Lennney

If it makes you feel any better, my trip was 34 hours on the return, and I was only 3-4 days post op. I survived lol. My other advice is: Dr. Bhatti's price won't change (or minimal change, but you understand...) but the travel price will. I don't know when you're available, but use Google flights "explore destination" feature using Dublin as your starting point. It'll tell you the price to fly to India, and the best time of year to fly. You can save 20%+ on your journey (HT +travel) if you plan the timing. To finish booking, I used kayak with their +/-3 day feature. One last thing: I've noticed for USA based travel abroad, the best days to book tickets are Monday night and Tuesday. Aka Tuesday for me, but Monday afternoon for you. It's when airlines allow lower fare tickets on market. I constantly saw swings from 970 to 750 when prices were high... And when prices were 650, I booked my trip on Tues for 460. Best of luck. No prob, I hope the above info helps too. Dr. Bhatti and other reputable Indian docs charge less than European and American docs. Many people believe that travel costs will put USA/EU docs in same price range for HTs. I'm just trying to dispell that myth and help others make informed decisions, whatever is best for the individual. I really do think I should make a post on traveling from the 5 or so most popular airports to India, Turkey, and Thailand (for HTs or even vacations!). Maybe I could add it to a stickied post for travel abroad.

Hey, my advice from experience is to book a flight to Delhi, then book a separate round trip flight from Delhi to Chandigarh. Difference in price for me was $1600 USD vs $460 +$76.

How long has it been since the procedure? Are you willing to share pictures with the forum? How many grafts?

Not sure what you mean about buzz cut every 5 months. I do wear a hat constantly, I'm afraid I won't know life without it, even when my HT comes in! Anyway, I didn't wear a hat today at a pharmacy, and the doc who had only seen me prior with a hat didn't mention anything. I again attribute this to American culture of not wanting to offend anyone. I have not considered using any hair products because of the hats I wear. If it was impossible to wear a hat, I would more likely wear makeup to conceal the redness, as opposed to wearing hair where I didn't have it. Does that make sense? My logic is: I looked pretty bald before,and I look bald(ing) now. I didn't wear a hat because I was bald post HT, I wore it for the redness and not wanting to have awkward conversations where I defend my decisions... Now I wear it because I'm used to it, and those I interact with are used to it. They're going to ask questions and such whenever I stop wearing my hat, regardless of having an HT or not (if someone wears a hat non-stop for 5 months, people notice). I plan to shed the hat permanently late May, very close to my 135 day update. I will start a job then. I'm already not embarrassed by the redness. I just see that as the natural pivot point where I meet new people, and establish a new normal.

Thanks for the update! Your hairline looks great!

Thanks Cosmo, I really like the framing of my hairline too! It's not too high where I'm disappointed with the HT, and not low that it will look comical in 10 years. I've always had a big forehead. I think I now have a slightly large forehead. I went from a 6-head to a 4.5head.

I agree with Cosmo, if I were in your position, I would look for a doc who can maximize your hairs over the balding area. I also agree with Cosmo that your only option is FUE due to laxity. I think a little balding is fine, and lets you stay mortal. Your 1 year after surgery is a fine look (since you only addressed your hairline), and thinning isn't the end of the world - doesn't look nearly as bad as bald. In your soon-to-be 40s, I think adding density to the crown will benefit your image (and reduce your toppik use!). Congrats on your healthy child. Glad to see you were successful at achieving what you thought fin was/could have kept you from achieving. Now that it's done, go back to fin ASAP! Also, I am really curious now that you've mentioned it, but the terms on your loan. I've recommended to others to take a personal loan to finance the HTs, but I would love to know what to expect with such a loan (I've come close to taking them out when I was much younger, but it was for vehicles and auto loans are better and easier to get). Feel free to answer in a PM if you're semi-comfortable. I think it is really helpful though for many readers. 1. Was your loan secured by any asset? 2. Credit union or bank? 3. Sum of the loan? 4. Rate on the loan? 5. Approximate credit score at time of loan creation? On the 300-850 scale in case it's not clear. I assume it must have been significantly better than a credit card... Best of luck on your decision(s)!

Great post @Gabreille Nelson Mukhia I was thinking about this after reading Spex's descriptions of "bad" patients (one of which was a researcher who constantly questions the credentials of the surgeon he picks, and plays stump-the-chump with him). This contrasts with another "bad" patient who is named the Leap-of-faith member. Someone who just pulls the trigger and goes with it. My opinion on the matter is this: I casually looked at HTs for a year, researched HTs for 6 months, but religiously for 2 months. I learned as much as I could, saw as many results as I could. I did a lot of research before I got my HT scheduled. Now that I participate and am open to learning on this forum, I learn new things all the time. In hindsight, I may call myself a LOFer. And that's the thing, you'll never have (in economics) perfect information, and you'd be a fool to try to know everything before you select a surgeon, let alone go through with it. I think once you can articulate the below points, anything more is only helping you with point 3: 1. Why you want a hair transplant & How you think a HT will benefit you 2. That not all HTs are created equal 3. Why you selected your doc, especially over similar and dissimilar docs 4. You understand the risks involved and are prepared for the journey post op Great conversation to have. I personally believe in trusting those who went before me (and navigated a safe passage). If I understand 1,2,4, I am making an informed decision, and any highly recommended doc on this site will improve my issue. After seeing so many good HTs from so many docs (even if I haven't seen my own), I'm sure the vast majority of the recommended docs would have done a good result on me anyway. This site is such a good resource that if readers only use it for the recommended docs, they are at least getting a skilled surgeon.

I've heard members mention that stopping fin isn't a great decision. Please do your own research, but from what I understand, it is recommended to lower the dosage, then slowly wean off of it. Good luck and good to see the progress coming along.

Thanks for reply @ViciousKeepLeftSign. I personally had less zits after I stopped my mineral oil. Are you using any other medicines or products on your hair? Also, what you're saying makes sense that the hair may struggle to burst through the healed wound, but wouldn't that apply to every other hair as well? Wouldn't each hair begin as a zit? I think the minox isn't the cause of your zits, but a contributing factor with shampoo/oils/and other hair products you may be using. It could be that you may (before transplant) have used a powerful shampoo which completely removed the oils from your skin (and your body compensates by creating more oils due to this constant removal). Now, post op, you may be using a lighter shampoo which doesn't completely strip your hair and scalp of oils, but your body still produces the abundant oils. Either way, it should calm down completely soon. Best of luck!

Hello all, I am updating with my 105 day progress (3.5 months). Dark blue shirt is AM (surprisingly contained morning hair) and green shirt is 10 minutes post shower hair in PM.

Wow, what an experience... I'm surprised at your just-go-with-it nature. Having clear expectations and not having confusion from docs and techs on a permanent cosmetic surgery is mandatory for me. The good news is that your hair looks great from the front, easy to style over. The HT looks like it will support your hairline, and looks like it's healing well. With you placing so much emphasis on not shaving your head, it feels like you sacrificed more than you gained (and ultimately received a less than flattering buzz on the back of your head). At this point, with so much effort in concealing a HT, I think your experience may help others consider a FUT procedure. I've seen several users here recently post their FUT scars amongst the untouched hair. At this point, I think you'd have to get a haircut to even out the back. Go for a hipster/ straight edge look, like #1 on this site: https://eighteeneight.com/lajolla-ca/6-new-hairstyles-men-try-2017/ I also heard recently that temples are notoriously difficult, but I agree that you should consider doing it in the future if you aren't satisfied without them. Donor area that I can see looks great, the hairline looks good, and your experience definitely helps contribute to the forum. Keep us updated on your progress!

Your redness is pretty intense, but it should start lightening up! I came out pretty red, but now with the hair beginning to grow combined with the redness going away, I look close to normal. I'm close to 13 weeks, but I had persistent redness easily into the 10th week. It also sounds like you may be a little rough with the scalp (scratching and bleeding as a result). Don't use nails to scratch!!! Use your fingers and Pat the area or press lightly and move the skin (not scratch the non-moving skin). I still baby my hair. I pat-dry when I leave the shower. I alternate baby shampoo, Nioxin, and nizoral. I know you're not sabotaging your scalp, but maybe do a face mask and put some of the moisturizing liquid on your recipient scalp. Also drink water and stay hydrated. Fun fact: the older you get, the less water your body holds, and thus the older you'll look. Staying hydrated will potentially help heal your scaring, but will definitely help with your skin (and thus the appearance of your scaring). Helping your skin isn't as simple as minimizing your walk outside on a sunny day. Sometimes you'll have to put more effort in.

Obviously I can't verify the vacations and such that @California said, but everything else I felt first hand. I did enjoy speaking with his staff and making my jokes. I had to be told to not smile, because I may risk grafts. 🙃 I felt very comfortable and taken care of. As far as value, I got incredible value from Dr. Bhatti. Between the correspondence, his own taxi(s!) that shuttled me my entire time in Chandigarh (even taking me to a strip mall for a button down shirt I needed to buy because I didn't pack), the post op care and ensuring I had my paperwork for medicines and altered-appearence handled before I left. All of this for a clear price. It was in INR, so my only fluctuations we're in my USD. The only variance in price was the final determination of hairline you agree on. When I picked my hairline, (as I mentioned in my writeups) Dr Bhatti treated me like he may see me for life. He genuinely cared and encouraged me to think my hairline over. He gave his professional opinion on what was natural (one side always "recedes"), and what hairline suits my face (his measuring of the face). I chose Dr. Bhatti after doing my research. I had no reservations. The experience went even smoother than I could have imagined.

I saw this post by Dr Blake about cheap hair clinics that seems relavant (about you looking at more than 2500 grafts)(also, he is a proponent of a patient's first HT being a FUT, with follow on FUE, just FYI): Something else patients MUST remember too -- and I do not think I saw it mentioned here previously: remember that the donor area is a very finite resource. You are only gifted with a certain number of scalp grafts in the donor area and once they are gone, you're done. One big FUE pass from a tech clinic and you can wipe out the entire donor. I have seen it with my own two eyes multiple times. And let me tell you, it is awful having to tell these patients who are there for repair that there is nothing you can do aside from removing grafts and referring to a good SMP practice (shout out to Erik at Ahead Ink!) because the "bank" is empty. I agree that although techs may be good, I want the precision work done by the doc. I think follicle extraction and hairline incisions are the most important "artistry" of the procedure. I despite good ratings and whatnot (regardless of clinic), I'd be a little nervous when a doc is spread too thin. I understand sometimes/some days there may be multiple <1000 graft sessions, but a doc that regularly does 4+ HT sessions a day would give me some pause. I get burned out with my jobs, I'm sure they're human too. I think 2500 grafts would be enough for a bit-more-than conservative HT for you (hairline of someone under 40 - I think "conservative" hairline is a 50+ year old's hairline). It was for me, and I had a similar pattern, with the widow's peak. For transparency, there is a bit of risk with hair density with my procedure, but there is some donor remaining to address my crown when I eventually lose it. If you do more than 3000 grafts, you may be throwing too much of your resource at a problem. This is a single humble opinion.

I was still looking not good at my 9 week mark. Don't worry, it's all part of the recovery. There's a Teddy Roosevelt quote: Comparison is the their of joy. Don't get down. The growth cycle has barely begun. I think month 3, week 12 or so for you, is when I began to be happy with what I saw in the mirror. Each day since has been an improvement on that. I sympathize with you on others noticing your HT. My redness is lightening, but still "obvious" if you know what you're looking for. As for the scalp numbness, mine has 90-95% gone away at this point. At your point of two months, it was about 60%. It's normal. So what you're going through is the ugliest phase, and it gets better. Keep the spirits up!

I understand your situation, in that, you have the opportunity to be located near a(hopefully a recommended!) Surgeon you trust and like. You also want to not hold off unnecessarily for this procedure due to dating and (for me, maybe I'm too fearful though) not being looked at as too old for jobs. If it we're me in your shoes, I'd get the surgery and worry about the costs later. Great job on saving, so now you have some options on how to pay for the surgery. You can ask for advances on your birthday or Christmas presents from friends and family. Tell them this is very important to you and you've done your research. You can pay for half of it with a check (debit transaction) and the other half on credit. Make minimum payments (usually on 2000 euros it'll be around 50 euro per month - I'm using American credit card examples, so maybe it's vastly different in Europe, but I doubt it) each month until you get a job after or during university. You can take a personal loan, it may be much more favorable or slightly worse than the above Credit card method. Note: do not use cash advance loans. Also: if you have a car or vehicle somewhere you're not using (since you're geographically away from it for university) sell it. It may cost you a monthly insurance payment and registration payment, even when you're not using it. I'm a big supporter of using your time and money wisely. It sounds like you have a lot more potential positives from the HT than you do financial negatives. Again, if you have the housing and travel figured out, (and surgeon picked), do it! I'm pretty good with budgeting and planning, but what's most important is finding a surgeon you trust and is happy to help you. Money is the easier part to solve.

This advice is universal: Be careful of making life altering decisions over 1000 euros. Money comes and goes, your surgery will be forever. Don't change your preferred HT or your preferred hairline over 1000 euros. Take on some credit card debt, take a loan, or save until you can afford it. It's not worth sacrificing your appearance for such a trivial amount (of your lifetime earnings). And if we're being philosophical, you'll probably end up getting the surgery you want eventually anyway in the form of a second HT. You'll spend more in the end this way, more than what would initially only cost an additional 1000. Plus, are you or have you booked tickets and hotels? Are you figuring that into the cost? It's another couple hundred Euros minimum. Best of luck, there's no rush. You can save money through thorough planning.

Great result. Did the patient mention anything about the persistent tuft of hair in the front? The likelihood of him loosing that tuft in next several years is very high: was it possible to have incorporated the tuft as a sort of "widow's peak" hairline? In a way that looks good as a hairline now, and again should he lose the tuft? Or was the tuft too far off center, and would not have worked as a natural hairline? Life changing result regardless, great job!

Looks fantastic! Great job with the procedure, and great job with post op care! Thanks for taking time to update and present the photos in such a clear manner.

This is a man who can count the number of times he's been surprised on one hand! If I had to guess your profession, I'd say poker player. Philosophy or Botox, keep up whatever you're doing! Hair looks great too!

Yes, I was diligent with the tinfal (I thought was another brand name for finasteride like proscar and others), and I will be even more diligent with the fin you provided me. I meant to mention also, there are at least two other active members who received your HT on this forum: @HLPToronto and @Petroholic I believe. I'm excited with the growth I'm seeing, and every day it gets better!

Thanks Dr Bhatti! It's looking even better now that I've grown it out a bit. I've got another update due in a couple days. I've had a crazy realization moment today. The fin I was taking wasn't fin, but tinfal biotin pills.😐 The good news is that my hair may improve more, now that I've "started it". The bad news is obviously I've not been taking fin this entire time.

I spoke to another member about this recently, and he said that there are low price clinics in India that are ruining lives. I can link the videos, but I think we all know it when we see it. I don't want to scare new members. The recommended docs on this site all have track records, so I think new patients should check out the docs mentioned here, and not consider price as the first place to look. To counter and elaborate on @gillenator and @Gabreille Nelson Mukhia's points about cost, and @Mick50's experience: You get what you pay for is certainly true for some things, but context is important. My procedure, here in California USA would have been approximately $17,000 USD. A low cost clinic in California would have been $10,000. In Turkey and India, this is an extremely high cost clinic for the procedure I got. In India, when members (especially those who live in India!) say that there are low cost clinics, I think it means something different than what we in USA and Europe think of as low cost clinics. Mick may have had a low cost procedure, but know that Turkish Lira has fluctuated greatly in that time (I can't see it since it's very difficult to see what it was 5 years ago - but Lira has appreciated 40% in last 12 months!). Mick's procedure (likely) wasn't unheard of in terms of low cost. But we should consider location. I view HTs as an art procedure similar to tattoos. Artist's skill matters. There are tattoo artists in Italy and Thailand who are talented, more talented than their peers in America, but charge less due to economic factors in their respective locations. Having said that, if I know a tattoo costs $1,000, but some tattoo "artist" will only charge $100, I know to stay away. He may be using me as a canvas to practice on, and I will live with his inexperienced scratches for life.

You can pinpoint the time when the surgeon tried to be more helpful, but actually did the guy a disservice 8:00 in the vid. It doesn't appear he emphasized just how important post-op care is. I am also surprised how little emphasis the doc placed on raising blood pressure with working out. You're right @options, this will be an interesting case for: How important is post op care? Does it really make that big of a difference? Does sun-damage do any damage to the hair or only the scalp? Great post @CosmoKramer I also found out that Jeffree Star, the makeup/youtube celebrity also documented his HT. I love that its easy to explain my decision by pointing to a recent success story, rather than trying to explain from scratch.