Mariana345

This is but a sample of Dr. Bhatti's idea of how to handle bad Google reviews...to either 1. apparently create new fake accounts giving 5 star reviews to bury the bad ones, or to 2. aggressively threaten legal action in hopes that they will get intimidated and delete them, all with some incoherent insults thrown in for good measure.  The lack of tact and professionalism is bizarre - no composed, earnest engagement with the reviewers to try and address their concerns, just rash, frantic, ham-fisted attempts of berating and threatening them with vague legal action.   

On 4/24/2021 at 3:47 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

@Mariana345

I’m sorry to hear about your awful experience. I want you to know that the forum is a lot different today, then it was 4 years ago. For one, Bill is no longer here, not in any capacity. 

Also, we decided to remove Dr. Bhatti last year after discovering these issues. We have and will always be patient advocates. Now, I will say this, there are no money-back guarantees to surgery. That’s something I try and tell patients before getting a hair transplant. 

No money-back guarantee after such an abysmal experience and result, when I've seen other clinics refund others for much less failure of the patient, is entirely Dr. Bhatti's prerogative.  Me actively and perpetually spreading my story to as many people as possible who I know are thinking about choosing him as their doctor, is not only my prerogative, but is a public service to future patients.

On 4/24/2021 at 3:47 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

 

Now, the full story is hard to follow along. The first surgery came out bad, you went back and were charged for a 2nd corrective surgery is that right? If that’s the case you should’ve never been charged the second procedure. It should have been done for free.  

I did not go back.  A free follow-up procedure that he did offer, after he made sure to drive the point home that the failure of my procedure was not his fault,  was out of the question for me in almost any scenario - Dr. Bhatti is the one that crossed the line ethically with the instances mentioned above.  He clearly did not respect me as a patient and was openly manipulative with his position.  The effect it left on me stands out as by far the most unprofessional experience of my life.

Now I'll admit, even after these events, with me still being desperate for a solution to my hair loss, and being relatively new to the hair transplant business at the time... I did entertain to Dr. Bhatti a possible situation that I may pursue the second procedure - if it were hairline-focused at my more natural position (slightly lower) and the rest be low-priority if need be, as I was fully prepared to conceal behind the hairline for life, now that I knew the coverage I couldn't get with my donor hair.   My plan was a win-win situation for both parties.  He in turn tried to maneuver me into signing an NDA before I left the country that I wouldn't post on the forums or talk about my case with anyone ever again, amongst other things.  He had no answer for my specific question of why it was necessary to sign before I left the U.S.  After that, I knew the whole operation was truly barren of good faith operators, and any chance of cooperation from that point was out the window.  

On 4/24/2021 at 3:47 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

 

I was emailed by one of Bhattis unhappy patients that he received an email from me, claiming that I asked to take down a bad review for fear that we’d get “sued.” I want to make it crystal clear. No such email has ever, or would ever be sent by me. I asked for a screenshot, but was never given one. It was one of the names you tagged. If you receive such email, do not delete it. Send it to me, as anyone impersonating me to convince a patient to remove an experience will broadcasted here. 

I didn't receive any emails like that. 

@Helios

I've not yet.  I've seen some results in clinics like Turkey that look great. Then again, I saw results in the Darling Buds portfolio that looked great and was reassured as much, yet here I am.

On 4/24/2021 at 12:06 AM, qui bono said:

Im really sorry for your results and experiences. Bhatti is a joke and a thug and realistically should have been removed from the forum years ago - thank god they finally were. I also went through a similar experience with the former forum moderator when I asked them for help only to feel that the industry was rigged against me as well. It can be difficult to know who to trust after a bad surgical experience.

Bhatti left this patient in a similarly bad place - literally just gave up mid operation and walked off. Left the poor guy with a bad result for about 5 years believing it was his own fault, which he finally managed to correct by going to an ethical surgeon.

 

Yeh I think I saw that case also a while back. Thanks for bringing it to the forum.  Sorry you got put through the wringer as well. It sucks.

Below are 3 photos of my donor hair in bathroom light, give me your opinion.  

And below are also 2 pics of my pretty apparent case of cutis verticis gyrata on my scalp.  So no, I cannot shave my head, not only because it is big and odd-shaped, not only because the scalp is a harsh, stark white, but because of the ugly CVG, lol.  And I don't know if CVG contraindicates with getting a transplant but if so I certainly was not forewarned about it in all of my consultation.  To my knowledge it doesn't.

On 4/23/2021 at 11:21 PM, AB2000 said:

I can imagine how frustrating it is to be left with something that can't even be passed off as normal hair loss, it *looks* like a bad hair transplant.  And not everyone has the money to spend on a whole new procedure.

That's why I feel like a refund is warranted.  It's their right not to give it.  It's my right to share my story with others and point out the other patients failed like me.

On 4/23/2021 at 11:21 PM, AB2000 said:

Did you have anything happen during recovery that could have led to this?  Was your scalp healthy going into this in the first place? 

I used a good amount of concealer (Toppik, Dermmatch) hiding the hair loss before taking the dive to get the procedure.  From what I've researched and from what every professional has told me these things do not have an adverse effect on the scalp.

On 4/23/2021 at 11:21 PM, AB2000 said:

Have you taken any progress photos since then?  I don't think there will be any improvement from the transplant but it would be interesting to see what's left behind after your normal hairloss progression after four or five years.

Here's photos from a few days ago.  The sides are longer than the top because I wear a hair piece now.  Or I should say I have to.  I let it grow out a little bit the last few weeks.

On 4/23/2021 at 11:21 PM, AB2000 said:

It used to be that we'd see many Darling Buds results, but nothing much now that they are no longer a recommended clinic.  If I had been in your shoes at the time and was asking for the same break out in hair counts from the scalp, beard and chest totaling almost 4,000 I would have thought nothing of it, the results were coming in for all of us to see and the place was well reviewed. 

Yeh I know, I made the decision to go with the clinic due to the numerous mega-session type patients, many of the diffusers like me, who I saw on the website who had solid results like you said.  Please believe I did diligent rigorous research before committing.

On 4/23/2021 at 11:21 PM, AB2000 said:

You're not going to get much mileage with chest hairs, other than perhaps adding density, but with only 300 taken from there that doesn't explain the lack of result.  It looks like roughly half the grafts went into the crown and the rest up front.  From what I can see there was no progress in the crown at the 12 month point.  You had some growth up front but it wound up being very light density. At roughly 2,000 head and beard up front I would have expected a lot better.  Yes, you have fine hair since it is blond but from looking at the FUE implant locations many did not grow out.

 

Blonde?  My beard hair does have copper and blonde in it mixed in but my head hair is brown.  Also how can you yourself deduce that my hair is fine consistency, by just looking at the donor in a picture?  I'm genuinely asking not a rhetorical.

Here's 2 pics of me from 2007 

I'll reiterate that although I am speaking up about this nearly 4 years later, not only do I have my forum link to prove I was punctual in posting my results 12 months after my procedure, but I also had a very extensive correspondence with moderator @Bill - Seemiller at the time about my case.  I am more than willing to provide proof of this if there is any doubt, or any proof to substantiate any of my claims.  "Receipts" as the kids say these days.

This forum is supposed to be the public square not just for displaying reviews, but also for accountability for an industry that is wildly unregulated and therefore ripe for unethical practice.  Dr. Bhatti is the absolute picture of unethical practice as it pertains to patients who yield unsatisfactory results at his hands, and has a demonstrable track record of ethically-bankrupt behavior.  And the known cases are only the patients who chose to speak out and refuse to be silenced by what seemed insurmountable conspiring forces - who knows how many patients of Bhatti's have been subject to these experiences.  

Does Dr. Bhatti have lots of successful results on his website?  Nobody is saying he is not industrious - when you play the numbers game like Bhatti does and go through such a high volume of patients a year he will inevitably collect a decent number of presentable successes.  The point is that he more often than not will not do right by the patients that he botches, and tries to justify this behavior by going out of his way to try to invalidate and silence them.  

The endgame for this post is to highlight my story and bring awareness to what kind of person Dr. Bhatti is for future patients.  I have a right to tell my story and present my case as a cautionary tale. The bottom line is, if Dr. Bhatti is free to continue to practice the way he has been, to make Youtube videos and present himself as something he is not, to have it in his mind he is an infallible and untouchable entity, and do all this with a smile on his face and a clean conscience when his head hits the pillow at night, then please believe it is absolutely fair game for him to have to deal with the fallout of his choices of mistreating the patients he had already failed.  The practice and behavior of these types of clinics hurt other clinics and gives the whole industry a bad name.  This forum is the most visible HT platform on the net to warn prospective patients of which physicians are unscrupulous, opportunistic, unethical monsters.  I intend to utilize it, if this is truly my only option of recourse.  I take this matter very seriously and I assure you the passage of time never softened my resolve one bit.  This was never not going to be dealt with.

I quickly learned these past years via the forums that Dr. Bhatti's go-to contingency protocol for the cases that cannot be remotely viewed as successful are to gaslight these patients into thinking that they are the reason the transplant failed, and then have the nerve to suggest he is worth traveling back to get a second procedure repair session, and that there is no option or even reason for a refund.  And also for his representatives such as @California to counter any concerns and displeasure from the affected patient on these forums with mass obfuscation and trivialization from the facts of the issue, and to encourage forum members to believe that any criticism against Dr. Bhatti is a blatant smear campaign against him and an "abuse of the forums" (the classic try-to-brown-nose-the-moderators appeal angle that was such a popular move), all when everything clearly screamed objective malpractice.  Basically trying to convince people that a night was a day.  These people never engaged on the merits, they just spammed meaningless platitudes, postured, questioned the patients sanity, etc.  Their primary defense tactic was to posture and grandstand, play the victim, feign offense, and intentionally escalate the forum by being uproarious and clutching their pearls when called out until eventually the forum "became too toxic" and got locked, all to ultimately take away from the real issue - that the patient was failed by their clinic, was never truly supported by the clinic afterwards, and have no real option for recourse.   It was disgusting and pathetic.

The main cases I observed included that of @Badresults, @Nebulosity, @sunnybadhair, and @watterot.  Turns out my claims of Bhatti's unethical, nefarious behavior wasn't such an isolated incident after all.

Only when undeniable proof came out last year in 2020 that goon @Shera was actively targeting @Badresults, another botched patient by Bhatti's hands, by calling his employer and attempting to blackmail him for simply posting his results and concerns on the forum, did @California reluctantly change his tune at the final second and give a forced apology as a last-ditch PR move to save face for the whole Darling Buds clinic.   Turns out undeniable proof was the only thing that made it too inconvenient for Bhatti's reps to continue the bad-faith theatre, and were forced to offer a performative "sorry".   
It also was revealed that @sunnybadhair was bribed by @Shera to remove his review in exchange for up to a thousand dollars in refund.

If ever I doubted that Bhatti's clinic was basically a mafia operation who would go to considerable lengths to strong-arm patients who just purvey their truthful experience, I never doubted it after learning that.   Good thing that I never chose to go back there, I would have little to no agency for myself if my online forum were somehow deemed as a problem.  Who knows what could've happened now that it's known how aggressive they are.

As soon as my 12 months was over post-op, I immediately made a results forum on this site, in a very neutral standard format without mentioning Dr. Bhatti's name as to not to reveal it on the forum (which I thought was doing decency and due diligence), in hopes that we could reach a mutual, reasonable solution to my botched case.  The consensus on that previous forum is an overwhelming majority opinion of a failed transplant.  No surprise there.

3805 grafts FUE, nearly 12 months post-up - Hair Restoration Results Posted by Patients - Hair Restoration Network - Community For and By Hair Loss Patients

When I made the innocuous forum that spared any names, and expressed my displeasure to Dr. Bhatti about my mistreatment at his clinic's hands, and ultimately informed him that only a refund would be a solution for me - not only because of the failure of the procedure and my lack of faith that he could do any better with a second try, but for the negligent, manipulative, oppressive treatment I received at the hands of his clinic, as there was now a very real existing animus between us that was unreconcilable, so I was not going to travel to use his services again for reasons mentioned. He then went with the interesting angle of accusing me of trying to maneuver him into a corner by making the forum (suggesting people would recognize his patient pictures - the blond Caucasian and the black haired Indian), and that I was accusing him of mistreatment, which he halfway-conceded occurred but regarded as "not worthwhile" to consider in the grand scheme of it.
He said that I presented the photos unsatisfactorily and "overexposed" them, whatever the hell that means.  He was never satisfied with whatever pictures I would send him (shown on my original forum) and insisted I was intentionally making them look bad.  Again, it was all about how HE was affected by this.

Dr. Bhatti offered me no refund, in true Dr. Bhatti form, despite my failed results and the mistreatment.

When I presented Dr. Bhatti my 12-month results via email and expressed my obvious concerns, he reacted in a way only a master-manipulative psychopath could do.  The only thing resembling a concession I received from him regarding the poor result was "I was having growth issues".  He then made up these false accounts that he had warned me before surgery that 1. my head was big and there would be inadequate coverage, 2. that he warned me that my hair was of fine consistency and would not cover as well, 3. that I had poor donor quality, and finally the ultimate fallback cop-out "I will direct you to item #15 in our disclosure forms 'As with all surgical procedures, results cannot be guaranteed.  It is possible that some of or all of the transplanted hair may fail to grow.  Every effort will be made to give the maximum yield'"  None of the first three warnings were ever given to me, and only after the surgery were they conveniently invented out of thin air.

A far more personal contention with him, however, is the blatant abuse I received from him and his representative @California, which included 1. funds mismanagement from @California that almost got me no surgery, which made for an unprofessional meeting in Bhatti's office where I was practically made a scapegoat for @California 's mishandling, and set a very sour tone for the rest of the trip, and 2. an attempted money extortion from Bhatti right before the second operation - he informed his secretary to charge me more than we had confirmed beforehand and mutually agreed upon.  When I refused and the secretary and I briefly met with Bhatti about it, he was openly annoyed and acted like it was making a big deal out of nothing and wasting his time.  He shooed us away, said that he would 'throw in the extra grafts for free', as if there was no prior official agreement to what my cost would be.  He had the nerve to try to rake more money out of me.  
I was extremely pissed off by then, these actions were entirely out of line.  But I couldn't really do anything, I was 8,000 miles away from home in a different continent where I knew no one.  And also I hated my hair loss so much.  I put my feelings aside and got the surgery over with and hoped that all the trouble would be worth it.

I have had to withdraw for these past years due to the trauma and mental toll it took on me (along with other challenges in life), not only regarding Dr. Bhatti's unethical, negligent practice and handling of a patient like me who did not yield a good result, and not only would I see other botched patients of Bhatti's on the forums who would get brow-beaten by Bhatti's reps for sharing their experiences, but I also had a moderator's 'investigation' of my case go nowhere because he suddenly stopped replying.

All of these combined factors led me to feel overwhelmed and to assume I had no support and that everything was rigged against me at the time.  I was too busy in my real life, I didn't make alot of money and had bills to pay, and time got away from me a little bit.  I ultimately decided to wait until I was a cooler head and a sounder mind, and when I had more time to dedicate to a more thorough, comprehensive thread.  That time is now - I making this new forum for maximum visibility for my case (since I never revealed my physician in my last forum it is not redundant and duplicative), for patients who have any sort of interest in choosing Dr. Bhatti as their physician.

I do feel that I owe all prospective patients here an apology for not speaking out sooner about Bhatti.  I was not in the best shape at the time and ill-equipped to engage in the madness.  It will probably be the most toxic thing I've ever had to deal with in my life.

These are the results at 12 days shy of 12 months post-operation. The black tape is to separate the non-transplanted hair from the transplanted hairline.

The transplant was an objective failure, as you can imagine I was highly dissatisfied and unhappy with the results.  Completely missing the mark of the assured expectations I was given by Dr. Bhatti. 

The following photos display two patients that exhibit similar hair loss patterns to my own. These two cases, as well as several others, were referenced specifically and thoroughly both during my email conversations with Dr. Bhatti and especially during my pre-operative consultation. A mutual agreement was set between Dr. Bhatti and myself that these goals were very reasonable, and that these caliber results would be easily attainable given my specifications. Dr. Bhatti assured me in particular that I would get better results than the blonde patient displayed below. These were the realistic expectations that were set for my case. Anything less would have not given me conviction to proceed with the procedure.

I had a 3805 graft FUE transplant on June 13, 2016 from Dr. Bhatti of Darling Buds Clinic in India

Here are the details:

Scalp grafts - 2828

Beard grafts - 676

Chest grafts - 301

Singles - 418

Doubles - 1625

Triples - 785

Hairline - 2125

Crown - 1379

Below, in order, are 3 pre-op photos and 3 post-op photos from the week of the operation.

Please allow me to utilize private messaging by activating my account.

Thank you.

Based on those recent pics, Man I hope you get this sorted. A thing with most phone pics is they tend to add pixelation or blur so it may enhance the result artificially. If you are at 12 months, then not sure as to what could change to give you an added boost with the grafts you already had placed in the months ahead. I think most folks can agree that much more filling will be needed to enhance the current situation.

 

I really hope you get this sorted, and, with a recommended surgeon, I do not see why you wont be able to. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for your words.

These are the photos I just emailed my physician in attempt to give fair presentations. In these photos, my hair is freshly showered, completely dry, and combed over in the same style as the black-haired patient (see the two similar patients exhibited at the beginning of the forum). I have taken the photos outside on an overcast day during the afternoon. I have not separated the transplanted hairline from the lower non-transplanted hairline this time due to the request for no tape, however I feel this is not a problem since my previous photos already establish the distinction.

I have also proposed a resolution in the email to my physician regarding my predicament. My feelings on my near 12-month results are unchanged. Still trying to remain optimistic.

Update:

I sent the 12-month results to my doctor. He informed me that the photos were presented insufficiently. He insisted that my hair should be:

- dry

- "styled as if I were going outside"

- in "normal" lighting

- without black tape

I am especially confused about the the styling critique. One, I can't style my hair at all with what I have. And two, I don't ever, EVER go out of my house without a great deal of Toppik and Dermmatch in my hair. I am effectively a prisoner to concealer, and it takes a considerable amount of time for me to even look presentable. But going without it is not an option at this point.

These are the results at 12 days shy of 12 months post-operation. The black tape is to separate the non-transplanted hair from the transplanted hairline.

I am highly dissatisfied and unhappy with the results. They have without question fallen short of the assured expectations I was given by my physician. I am trying to remain optimistic about my situation, and curious to hear what experienced members here have to say.

I have no interest in identifying or naming physicians at this time. I am aiming to reach a civil and amicable solution to this situation. I'm here to seek objective feedback. I would also like to thank the creators/moderators for offering this site as a platform that offers transparency and accountability for patients like me.

The following photos display two patients that exhibit similar hair loss patterns to my own. These two cases, as well as several others, were referenced specifically and thoroughly both during my email conversations with the physician and especially during my pre-operative consultation. A mutual agreement was set between my physician and myself that these goals were very reasonable, and that these caliber results would be easily attainable given my specifications. My physician assured me in particular that I would get better results than the blonde patient displayed below. These were the realistic expectations that were set for my case. Anything less would have not given me conviction to proceed with the procedure.

I had a 3805 graft FUE transplant last year from a recommended surgeon with this site.

Here are the details:

Scalp grafts - 2828

Beard grafts - 676

Chest grafts - 301

Singles - 418

Doubles - 1625

Triples - 785

Hairline - 2125

Crown - 1379

Below, in order, are 3 pre-op photos and 3 post-op photos from the week of the operation.