Dr Madhu Final Review

[gat4]

Its been 3 weeks since I wrote to Dr Madhu expressing my dismay as well as various questions but he hasn’t replied. Anyway I can’t wait any longer so I've decided to let everyone know what I think about my procedure and review.

To compare my hair transplant results with Dr Damkerng and Dr Madhu I can honestly say that after my hair transplant with Dr Path my hair felt it was thicker than what it was prior to my hair transplant but after my transplant with Dr Madhu my hair is far less than what it was. Dr Madhu performs 2 to 3 surgeries a day if I’m not mistaken. I have to mention that when I was with Dr Damkerng he was present throughout the surgery whereas Dr Madhu wasn’t. He had his nurses there doing a lot of the work instead. Maybe this was to blame? If that is the way he works then clearly the odds of us getting the best results possible goes against us as it becomes more of a hit or a miss situation.

 

Also it’s interesting that David ‘taking the plunge’ mentions that a hair physician should look at a ‘long term hair loss planning’ solution. I was told by Dr Madhu that I have about 1200 grafts left and that I can have another transplant 5 months after my procedure (if I wanted to). Had I been ignorant and undergone another transplant in 5 months time I'm just wondering where would Dr Madhu place those grafts and don't doctors usually wait a year? Isn't 5 months too soon? This considering that I have natural hair in the front, sides and below the crown. When all of this natural hair falls in 5 -10 years what would I do?? Makes me seriously think if he has my best interests in mind and whether he takes long term hair loss planning seriously . As in my case Dr Madhu should take it upon himself to say NO to a hair transplant instead of performing them to any one that is keen. Surely this is one of the characteristics that separates a quality doctor from the rest.

 

I am ashamed to show my mother my results and she was so supportive about me undergoing this and it's a good thing she isn't in the same country that I am in. What a disappointment this has turned out to be as I paid him my hard earned only to be get results like this.To conclude I cant recommend Dr Madhu to my friends or family or let alone any one. We as patients put our hard earned money and trust in the Doctor to do a good job everytime regardless of the number of surgeries he does a day. That is one of the reasons he has been chosen on this panel and we trust the site to provide us with the best information. Therefore he has to remember that his reputation is on the line with every transplant he performs.

 

Hope this will also help inform others about Dr Madhu so they can make a better decision in the future. Better yet instead of ignoring my case Dr Madhu can look at this as a way to improve his own service otherwise he will continue to come up with unhappy patients.

Edited September 23, 2012 by gat4

[Spanker]

Sorry to hear. Maybe he will reply now.

 

It looks like you are going to have extensive baldness. I would hold off on surgery and use your available grafts wisely. Are you on fin or minoxidil?

[gat4]

Thanks for the reply Spanker. I'm not on Fin or Minoxidil and I don't intend to be which is a personal choice. The fact is that I had grafts placed in my midscalp with the idea of thickening things up without the use of drugs. Instead it is far more sparse here than what is was prior to my transplant (disappointing).

[Bill - Seemiller]

gat4,

 

I just received an email from Dr. Madhu who stated that he emailed you back on 8/31/2012 without a response. He sent me a copy of the email he sent you for review. In the email, he stated that he wants to help you and is here to provide his patients with the very best service and results.

 

Frankly, email is not the best way to communicate when a patient has concerns due to spam filters and other possible mail delivery issues. Thus, I strongly suggest that you call Dr. Madhu to discuss your concerns. I am also suggesting that he reply to your concerns publicly.

 

Best Regards,

 

Bill

[gat4]

Bill,

 

Thank you for your post. I did reply to that email he sent me on the 8/30/2012. I received another email from him yesterday to tell me he had not received an email from me so I shall try again. I also think its a good idea that Dr Madhu reply to my concerns publicly.

Regards,

 

Gat

[podda]

I am sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with your hair transplant & also quite amazed to know that you are not on any medication for preserving your existing hair, may be you have your own reservations, but it is advisable to be on medication.

 

I underwent hair transplant in August 2011 with Dr.Madhu and I am satisfied with my result, you can go through my post by going through the following link:

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/166423-hair-transplant-dr-madhu-10-months-happy-my-results.html

 

I was aware that my existing hair is temporary as it is in the process of balding and doctor advised me to start medication (although the doctor mentioned it is up to me to use)which is working well for me. As far as I remember Dr.Madhu was present during my procedure and as most of us know that skilled & experience technicians across the world usually do the implantations and it was the same for me also.

 

As spanker mentioned & I think Mr.gat4 you are one way unfortunate that, it appears your balding process may be rapid & extensive and the other important aspect is, you are not helping yourself by not taking any medicines. At this point of time as you are appearing concerned , I can only advise you to give a call at the doctor’s office to seek doctors opinion.

[gat4]

Podda, as mentioned on my post Dr Madhu wasn't present throughout my surgery when compared to Dr Path which I felt could have been a hindrance to my results. Please note I am not saying that he was absent throughout the procedure but what I am stating is that he wasn't present throughout. It's a good thing that your results have turned out well for you but they certainly haven't for me which is why I also mentioned in my post that things can turn into a 'hit or a miss' situation. As far as medication goes you seem to be amazed that I am not on it but yet you aren't amazed by the fact that Dr Madhu suggested that I can have another transplant in 5 months time (if I wanted to) considering that I have only 1200 grafts left. After my hair transplant with Dr Path there was noticeable hair growth at the 12 month mark (without medication) whereas here after my hair shed they never grew back again after the first few months of surgery. This I believe was caused by extensive shock loss but I was told by them that shock loss after surgery is of minimum concern. And yes I am in the process of getting in touch with Dr Madhu and he has been advised by Bill and David 'taking the plunge' to publicly bring his point of view on here.

Edited September 25, 2012 by gat4

[Dr. Pathuri Madhu]

To start off, I haven’t seen any mail from Mr.gat4 recently. After viewing his earlier post in the forum three weeks back, I have responded by sending Mr.gat4 an e-mail dt: 31-08-2012 for which I have not received any reply from him.

 

Secondly, every individual has his own way to interpret his views/experience and even sometimes jumping into conclusions about what is right and what is wrong without any thorough justification.

 

Mr.gat4 in his above post mentions that he felt his hair thicker after the first hair transplant, on the contrary during his initial consultations with us through e-mail he mentions the following statement about his first hair transplant result done by another surgeon, which I am copying here:

 

“I have had a hair transplant for 2800 grafts in the front & mid scalp in December 2008 and it’s more or less the same look today from where I had surgery back then”

 

I’ll leave it to gat4 to justify his own statements here.

 

Regarding second session, I generally mention to all my clients to wait at-least 5-8 months to undergo the second session if they wish to and that too only after personal examination of donor conditions. I think I mentioned the same to gat4 that he can think after five months. After 5 months means after personally assessing the donor and recipient area conditions only one can think about the procedure but not directly coming & undergoing the procedure.

 

I know that I cannot satisfy all my clients who undergo hair transplant on the same levels as lot of factors get involved. Mr gat4 was a good client of mine and to my knowledge we have helped him so many aspects during his stay with us. I think Mr gat4 remembers this for which he expressed his gratitude as well through e-mail.

 

The most important part of my activity is professional quality care towards my clients. Those who say I am not at all present during the procedure & I’ll leave it to the technicians is not correct, hence I don’t agree with gat4 on this and I’ll leave up to him to judge for himself. I am clearly aware of my duties.

 

In addition to this, we generally explain the following to every patient & also we make the patient read the same content. I am copying the same here:

 

“What to expect from a Hair Transplant Procedure:

 

An advanced version of a Hair Transplant though gives a very natural look, the results always depends on the number of grafts and quality of the donor hair. More the number better will be the result, and the number of grafts always depends upon the density and laxity of the donor zone and also on the quality of the grafts.

 

Good quality hair has the following characteristics: Thicker hair shaft, curly hair or wavy hair is better to get better outlook. Color of the hair also plays an important role in terms of result, dark color is always better and straight and thin hair is not considered very good hair to give better outlook. Color of the scalp also plays a major role, fair color and shiny scalps give again some sort of see through appearance because of the high skin versus hair color contrast ratio.

 

One should always be realistic in expectations of a result out of Hair Transplant. In general, a normal human being with full head of hair has one lakh hair on scalp. When one goes bald one tends to lose their original hair either gradually or rapidly and even sometimes it may take some years to get bald and one may be left with hair only on the sides and back of scalp, which is assumed to be the permanent hair bearing zone otherwise called as Donor Area. For most of them this donor zone will be present even till the older age.

 

Young people, in particular should keep in mind that they might lose their existing or original hair (due to baldness) at some time or the other and only the transplanted hair would remain for life long. Generally, while transplanting on an average 2000-3500 grafts will be shifted from the donor area to the bald area (recipient area) but not 25,000 or 30,000 grafts, this implies that out of 1,00,000 hair we are shifting a very meager amount of 3000 or 5000 hair that means 3% to 5 % only, so one should expect a result of 2000 or 3500 grafts only.

 

Furthermore, if one undergoes a hair transplant procedure with some existing hair to increase the density who is in the process of balding, one should clearly understand that only the transplanted hair will remain forever and he might lose the existing hair in due course of time which may again give a picture of little bit better than the earlier look.

 

As we adapt the most advanced technique and technology it would be near to impossible to differentiate between the transplanted hair (after re-growth) and your original hair, based on this one might think that the transplanted hair did not grow which is not true, the truth is that in due course of time you have lost your existing hair (due to baldness) and only the limited number of transplanted hair will be present.

 

Results can be more evidently established when a hair transplant is done to a person who has no hair in the recipient area and has a clear scalp (but has hairs on the sides and back). In such a scenario even if we implant 1000 grafts after growth it will be clear-cut evidence that the result is from a hair transplant procedure. Hope you understood the above explanation.

 

Again we are emphasizing the fact that results of a hair transplant always depend upon 1) Number of grafts implanted 2) Quality of your donor hair.

 

If you want more clarification you can take the help of any one of our doctors.”

……………………………

I am quite happy with the clients I am dealing with & it is vice-versa. I am generally reserved person who does his work calmly & professionally not getting involved in any conflicts but at the same time I am very keen to address my clients concern to the best possible extent. I always stood and will stand for my patients.

 

Mr gat 4 mentioned he dropped us a mail 3 weeks back but unfortunately we have not received the same for reasons unknown and as I mentioned earlier I did send a mail to mr.gat4 but I haven’t received any reply. I think gat4 didn’t even give us a ring to ensure if we got any mail from him which he should have done. I don’t know why he didn’t ring up & spoke to us over the phone to share his dissatisfaction.

 

Finally, if still Mr.gat4 is not satisfied with above explanation, he is always welcome to visit the clinic so that I can have better understanding of the case and to see till what extent I can help him.

 

 

Regards,

Dr.Madhu

[gat4]

When it comes to communication David 'taking the plunge' had requested Dr Madhu to express his views when I posted my thread during the 8 month mark. For reasons unknown Dr Madhu never did.

I did reply to Dr Madhu's email that he sent me 3 weeks ago. It's strange that he never received it considering that we both have yahoo email accounts and that I have been receiving his emails without any problem. However I did not reply to his email that he sent me yesterday so yes he would not have received an email from me there.

 

I did mention that my hair is more or less the same prior to my transplant with Dr Path but after Dr Madhu's procedure my hair is far less than what it was as the hair transplant accelerated my hair loss due to shock loss which never grew back. I remember several days after my procedure when I removed my head band there were so many hairs with white dots in them. That in itself was alarming to see as I know hair with white in them usually doesn't grow back.When I enquired about shock loss prior to my transplant I received an email from Dr Madhu's clinic to tell me that "in our technique of hair transplantation for so many patients shock loss is a minimal concern which is very temporary."

This clearly wasn't the case for me. Take for example the midscalp region which is far more bald today than what it was as well as the crown which Dr Madhu worked on in a small area but there is no growth in that area at all and it has infact become worse.

 

I have had close to 5200 grafts so far counting the transplant with Dr Path. I thought after his transplant my hair would be thicker and I would be able to go about my daily activities without a cap but instead I wear one every day. Plus the hair in my front is all my natural hair so I should have got even better results.

 

Regarding the second session I shall repeat what I have mentioned all along and that is I was told by Dr Madhu that I can have another hair transplant in 5 months time (if I wanted to). I don't remember being told anything about inspecting the donor and the recepient areas as it came across more like if I wanted to I could go ahead. Its similar to what occured before my transplant when I asked his junior assistant Dr Deepak whether I should delay my transplant for a few years to which I was told that it would make no difference if I had one now or in a few years time and that since Dr Madhu had seen me it he would have suggested I do so had he felt that was the right thing for me.

 

I may have been a good client of Dr Madhu's and on the same token Dr Madhu's staff may have been courteous and helpful to me when it came to finding a dentist, money exchange procedures etc but at the end of the day it is the results that count as that is what we as clients pay him for.

 

When it came to me mentioning Dr Madhu presence during the transplant I never mentioned that Dr Madhu was not present at all during the surgery and he would leave everything to his technicians . I shall repeat what I have posted earlier and that is Dr Madhu was not present throughout the procedure. By this I mean he was absent during the procedure during various intervals leaving the nurses to attend to me which is a fact.

 

I replied to Dr Madhu's email that he sent on the 30/8/12 but I had not heard from him and that's why I addressed my problems here as I thought he was ignoring me. Again this is strange considering we both have yahoo accounts and that I have been receiving his emails without any problem. When it comes to why I didn't ring him, firstly, I am not in India, so it does cost money for me. Secondly, I have rung in the past, where I get hold of his receptionist or Dr Vijetha (another assistant working there) and I am constantly told that I should send an email and Dr Madhu would get back to me.

 

I don't know when I shall be visiting India again let alone Hyderabad which is quite far from my home town just to visit him to get a better understanding of my case. All I can say is that I am disappointed in my hair growth as I feel it has turned out to be a bad decision for me. Thats why for me email to me is an ideal form of communication. After all I'm sure thats how Dr Madhu gets to hear about about new clients interested in hair transplants regardless of where they live.

Edited September 25, 2012 by gat4

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dr. Madhu and Gat,

 

I appreciate that you've both now shared your points of view on the forum. But I think the best course of action at this point is for the two of you to have a discussion on the phone. I have suggested to both of you to pick up the phone and call each other, but it doesn't appear that this has taken place, at least not recently.

 

Frankly, email is far less efficient than a phone call and I strongly suggest that patients and physicians consider having a brief phone conversation instead of back and forth emails - especially when concerns arise. Furthermore, delivery issues and spam filters can often prevent timely delivery and a simple phone call can eliminate these frustrations.

 

Gat, it's clear that you are dissatisfied with your result. It's also clear that Dr. Madhu is willing to help you. Whether or not you choose to accept his offer to help you is up to you. But I don't think it's fair to begrudge him for not responding to your emails when he stated that he hasn't received it. That said, I can understand your frustration with the receptionist if she/he told you to email Dr. Madhu instead of having him call you back if he wasn't available at the time of your call.

 

Dr. Madhu, since Gat has stated he tried calling your clinic and your receptionist advised him to email you, I recommend asking your receptionist to take down the callers name and phone number so that you can call him/her back in the future.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

Gat and Dr. Madhu,

 

Since an in-person consultation isn't overly convenient for Gat, perhaps the two of you can arrange a video consultation over Skype, which is free. That way, you two can discuss Gat's concerns, view his results via video and possibly come to an amicable arrangement that works for everyone.

 

Gat, I understand it may not be convenient to travel. However, if after a consultation Dr. Madhu agrees that your results are less than optimal and is willing to work with you to get you the results you want and deserve, I do encourage you to take him up on his offer and let him do what he can to help you achieve the desired outcome.

 

Best,

 

Bill

[gat4]

Bill,

 

I am willing to get in touch with Dr Madhu over the phone and skype sounds a good idea too.

 

You have misunderstood what I meant when I mentioned that I used to call his clinic in the past. By 'past' I meant 3 to 4 months after the transplant and not recently such as the in last 6 weeks or so.

 

Also in all fairness you seem to be accusing me of begrudging Dr Madhu over him not receiving my emails yet you don't mention anything when he is begrudging me of not sending him an email when I did reply on 31/08/12.

 

We are now getting in touch over Skpye or a phone call but for the benefit of all lets keep things fair here.

 

Regards,

 

Gat

Edited October 1, 2012 by gat4

[Bill - Seemiller]

gat4,

 

I'm pleased to hear that you're willing to work with Dr. Madhu and have arranged a Skype call.

 

I didn't mean to sound accusatory in my response to you. But what you have to understand is that you came online to express your disappointment in Dr. Madhu for ignoring you, giving him no benefit of the doubt that he may not have received your email. Dr. Madhu then had to come online to defend himself and explain why he hasn't responded.

 

As you know, we encourage members to express your genuine experience and concerns on our discussion forum. However, while I understand your frustration, you drew an unfair conclusion that led to a semi-defensive response from Dr. Madhu. I do agree however, that Dr. Madhu shouldn't have drawn the same conclusion that you ignored him when there's clearly some kind of email communication issue going on here.

 

But none of the above really matters at this point. What matters is that there was a misunderstanding and the misunderstanding is being addressed from both sides.

 

I encourage you to update this community once you two had a chance to talk and work out the details.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Spanker]

Young people, in particular should keep in mind that they might lose their existing or original hair (due to baldness) at some time or the other and only the transplanted hair would remain for life long. Generally, while transplanting on an average 2000-3500 grafts will be shifted from the donor area to the bald area (recipient area) but not 25,000 or 30,000 grafts, this implies that out of 1,00,000 hair we are shifting a very meager amount of 3000 or 5000 hair that means 3% to 5 % only, so one should expect a result of 2000 or 3500 grafts only.

 

 

Regards,

Dr.Madhu

 

Not to highjack this thread, but does anyone want to analyze this math. It seems to be a little fuzzy.

 

Is 10,500 grafts will sure cover nicely more than 15 percent of your head. This statement seems to be under promising.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Spanker,

 

The human scalp contains approximately 100,000 hairs, which equates to approximately 45454 follicular unit grafts (based on an average of 2.2 hairs per FU). 3000 to 5000 hairs of the total 100,000 is 3 to 5%. However, I believe he's referring to 3000 to 5000 hairs for a young person, not over the course of their life.

 

Furthermore, since the sides and back of the scalp aren't typically an issue and approximately 50,000 hairs make up the entire top region of the scalp, the percentages are higher. Additionally, Dr. Madhu's numbers are most likely referring to "true" density calculations and since most patients require only 50% density for an adequate appearance of fullness all over the scalp, the percentages would increase.

 

Hair transplantation is all about the art of illusion, so realistically, the percentage of the scalp a certain number of grafts would cover at true density doesn't matter. What matters is the area of baldness, the number of grafts it would take to create an adequate illusion of fullness and strategic placement of the grafts.

 

To answer your question, 10,000 grafts over a large bald area would make for a significant improvement in most patients. However, as a patient who has had 9600 grafts over the entire top of my scalp, I can say that while I'm very happy with my results, density is only around 40 to 45 FU/cm2 in the front and closer to 25 to 30 FU/cm2 in the back. It provides an adequate illusion of density, but it's still nowhere near "true" density. The good news is, most people don't even know I've ever lost any hair. But that's the art of hair restoration surgery.

 

That said, because hair transplantation is limited due to supply versus demand, patients and physicians should be working together to establish realistic expectations for each patient depending on their goals, needs and characteristics.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Bill