MayiraP0chu

Here are some pictures to show some scabbing. The snowish look is evident only right after bathing. It goes back to regular hair tone in a short while, like in the third picture. I believe I am keeping it clean. No signs of any hard crust formation. So, expecting an easy scab wash on the 15th day. Comments are welcome.

Thanks Gillenator! It was just an one day s itch. I shall follow your advise if I get some in future.

I will be posting below, the links of assorted collection of questions that I have asked in the forum. These are questions that cropped up from personal experiences and doubts post my surgery. I will be updating this post with future questions too. Hope bringing it all in one place helps people. The questions have had just one or two replies each. But, they are from wise, experienced members and I agree with their logic and reasoning. Disloding/Death of grafts due to strong winds: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/187577-dislodging-death-grafts.html Oversleeping on Strip surgery scar: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/187613-oversleeping-strip-surgery-scar.html Scratching non operated areas: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/187631-okay-scratch-non-operated-area.html Sleep deprivation and its effect on grafts: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/187641-does-sleep-deprivation-harm-grafts.html How hard do you wash the scabs? http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?p=2509573#post2509573 EDIT: I would have said in the last thread that, I started shedding from day 8. Wrong! Paranoia. Shedding has not started yet.

I am ten days PostOp and I start my long term medications from today. Just had my first pill of Finasteride. Prescription: Propecia - Generic - Finpecia 1mg everyday after breakfast. Mintop 5% Foam. (Will be starting post scab removal) Edit : (Absolutely no stock of foam in India. Don't think Rogaine is going to be a part of my routine.) Biotrum (Not part of the prescription. A supplement I have been taking for a year now.) I have used minoxidil for 3-4 years now and they have all been solutions. I am prescribed foam now as I have always had itching with all kinds of brands of minoxidil with varied levels of irritation. The last had the least/negligible levels of itching. PS: One of the side effects of Minoxidil is itching. Irritation for some people stops when they shift to a non alcoholic minoxidil solution. It didn't stop for me. I am looking forward to a irritant free foam now. Note: I have been having two hair washes a day. Haven't tried to remove the scabs like most, as I am instructed by my clinic to wait till the 15th day, soak my head with Olive oil overnight and remove the scabs the next day.

Thanks Spring15 for a super speedy reply. Looking forward to thoughts from more people.

Hello! I am back with another question I feel it's an important one to be asked. I am 10 days PostOp. I slept well on the surgery day. I have been having poor sleep ever since. I would go to bed at 11. End up sleeping only at 2. And that too would be disturbed naturally because of the limited sleeping positions and pain. I will wake up every time I change positions. So, just imagine how many times I would have woken up in sleep. I have been tired because of this during the day and also a slight on and off headachish feeling on the left side of my head from the hairline, all the way to the neck. And I have started shedding from day 8. Very minimal. I notice it on the hairline. Could be on other places too. I don't know. But, strangely, I notice the shedding mainly on the left side. Lol! Could be a coincidence or I am imagining it. The last two days though, I am back to having good sleep. I go to bed at 2 now and have had some solid sleep. But please note, I have also been having proper cold from the middle of the surgery. Could be some medicine that trigged my allergies. For years, I always have had this headachish feeling when I am sleep deprived or when I have cold. And also, I ve generally had disturbed sleep for a long time as I sleep late at night and wake up late in the day and thus part of my sleep is during the day time and thus disturbed. So, my question again is.....will sleep deprivation I have had for a week after the surgery affect the grafts and thus the end results? Cheers!

Thanks Khali! Vinod - Hello mate! I was wondering why would you ask me the graft count, as I have covered it already in the earlier posts. I just found out I didn't. Lol! One of the most important detail! I guess it got lost with my wait for the doctor to give her complete set of official numbers. 3442 grafts in total. Covering only the Pizza slices I have described earlier. No in-between transplantation was done. Dr. Radha charges 60 rupees per graft. And no idea about the other doctor you are asking about. I suggest you open a new thread for such questions as it will be gotten lost here as an arbitrary post. Cheers!

Pkipling, Thanks! Neat explanation.

Hello! I am PostOp, day 8. I had some solid itching today in the top/mid crown area. Had a Strip surgery. So, the scar is well below it. I had grafts planted only on the frontal and mid area. The area that itched is like two-ish fingers away from it. Is it okay to scratch the non operated areas? I just did. Considerably. Cheers!

Remember the pain that vanished magically at 1 AM in the night on the surgery day? Well! I have news for you. It returns! It returns (Not the same intensity of course. But noticeable pain.) every night, since my 4 th night, when I sleep on my back, the wound pressed against the pillow. Otherwise, nothing the rest of the day. Naturally! Have been having a tough time to sleep. The positions are limited and painful. So it's been a super disturbed sleep until yesterday. It just struck out of nowhere that may be a mild dosage of Paracetamol will help. I took a regular Crocin pill before bed and I slept like a baby. So, that's the trick. It numbs the pain as expected. Some good sleep from here on I hope. Now, let me rewind back a bit. Next day after surgery : First Shampoo Wash : Woke up with no noticeable pain. Doctor was not present in the clinic. She had a personal business to attend to and Ms. Shashi (very pleasant lady), her assistant did the shampoo wash as she instructed how to do it for the coming days (for 15 days as opposed to 7 days by most clinics). She gave a written list of PostOp instructions. Spoke to the doctor on the phone once and that was the end of the business with the clinic. Now comes some poor choices and moments. Indecisive if I should be wearing a scarf all through my travel back to Chennai, I finally decided I will leave my head open as I did not want the grafts to be disturbed by the scarf over it and that wounds generally heal well when left alone. As we all know, life throws around unforeseen situations. Vizag airport is a small airport with less structures around it. Generally, in these small airports, you get a strong and steady winds. I was so exposed to this to close to a minute. I did not like this one bit. I already wasn't happy with the airport entry/exit blowers hitting straight on my head and was also skeptical about the sunlight that's was hitting me through the car windows enroute to the airport from the clinic. These all compounded and naturally that led to a pissed me. I was turning Hulk. BUT No bleeding. Absolutely nothing. Even though now I know that there s no harm being done, subconsciously I was still pissed. Did a lot of reading on effect of wind on grafts and I understand that wind has no effect unless and otherwise you are standing in the middle of a Tornado where hair will be the least of your concern. Well, it's pouring here in Chennai. Absolute bliss! I am takin off from here. Nature trumps Internet.

7 days PostOp: Suture removal ceremony. Had my sutures removed by a local doctor/neighbour today. Fairly simple process. Betadine was applied on the area to clean and the sutures (14 long ones. The small ones are absorbable.) were removed one by one. Felt a few pangs here and there. Nothing major. 5 minutes work.

Thanks mate! I too have high opinion of Dr. Soni's skills. It's just that, he was not for me. It's a trivial matter. In fact, one friend of mine has already had a consultation with him based on my recommendations.

So, the pictures from the doctor is yet to come. Also, the details on single, multiple hair count and other numbers like density, information on donor strength, laxity etc, etc. I am goin to post a few pictures taken from my cell phone for the time being. Naturally, the quality and resolution of the pictures will be ordinary. 1. Found this reception area picture of the clinic in my gallery. Don't remember taking it. 2. Me. Chilling moments before the surgery. 3. Immediately post surgery - Recipient area. 4. Next day, post first shampoo wash - Donor area. 5. Three days PostOp - Recipient area. 6. Five days PostOp - Recipient area. 7. Five days PostOp - Donor area. I have used different filters on different pictures to visually aide the best. PS: Notice the signature of the doctor? The indents in the hairline.

Thanks Spex! Like I said, there is pain. But nothing major. Manageable. Another question I asked.....if I can ice pack directly on the stitched area at the back? Anyone?

Hello! I am 5 days post a strip surgery. I am a very disturbed sleeper. So, to counter that, I have been over sleeping to get adequate sleep/rest. But, this, I think is naturally giving me pain (manageable) in my donor area. This has made me think of, 1. Slow donor healing. Or worse, not healing or moving backwards. 2. Scar stretching. My sutures are due to be removed tomorrow. I applied ice pack on my neck this morning for the first time since surgery to soothe the area a bit and help with the healing process. How about applying the ice pack directly on the scar itself? Any thoughts? I think a good discussion on this topic arriving at a reasonable conclusion, if not definite would help a lot of people. This link here provides some useful information more or less on the same area of interest. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/166794-if-exercise-head-movements-can-stretch-fut-scar-why-cant-sleeping.html

I would like to thank Kuboid, Spex, Khali, Wish82, Plymouthcraig and Gillenator for their help and input at varied instances through the course of my existence in this forum.

Here is a short Pros and Cons list of Dr. Radha's: Pros: You ve seen these before in my first post. Though, there are a couple of notes added after my own experience post surgery. 1. Has documented good results over the years, barring a few cases. 2. Highly regarded on the forum. At one point as the best strip surgeon in the country. 3. Runs her clinic ethically. No advertisements. No agents. 4. One surgery a day. She is very hands on. Does majority of the work by herself. Post surgery addition: This, I can vouch for from my own experience now. 5. She talks very good English. Very good interpersonal skills. I suppose that's a bonus for the overseas patients. 6. Well qualified staff. Some of those talents imported from Bangkok at great cost, she says. (I am sure most know she was trained by Dr. Path for a year) Post Surgery addition: In my surgery, all the technicians were Indians. 7. Charges 60 per graft. No other hidden charges. Cons: 1. Slow email correspondence. (Sometimes, it looks a bit cavalier. But, she writes her own emails. It is not delegated to her staff. That is a great thing, as you are not getting a reply for namesake, but actual thought out replies from the best possible person for your queries. So I would say this is in a grey area. Still, I will leave this in the Cons.) 2. Lack of organised information. (Her website is below par. Compare Dr. bhatti's and Dr. Radha's and you will know what I mean. If you visit Dr. Bhatti's once, you wouldn't even have to email the clinic regarding anything. It basically has every single information from the basics of hair transplant to the US dollar conversion rate. It is that thorough. I am comparing two doctor's websites and not the doctors themselves. I am just trying to present a live example of organised information availability and nothing else. In this age of information technology, a decent website will help the patients and the clinic a long way.) 3. Lack of organised communication. (This, I felt has to be addressed with no discussion. I was not given PreOp instructions before hand. I was given the day before the surgery. Among barring of alcohol consumption and smoking, there was a 10 pointer list that had to be followed from the week before the surgery. So, giving that list a day before the surgery makes no sense. I am an informed patient and I knew what not to do before the surgery. But, not all are. The clinic should treat all the patients as if they have 0 knowledge about hair transplant. But, all relevant, necessary information, details and nuances of the surgery was explained by the doctor and her staff both in the PreOp consult and on the surgery day and even through the surgery.) Summary: In short, would I go back to her? Every single time. I don't have to wait for the result. I know she did a great job. I know I am going to get a good result, unless those pissed off moments I told I am going to write about ruined it. Will I recommend her to other people? Every single one of them.

Surgery Day The doctor drew an accurate hairline this time with measurements taken with a scale. To the naked eye it dint look symmetrical. I am big on symmetry. My eyes catch even the smallest of differences. The doctor said the measurements and symmetry vary due to a lot of things like an eyebrow being up or down slightly etc etc. I was given an antibiotic tablet and then off to the operation theatre. It was almost like theatre artists waiting for the chief guest to arrive. The doctor and the technicians were all there as if standing precisely in a prefixed position and welcoming me in. Time 9.30 AM. NO PAIN TIME FRAME I lay down flat on my stomach on the table. My head was shaved at the donor area. Anaesthesia shots followed at the donor area. (Surprisingly, I dint feel any discomfort. If anything, negligible. The shots kept coming and I am like this is so easy man. I guess the trick is to think about something. I used to think about planes taking off when I visit my dentist for scaling. This time, I tried thinking about a girl (One, Ms.G) I like ) The donor Strip was then cut open. I was well up and awake and I felt and heard the cutting and the tear. It was not scary. I was drowsy anyways and I actually was enjoying the surprise of a pain free procedure. The donor strip then went to the technicians for harvesting and the opened back was sutured. I was given a break this time to have lunch and use the necessities. I came back to see the doctor working on the harvest along with the technicians and was explained on how it's done. Back on the table, this time lying on the back. Anaesthesia shots now on the forehead. Incision work began. (I heard and felt that too. Basically the entire surgery was feelable) Half way through the incision........ PAIN TIME FRAME Half way through the incision, I felt a pang on the forehead. I was given more shots. Pain subsides. But, now the pain kept taking turns. Left donor, then the right donor, the recipient. The neck pillow made out of a towel on which I was resting all through the surgery could have contributed to some pain because of poor head positions on it. Placing of grafts began. At about 3.30, there was some sharp pain all over the head. And this continued on until the end of the surgery (8 PM) and beyond. Throughout the surgery, the doctor and the technicians used whispers as the mode of communication, which is very considerate and a great practice. During the last 1-2 hours of the surgery, the graft placing technicians were comparitively loud, making jokes and laughing. But again, in whispers. This is not necessarily bad. They ve just had a 10 hours shift and it is important they have some easy time too to wind up. The Doctor was happy with the surgery. She said everything went well. And, that days transection rate was brilliant. She said, she had cut only one root, at the time I met her during the lunch break when she was harvesting. A head band was worn around my head to check the swelling. A scarf was tied to protect the grafts during transit to the hotel. Was given Valium, antibiotics and pain killers for the night. No food restrictions. No sleeping on the bed flat on the belly. I was asked to report next day in the morning for the first shampoo wash. The sharp pain all over the head continued. Felt a very small degree of puking sensation. I guess that's from the anaesthesia. Sleeping was very difficult. As expected, couldn't find a position to settle in with all the wounds and the pain. I finally slept at 1 AM. The pain sort of magically vanished from that time on until this third day I am writing the post. This has been a breezy recovery. Lots of PreOp and PostOp pictures were taken including the harvesting. The doctor will send them in due time. I shall upload it then. I ve written too much today. Lots of stories post surgery to tell. Some very pissed moments coming up next. Ciao!

So, the PreOp consultation. Before that, a little write up on the stay in Vizag. I stayed in Budhil Park. It is about 3 mins ride by vehicle to Dr. Radha's. Except for the poor views from the hotel rooms and Vizag in general has to offer atleast in and around the hotel and the clinic (It is the prime market place of Vizag), the hotel itself was very good. Great food! I will attach some pictures below. (I booked it through make my trip. Which always gives a lesser price than the hotel s original tariff. I paid 2200 for a night, which I think is about 1000 bucks less than the original tariff. Great facilities these are for the price. I hear, The Pioneer, which is again near the clinic is very good too.) PreOP Consultation: I won't be going on about how well the clinic was maintained and how warm the people were etc. This is cosmetic business. Service is crucial in this industry. So, naturally any decent clinic is going to be very nice to you. But, then there are these little things like ethics, transparency, honesty and being up front about what to expect and what could be the outcome of the surgery etc, instead of presenting a glorifying picture are more important than presentation. Which, I found in abundance with Dr. Radha's. Its not to say that there are no areas they slack. In fact, there is one very important aspect they should work heavily on. Which I will mention in the Pros and Cons in the summary. (The clinic was clean and contemporary. Most importantly, well equipped. But nothing fancy, like some of the cosmetic clinics you see. So, I won't be putting up pictures of it.) Blood tests for HIV, Hepatitis B and C were done as the first thing in the clinic. The doctor explained the whole procedure in detail (Which I already knew it all. Thanks to HRN). On inspection of my head, she said I would need 2800-3200 grafts to match the density of the existing hair (In our email correspondence, she had estimated 2000-2400 grafts. Not just her, but most clinics). Area to cover: Don't know the technical term for the area. I have good hair at the centre as you have seen in the pictures above. Doctor said the density in those areas is in fact is very good. Let's say, if you place a pizza slice on both sides of the head, that's the area to cover. A rough hair line was drawn. I was asked if I was okay with it. I told her, I completely surrender to her. She can do whatever she feels is right. Being it surgical or aesthetics. I believe in researching big. Finding a doctor as a by product of your research. Trust in her. And completely surrender. All your doubts and skepticism has to be dealt with during the research period. There is no saying that this is the correct method. This is how I feel it should be. I discussed in length about how certain patients, not just hers, but anybody's may not have good results. I told her I totally understand there are lot of factors like physiology, Pre or Post care etc which may not give good results and that I am prepared for a bad outcome too. I believe we had a certain camaraderie between us and good understanding. All the talking business was over with this. It was time to get down to real business. I was given a Betadine solution to wash my hair that night before bed and the morning before surgery. I was asked to report at 8 to the clinic. PS: I was also given a couple of Valiums to take that night for my sleeping difficulties. I have been having disturbed sleep for over a year. And I slept well that night I must say.

Thanks boys! More assuring replies! Awesome!

Can anyone tell me what are those white thingies on the right side? (Have to be scabs in all probability.) There are two of them. It's there on the left side too. I think there are 7 of them in total.

One more question. Grafts in some places are smaller in length (As small as, just a tiny bit revealed like a tiny black dot on the surface of the skin) compared to the grafts in other places and thus giving an illusion of less density in shorter grafts places and more density in longer grafts places. This is quite normal I suppose?

Excellent! Thanks Spex. I read here and there that there are possibilities for the grafts to dislodge or die even if there is no bleeding. That is why I posed the question. The reason why I dint wear a hat or a scarf is, I wanted to leave the head free in its natural state. I dint want the scarf to touch the grafts and I coudnt find a big enough hat not touching the grafts and rest right on the head band. And I was not worried about people looking at me strangely. I just wanted to do what was best for the grafts and the recovery process. In hindsight, it looks like a blunder. But, since you are saying all is fine, great!

Hello! I did a transplant recently. On the day of the transplant, I covered my head with a scarf from the clinic to the hotel. The next day, I dint cover my head with anything when I left to my hometown. I was exposed to the winds and a bit of sunlight in the airport (May be 2-3 times of 30 - 45 secs duration at the max). You know how airport, in the open, near the aircraft can get pretty windy. Will this have dislodged my grafts. If not dislodged, then possible death of the grafts even if the grafts are still intact? Absolutely no signs of bleeding when I got into the aircraft and checked and nothing since then too. And I see about 5-6 small white hair like particles or it may be dust also (I strongly doubt though that dust is hairlike and white. Most certainly these are scabs.) on my head since then. I shampooed as soon as I got home just to keep it clean after all the exposure. (The clinic did the first shampoo that morning. I was supposed to shampoo only the next day and not on the same day again) Any thoughts? Also, what are the signs or symptoms that can tell I have done damage? Thanks. Cheers!

Hello people! This thread will document A-Z of my first hair transplant. I found a wealth of information from here in HRN and this thread will attempt to give some back to the community, especially the newbies who are looking to shop some new hair. I am 33 years old in a week, from Chennai, India. A Norwood 4A. Not depressed. Don't want to get married. No social pressure. I am doing the transplant just for the aesthetics. (You can find my hair loss story in my profile. A rather long and possibly a boring entry with a lot of unnecessary information) Sources of research - Online communities. Mainly HRN. Couple of my friends, who have done hair transplant and a dermatologist relative who himself was doing transplants for a while. One of the two friends had an FUE of 3700 grafts for a meagre 75000 rupees (tempting deal) from Sareen Hair Clinic, Delhi. 5-6 months post op, he has got very good results already. The other one had a combination of Strip Surgery and FUE (Doesn't remember how many grafts. Nor the cost) from Dr. Ramachandran, chennai. He is 2 years post and has had poor results. The dermatologist relative recommended, Dr. Renita Rajan from Chennai. I did not consider her as she virtually has no credible experience in transplants and my relative gave me too many contradicting information to consider his suggestion seriously. How I picked Dr. Radha Rani - In my mind, there is no doubt that Strip surgery has to be the first surgery. I considered only from the list of recommended doctors from India on the forum. It automatically eliminated Dr. Bhatti. Dr. Madhu does more than 1 surgery per day. Which is not ideal. Dr. Kapil Dua has a chain of clinics. Which again I am not a fan of. In fact, I think he has a panel of doctors operating on different patients. That left Dr. Soni. Has good reputation as a skilful surgeon. I have some reservations with him. I wouldn't go in detail and slander. So, I leave it at that. Finally, it was actually a simple decision. I had always felt Dr. Radha was the one from day one. It's just one of those gut feelings. Nevertheless, these are some excellent reasons to choose her. 1. Has documented good results over the years, barring a few cases. 2. Highly regarded on the forum. At one point as the best strip surgeon in the country. 3. Runs her clinic ethically. No advertisements. No agents. 4. One surgery a day. She is very hands on. Does majority of the work by herself. 5. She speaks very good English. Very good interpersonal skills. I suppose that's a bonus for the overseas patients. 6. Well qualified staff. Some of those talents imported from Bangkok at great cost, she says. (I am sure most know she was trained by Dr. Path for a year) 7. Charges 60 per graft. No other hidden charges. PreOp preparations - I believe in doing things right, so I would know I have done all I could from my side. A surgery needs your body in the best possible condition. It aides in good recovery as well. I am generally a fit guy. Athletic. The last 8 months though, I have had a lousy lifestyle. No excercise. Indulgence in junk food. Once in two weeks drinker. Random, occasional smoker. I decided to get the body in order. I am getting operated tomorrow. One month exactly prior to tomorrow, I stopped drinking and smoking. Started a detox routine. (Cucumber, mint (only yesterday I realised I ve been using coriander thinking it's mint. Quite an intelligent boy I am. Anyways, I hear coriander is good too) and any fruit I have on that day) Worked out every single day. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my sleep back to normal. I ve been having trouble sleeping well the last one year or so. I am attaching pictures of my hair as of today (Before and after shave). I did the PreOp consult with the Dr. while I was half way through this post. That is what is coming up next. But, after a short samosa break. Stay tuned folks! PS: Il do a quick Strip surgery vs FUE. Why choose Strip over FUE? 1. Grafts are always taken from the safe zone. 2. Transection rate is at its least. While FUE s transection rate can at best match Strip (by only by the best of the hands), but never overtake it because of the blind technique involved and a long list of other reasons. 3. Transplant is a long game. When you plan for 3 surgeries over the next 20 years, it is important to optimise the usage of the limited donor area. FUE can cause damage to the near by grafts. 4. All these limitations can be minimised to the lowest possible extent and have an amazing output from an FUE when you choose an excellent surgeon. But, the golden rule is to keep FUE as your last surgery or when the area to transplant is small. My plan is to get two Strip surgeries and the final one an FUE. Note: All my writing on different doctors I considered are strictly personal opinions based on my research. It is not necessarily a fact. I might well be totally wrong about them all and all of it in general. I apologise if I have crossed a line at any point. I am more than willing to correct the post if any untoward writing is pointed out.