HT In India - Advise Solicited!

[shane13]

Hi All,

 

I am based out of India and have been constantly loosing hair for the past 10 yrs and now the balding is very prominent. I have been exploring good HT options in India for the past few months and the Hair Restoration Network has been extremely helpful interms of guidance. I have done some research on the net and gone through various forums and members’ blogs detailing results and experiences and have zeroed in on – Dr. Radha (Vizag), Dr. Madhu (Hyderabad) & Dr. Bhatti (Chandigarh).

 

I am although confused regarding few things and wanted the experienced members to please comment on these specifically after having assessed my current state from the attached pictures.

 

1) Which from the above 3 doctors should be the final choice?

(I have read a lot about the recommended Dr. Radha & Dr. Madhu but from the little that people have posted, Dr. Bhatti also seems to be quite reputable)

2) What is the no. of grafts that should suffice to cover the entire area i.e. front, mid-scalp and the crown?

(I want to have a dense packing and preferably cover everything in one sitting, if possible)

3) Which procedure b/w FUE & FUT would you recommend?

(I personally prefer FUE to avoid any permanent scarring on my head and was not considering FUT as an option till the time I read about its prevalence on HRN. The recommended doctors and most of the forum members also seem to be have taken the FUT path)

 

Looking forward to a way out of this chimera and take the right step forward.

 

Cheers!

[RodG]

Hi,

 

If you chose a doctor recommended on this forum you are getting a doctor who has been pre-screened. If anything goes wrong with the surgery i.e. poor yield, you have confidence that the doctor will do the right thing and support from the forum.

 

I don't know much about Doctor Bhatti and I can't comment on his results.

 

Cheers Rod

[shane13]

Thanks RodG,

 

I understand what you are saying and that's why I gave up the idea of getting my HT done from the 'branded' clinics with no proven track records of their surgeons.

 

Any thoughts on the other 2 queries?

 

Regards

[anony4hair]

Hi All,

 

1) Which from the above 3 doctors should be the final choice?

2) What is the no. of grafts that should suffice to cover the entire area i.e. front, mid-scalp and the crown?

(I want to have a dense packing and preferably cover everything in one sitting, if possible)

3) Which procedure b/w FUE & FUT would you recommend?

 

 

Cheers!

 

1) I'm not an experienced user, but still thought I'll chip in with some tips

I researched and followed this forum for almost a year, and then finally had my HT with Dr.Radha this June. When I first joined this forum, only Dr.Madhu was recommended, Dr.Radha was a matter of just word of mouth from several patients raving about not only her work, but also her care of the patient. I almost had decided on Dr.Madhu that time, I postponed the plans by few months as I was eager to see results from Dr.Radha's patients, and voila - they were amazing. By that time she also got recommended over here, and my decision was made easy. I'm telling all this cause that is how I made my decision. Coming to you,

 

Forget Dr.Bhatti. He may be good, he could well be the best, but its not worth the risk until you are sure. There are not enough results to justify his selection, nor is he recommended on this forum. A lot of celebrities have had HT with him, and we all know most celebrities are dumb, so ... you know what i mean. Narrow down to Radha and Madhu. Have online consultations, keep interacting by mail to discuss their plans, and how they can best help you. I don't know about Dr.Madhu if he himself replies to emails or lets his assistant do it, but Dr.Radha does herself. I've had over 20-25 email interactions with her over a 3 month period, where we discussed everything, and she cleared all my doubts. She's quite quick to respond to mails too i must admit. So, do that, see who can help you the best. If possible have a personal consultation with both, by visiting them. One thing is sure, with either of them you're not going to be dissappointed. Knowing both are proven surgeons, atleast that risk of uncertainity does not exist. Hence i'd advise you to avoid Bhatti for now.

 

2) One would definitely need atleast 2 sittings, if he wants to cover evrything. It is impossible to cover everything in one session. Ideally look for around 2500-3000 grafts and cover the frontal area in first session. New hairline if required, dense packing at the front, and go backwards with average density till you run out of grafts. Then, in second session, do only the crown with 1500-2000 grafts.

 

3) FUT. Don't worry much about the mark.

Edited August 19, 2012 by anony4hair

[shane13]

A lot of celebrities have had HT with him, and we all know most celebrities are dumb, so ... you know what i mean.

 

Thanks for your suggestions anony4hair, I shall keep these in mind.I hope your HT went well and you are healing fine.

 

Any particular reason that you suggest to go for FUT only? Would you know of some FUE cases by Dr. Radha and the results?

 

Thanks

[newguyintown]

I would recommend Dr. Radha any day over the other two. I am sure you have read the posts about her and she is also recommended by this forum.

 

Good luck!

[shane13]

I would recommend Dr. Radha any day over the other two. I am sure you have read the posts about her and she is also recommended by this forum.

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks Bro, many other forum members are also vouching for Dr. Radha and her work (including yours) looks quite impressive!

 

The current state of my hair looks similar to where you were pre-HT. It seems that you could cover the front and the crown in one sitting with some 3000 grafts. Also, what's your take on FUE vs FUT? Does Dr. Radha perform equally impressive FUE HT as well?

 

Please suggest.

[newguyintown]

We were not able to cover the entire crown area, just one part of it during my HT But that will vary for you as your donor area characteristics will be different than mine.

 

Am not sure of Dr. Radha's FUE work but since I wanted to have better 'return' rates I opted for FUT. The scar isn't that big an issue for me and you get scars with FUE too just that they differ from the one that you get with FUT. In my opinion FUT is a better choice for having such coverage. Go through the various posts on this forum and other resources, research, take doctors' opinions and then decide.

[raulbrammin]

hi Shane.... I recently got a ht with dr. radha.

 

I was hell bent on doing the fue as well. I had researched and with my bald areas, fue was just not viable. So I had decided to do an fut once, and in the future if i need more touch ups , Id do the rest with fue.

 

Still I decided to take a chance and ask Dr. Radha if she could do an FUE on me. She FLATLY Refused saying she wasnt confident it would help me and I'd end up being upset at her in the long run.

 

She said I was a Norwood 5 going on a 6 .... and that fut was the best option for me. Id say you are about where I was ... although you have more hair in the front than I did. and my back portion did not have as much hair loss. Id suggest an FUT.

 

Confirm with all the seniors on the board before taking a decision though.

[198606]

Hi Shane.

 

I have gone a hair transplant with Dr Bhatti. If you have any question you can always private message me.

[akk]

Here's my experience:

 

I evaluated the following doctors for my recent HT.

 

1) Dr. Madhu of Hyderabad

2) Dr. Radha of Vizhag

3) Dr. Ramachandran of Chennai

 

1) Pros Dr. Madhu:Most referred on this site. Good marketing.

Cons: Does 1 - 3 HT procedures a day. Does not do the HT himself. (Usually a

HT takes about 5-6 hours and a surgeon cannot do more than 1 a DAY.). I

found through my sources that he does not personally do any HT's anymore and

he gives instructions to his junior doctors and assistants.

Charges extra for everything (dissolving sutures, not shaving head etc)

 

So I ruled out Dr. Madhu

 

2) Dr. Radha

Pros: Very good reviews from the people who got HT. Spoke to her personally

and her staff. Very friendly. Does only 1 HT a day which shows she is more

dedicated on this process.

Cons: Shaving the front of head is not an option for me as I didnt like the way

it looked on some of the patients that she had done. I asked for not shaving off

my front area and it was not an option.

 

After evaluating these two I was leaning towards Dr. Radha for procedure. However, I came across my friend who was a opthamalogist in Banglaore, and he had recently gotten a HT from Dr. Ramachandran in Chennai. So I did some research on Dr. Ramachandran, went to his clinic twice and met his some of his patients and was convinced with his ability to good HT.

 

So I decided to get the HT done from Dr. Ramachandran, Chennai.

 

To answer FUE/FUT, I personnaly think FUE will get better results than FUT for the same amount of grafts. Reason being that FUT, gives you limited ability to select good grafts. its what you get from the strip. On the contrary, the surgeon can select the good donor area and good grafts through FUE. Dr. Ramachandran is an expert in FUE. Also Dr.Madhu does not do FUE because to do FUE you need to be present with the patient all the time and cannot have your assitants do it. So most doctors who are very commercially oriented and want to make as much money through more procedures will push you to FUT.

 

In my case, I need more hair as I had a wider bald spot (norwood v to VI) and needed wider coverage area. So we did a combination of FUT and FUE. Got a total of (1894 grafts/ 3144 hair follicles) in the process. I have good FUE donor area for the future use as well. Dr. Ramachandran performed the procedure for 6 hours and did not move from the table. I was very impressed with his dedication and would recommend his services to any one who needs a dedicated quality surgeon. He is a no-nonsense doctor who is very straightforward. If he thinks you are not a good candidate and your expectations are not meeting his expectations he will tell you upfront.

 

Good Luck on the doctor selection and its the most important part of it. I did research for almost 2 years and im happy with my surgery. Now waiting for another 8-10 months to see the fruits of this HT.

 

Thanks

AKk

[shane13]

Here's my experience:

 

I evaluated the following doctors for my recent HT.

 

1) Dr. Madhu of Hyderabad

2) Dr. Radha of Vizhag

3) Dr. Ramachandran of Chennai

 

1) Pros Dr. Madhu:Most referred on this site. Good marketing.

Cons: Does 1 - 3 HT procedures a day. Does not do the HT himself. (Usually a

HT takes about 5-6 hours and a surgeon cannot do more than 1 a DAY.). I

found through my sources that he does not personally do any HT's anymore and

he gives instructions to his junior doctors and assistants.

Charges extra for everything (dissolving sutures, not shaving head etc)

 

So I ruled out Dr. Madhu

 

2) Dr. Radha

Pros: Very good reviews from the people who got HT. Spoke to her personally

and her staff. Very friendly. Does only 1 HT a day which shows she is more

dedicated on this process.

Cons: Shaving the front of head is not an option for me as I didnt like the way

it looked on some of the patients that she had done. I asked for not shaving off

my front area and it was not an option.

 

After evaluating these two I was leaning towards Dr. Radha for procedure. However, I came across my friend who was a opthamalogist in Banglaore, and he had recently gotten a HT from Dr. Ramachandran in Chennai. So I did some research on Dr. Ramachandran, went to his clinic twice and met his some of his patients and was convinced with his ability to good HT.

 

So I decided to get the HT done from Dr. Ramachandran, Chennai.

 

To answer FUE/FUT, I personnaly think FUE will get better results than FUT for the same amount of grafts. Reason being that FUT, gives you limited ability to select good grafts. its what you get from the strip. On the contrary, the surgeon can select the good donor area and good grafts through FUE. Dr. Ramachandran is an expert in FUE. Also Dr.Madhu does not do FUE because to do FUE you need to be present with the patient all the time and cannot have your assitants do it. So most doctors who are very commercially oriented and want to make as much money through more procedures will push you to FUT.

 

In my case, I need more hair as I had a wider bald spot (norwood v to VI) and needed wider coverage area. So we did a combination of FUT and FUE. Got a total of (1894 grafts/ 3144 hair follicles) in the process. I have good FUE donor area for the future use as well. Dr. Ramachandran performed the procedure for 6 hours and did not move from the table. I was very impressed with his dedication and would recommend his services to any one who needs a dedicated quality surgeon. He is a no-nonsense doctor who is very straightforward. If he thinks you are not a good candidate and your expectations are not meeting his expectations he will tell you upfront.

 

Good Luck on the doctor selection and its the most important part of it. I did research for almost 2 years and im happy with my surgery. Now waiting for another 8-10 months to see the fruits of this HT.

 

Thanks

AKk

 

Thanks akk for your detailed response. I will definitely keep your suggestions in mind.

 

Cheers

[shane13]

Hi All,

 

I have interacted wth 3 reknowned HT surgeons over email and phone in the past few weeks and they have recommended that I would require between 4000-5000 grafts to cover the entire head. I plan to cover as much area as possible in a single sitting.

 

The confusion is that all 3 have recommended a different technique for me i.e. FUT, FUE & a Combo of both. :confused:

 

Initially, my preference was FUE as I wanted to avoid the linear scar but 'IF' FUT gives me better results interms of density and yield, I don't mind going ahead with it although FUE would always be the preference. I also want to retain a few grafts for any subsequent HT required in the future.

 

Kindly have a look at my pictures and suggest the appropriate course of action. I plan to book my HT session soon and get the procedure done a month from now.

 

Thanks in advance!

[shane13]

Guys, awaiting your valuable suggestions to help me take this important decision....... :confused:

[Blake Bloxham]

If you've ruled out Dr. Madhu, my vote is for Dr. Radha.

[shane13]

If you've ruled out Dr. Madhu, my vote is for Dr. Radha.

 

Thanks Blake, you are absolutely right about Dr. Radha. She is definitely my first choice for a FUT procedure. However my concern is more about choosing between FUE and FUT (unfortnately, Dr. Radha does not do FUE ).

 

I am 30 and don't know how progressive will my hairfall be in the coming years. There is significant hair loss in my crown area whereas the front can easily be covered with approx. 2000 grafts. Overall I would require between 4000-4500 grafts to cover the entire head. Plus I don't know how many grafts I might require in the future. I might have to buzz cut if the hair fall gets outta hand at a later stage as there is only limited donor area in one's scalp. I also do not plan to take meds especially finasteride after the HT.

 

Keeping the above in mind I am very confused in chossing between the 2 procedures and taking a well-informed plunge!

 

I am attaching a couple of latest pics.

 

Kindly advice. :confused:

 

P.S. - I already had approx. 650 grafts procedure around 3.5 years back planted at the front of my head