson Baby Shampoo. The post HT regime is that which the Dr recommended and I have not deviated from it or added to it. I have no pain, itchiness, redness, spots/ pimples or marks on my recipient area. However, it is still numb and I would say I only have 20-30% feeling. My donor area seems a bit sparse and I'm hoping it will fill out a bit more as time goes on. I'm not experiencing any itching on the left or right donor areas but I do experience itching from time to time around the back of my head in the centre. Nothing too major or unpleasant though. So far I'm happy/ ok with the way things are going and like everyone else that has been in this situation I am eagerly anticipating the fruits of my (and the Dr's) labour. The pictures were taken this morning under natural light with no flash. I also had a buzz cut (grade 1) about 10 days ago to even out the sides with the top. Thanks.

Hey - I've tried on Chrome and Safari and your pics don't load up for me for some reason. I would be very interested in seeing your results as I also had a 5,000 FUE session with Dr Bhatti in October of this year. Thanks.

The cost of the procedure was just over 5 thousand GBP. Thanks Nitin - not sure if I'm ready to make history but here's hoping it all goes well.

5,000 grafts over two days was a bit of a challenging procedure. I have to admit to not fully appreciating how tiring such a large procedure would be and I would estimate that I had somewhere close to 50 injections into my scalp/ head over the entire two days. Not that these injections were particularly painful but the sheer number of injections and scale of the procedure was slightly overwhelming. I can now understand why the Dr initially suggested doing this procedure over two separate sessions. I also accept that 5,000 grafts won't take me back to my teenage years but it will hopefully be a marked improvement from where I was prior to my HT. Here are some of the pictures which I sent to the Dr initially when discussing my plans to undergo a HT at Darling Buds. These should hopefully give you an indication of my donor area.

After sending Dr Bhatti an initial enquiry in July 2014 the Dr concluded that I would need 4,500 grafts for my type 5 hair loss pattern. The Dr initially estimated that he would be able to harvest 3,000 from scalp and the remainder from chest/beard so as not to over harvest the scalp hair in one session. The Dr advised that since the cost of body hair is double that of scalp hair that I could split the treatment into 2 sessions with a gap of 6 months in-between if I wanted to. As I would be travelling to India especially for this treatment and would be taking time off from work etc. I mentioned to the Dr that my preference would be to undertake the procedure via a ‘mega session’ i.e. over two days. The Dr agreed to my request and so a deposit was paid and the dates were booked for late October 2014. I also had to adjust the dates by a week or so due to work commitments and the Dr and his team were kind enough to accommodate my request. Prior to the first day of the HT I went to the Dr’s clinic for a 30 minute consultation where I was briefly told about the procedure, a hairline was drawn and I was given the opportunity to ask any questions I may have had. Day 1 started at 7:30am and the usual hair shaving, donor area preparation and blood sample was taken. Day 1 lasted until close to 6pm and before leaving I was given some medication for the evening was advised to not sleep until midnight and apply saline spray after every 20 minutes. I had little to no pain and was able to get some rest in-between the 20 minute intervals. Rather than sleep on the bed the hotel had a comfortable chaise lounge which aided me to rest at an angle which wouldn’t affect my donor or recipient area. I also requested some extra pillows and duvet cover and I woke up fairly refreshed the following morning for my second session. On the second day I again had some fruit juice and muesli for breakfast, and like the day before the driver from the clinic (Sachin) arrived on time and waited for us patiently in the hotel car park before driving us to the clinic. I’ve intentionally kept most of the details light as the procedure and details on technicians etc. has already been documented in detail in another thread by a fellow poster. That thread can be found HERE: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/177363-hair-transplant-dr-bhatti-oct-14-part-2-procedure.html I opted for the premium package, which at the time of booking was at 85 Rupees per graft from the scalp and 170 Rupees for each graft from the body/beard. I understand that the prices have since gone up to 99 Rupees for each scalp graft and 179 for each body graft. Given the relative weak strength of the Rupee right now I paid just over ?5k for my treatment. I do not know the comparison of how much the same level of treatment and care would have cost in Europe but I’m sure that opting for Darling Buds ends up offering much better value for money. 5,059 grafts in total. 4,212 which were from scalp and 847 from the beard. Singles = 925 Doubles = 2,012 Triples = 1,275 I will also follow up with some of my opinions on travelling to India, getting a HT in India, the city of Chandigarh, the hotel I stayed at and some of the other items that I think would be useful for people contemplating undertaking a HT at the Darling Buds clinic. I will try to update this thread on a monthly basis but in the meantime please feel free to provide any comments or ask any questions that you may have about the procedure or Darling Buds.

I arrived back yesterday evening and am missing being in India already. Hit me hard when I had to resort to having toast for breakfast this morning instead of being waited on hand and foot whilst I was out there for the two or so weeks.

Nice detailed write up in which you seem to have covered all the bases of what people can expect when undertaking a HT at Darling Buds. As you know, I had 5,000 grafts implanted by Dr Bhatti and his team on the 29th and 30th October and am currently in my 2nd week post op. Am going through the phase where my crusts are starting to fall off after each wash and so far I'm happy with the way things are going. I'll soon also post a review of my HT with Dr Bhatti and my general HT experience overall and my take on the do's and don'ts. All the best.

/\ Bump for anyone that can still help with my Q's. I no longer need assistance on the hotel part as I've booked the JW Marriott on a stay 3 pay for 2 deal that they are currently running. One additional Q I do have is how can I decide what hairline I want? Is there any research I can do beforehand to determine what hairline to go for and what may or may not suit me? Thanks all.

Hello everyone First time poster here but a few questions that I would like to ask ahead of my FUE procedure with Dr Bhatti in late October. I am 31 years old and am have Norwood type 5 hair loss pattern. I have been advised that I will need 4,500 grafts of which 3,000 will be harvested from my scalp and the remainder from my chin/ chest. The procedure will be done over two days. 1) Which hotel did previous patients stay at? I understand that the clinic recommends the KC Hotel but Tripadvisor rates the Marriot as the best hotel in Chandigarh and as I will be travelling with my wife I would like her to be comfortable during the two days that I'm at the clinic. 2) Have previous patients undergone that number of grafts in one procedure and seen satisfactory results? 3) After my procedure I will have some 9 days in India before catching my return to London. Have other patients taken an internal flight of an hour or two to head off to another destination in India for some rest and recuperation? Will this be ok the day after my procedure? 4) How have others managed informing their colleagues of their HT? I work in a large company and although I have informed some of my close colleagues I do not know how to inform the wider network of people that I work with. 5) I have been losing hair for the last 5/6 years the last 3 years has seen my hair loss accelerate pretty rapidly. My donor area now has a mix of grey/ black hairs - does this mean that my transplanted hairs will also grow as the same colour as the hairs from my donor area? Those are the initial questions that come to mind but I'm sure I'll have more as the date of the procedure comes closer. I'll also post a blog once I've undergoing the procedure. Thank you all for your help.