FUE at Darling Buds, Dec 2013

[John101]

Hi guys

 

I found the forums and surgeon/clinic reviews on this site invaluable when considering my HT procedure so I thought I would add my experience of the HT process to possibly help others with their decision.

 

I already had one FUT procedure in 2012 and found, like a lot of people on this network, that I wanted more density to my hair.

I did not wish to have the strip method again and decided that FUE was the way I wanted to go.

So after a lot of research on this site reading the reviews and peoples experiences with various surgeons I decided to contact Dr Bhatti at Darling Buds clinic.

 

Communication

 

I communicated by email with Dr Bhatti over a number of weeks and I was impressed by his speed of replies and the comprehensive detail of his communication, he also suggested we Skype but in the end I was satisfied by the level of information I received and decided to go ahead and book a procedure with Dr Bhatti.

I was given a date within 6 weeks which at the time was the nearest available date. I assume this can obviously go up or down.

Having researched most of the surgeons performing FUE on this site and also the reviews in the forums etc I found that the standard of work and overall package of quality, costs of procedure/travel was hard to beat in India.

 

Travel and hotel

 

I arranged my visa which is required to travel to India (checkout the VFS website). I live in Australia and this visa cost me $157(Aus) in Sydney and took 5 working days to obtain form the Indian High Commission.

I flew from Sydney to Delhi which cost $1200 then from Delhi toChandigarh airport which cost $117.You can arrange with the clinic to be picked up by car at Delhi and driven to Chandigarh but after reading about the long time the journey took and already having just undertaken a long flight I decided to fly to Chandigarh.

Dr Bhattis driver met me at Chandigarh airport and took me to the Altius hotel that I had booked, which is a commonly used hotel for people who use Darling Buds and cost $60 per night. It was perfectly adequate for the short time I would be there and also clean with friendly staff.

Last year Darling Buds moved into bigger premises about 20mins from its previous location and ThePark Plaza hotel is nearerand also recommended.

 

Day of procedure

 

On the day of the procedure I was picked up by Dr Bhattis driver and taken to the clinic.

On arriving at the clinic I was welcomed by his team of staff who provided some health forms for me to read through and sign, also ask questions as to my health etc all quite normal and expected. Then I dressed into the surgery outfit.

Once this was out of the way I was taken to another room to provide a blood sample for testing with no problems there. All the time this was conducted in a relaxed but professional manner.

Then afterwards Dr Bhatti came in and we discussed my reasons for having the procedure, obviously including what I wanted to achieve i.e more density, he then said what he thought was possible and I was happy we were both on the same page so I had no concerns. It was decided to take some grafts from under my chin in my beard area to increase the yield and I was happy with this.

He then shaved my hair which was quite long and would have hindered the procedure.

We then continued discussing the procedure and at all times he was personable, asking me questions and providing enough time for me to ask any questions or queries I had creating a relaxed atmosphere.

His team then took me over and washed my head in preparation for the procedure.

 

After a short time I was taken to the procedure room for the graft extraction and made comfortable on a bench facing downwards. You will be in this position for around 2/3 hours plus so its best to get comfortable and my advice is to not drink a lot of water before you go in as its obviously not good to be getting up to the bathroom during this time.

Dr Bhatti entered the room checked everything was set and ready to go then proceeded to administer the anaesthetic, numbing the donor area. Other than an initial slight scratch from the injections there was no pain or discomfort and the area was soon starting to numb.

Once the injections were done Dr Bhatti left the room while the anaesthetic took its full effect.

As I understand Dr Bhatti undertakes 2 separate procedures in a day, one large i.e myself with 2000+ grafts and one smaller procedure of around 500 grafts.

When he returned he checked the donor area was fully numb and added a bit more anaesthetic to any areas not quite fully anesthetised then proceeded to extract 2380 grafts. I was feeling relaxed and comfortable during the time with no pain and was regularly asked if I was feeling ok.

 

After this was over I was allowed to get up and stretch for short period and then prepared for the beard graft extractions by having injections into the donor area under my chin. Again there was a slight scratch and the area was soon completely numb.

Dr Bhatti extracted the 586 beard grafts and once he had finished his team dressed the donor areas and led me to another room to have lunch and relax for a time before the second part of the procedure implanting the removed grafts.

His team were now busy preparing the grafts for implanting.

 

After a nice lunch I was taken back into the procedure room and prepared for the placing of the grafts.

Dr Bhatti came in an administered the anaesthetic to the recipient area, made all the incisions and then his two staff implanted the grafts. I felt no pain or discomfort during this time and his staff were friendly, constantly checking I was ok. From time to time Dr Bhatti would come in and check everything was ok.

The whole procedure was completed in one day and when it was over I was taken back to my hotel with the donor area safely bandaged and a large loose fitting baseball cap on to protect the new grafts.

I had no pain from the op during or after and slept fine through the night. I was provided with saline in a spray bottle to spray onto the grafted area every 30 mins or so.

 

The next day

 

I returned to the clinic the next day for his staff show me how to shampoo the new grafted area and the procedure to follow at home.

Also I received a comprehensive bag of post op medications, hair shampoos, oils, saline and spray bottles along with a detailed booklet of instructions on how and when to use and take these meds etc, again his staff thoroughly explained everything in detail that was in the booklet and I felt satisfied and confident for the coming weeks.

I flew home the day after and was completely happy with the experience and service I was provided with.

 

All up I had 2966 grafts made up of:

933 singles

1056 doubles

891 triples

The cost of surgery incl travel, visa and food etc was $7500(Aus)

 

I found Dr Bhatti and his team very professional and friendly and would happily use Darling Buds in the future.

So now it’s over to me to go through the waiting period and try (an fail) not look in mirrors for many months.

I hope this review helps people when considering their surgeon options as other reviews helped me with deciding mine.

 

I will post my pics soon

[TakingThePlunge]

Welcome and congratulations! I'm looking forward to following your progress.

[sdilse2]

Any progress on your HT......Pls update..

[j027]

Hi guys,

Just thought id update with pics(in progress slow web as still in India) and follow up of my progress and also I have just had a 2nd procedure with Dr Bhatti that I will share my experience and pics with you.

Just finding my way around this Network again so please bear with me:)

 

The initial 5 pictures are from the 2013 procedure that Dr Bhatti took pre-procedure.

The others are dated and show soon after procedure and some months on.

Edited December 2, 2015 by j027

[Bill - Seemiller]

J027,

 

Based on your reply to this topic I am assuming you are the same poster as the one who created this topic? Why did you create a new username and not log into your old account? Do you need help reactivating your old accounts were resetting your password? If so, send me a private message and I will help you.

 

That said, it would be helpful if you could post some before pictures and after pictures so we can assess the actual result. Since I have nothing to compare it to, I can't tell from the above picture what we are really looking at.

 

That said, welcome back to our community and I hope that you will provide us with a full update on your procedure and results and keep us posted on the next one.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[j027]

Thanks for the reply Bill. Yes I think where I have been away from the HRN site it has been updated so I have had to renew passwords etc.

 

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right area but I'm sure you will let me know.

 

 

New HT at Darling Buds Clinic

But this is a post of my experience I had of a second FUE procedure with Darling Buds Clinic and Dr Bhatti in India.

And like the first procedure 'post' posted above I thought it mite help someone who is considering FUE, going to India and using Darling Buds Clinic.

 

I had always, like a lot of HT recipients, wanted to add as much density as possible with the limited amount of donor supply I had. And therefore always intended, if I was happy with the first procedure with Dr Bhatti, to return at a later date for a second procedure.

 

The opportunity for a second procedure presented itself and as I was happy with the previous work of Dr Bhatti and the level of care and service from Darling Buds Clinic that I re-contacted the doctor with the purpose of booking the procedure.

 

As before Dr Bhatti was very prompt with his replies and a booking for the HT was made for the beginning of December 2015. From my initial contact to making the booking it was all sorted in the period of just over a week. This was made possible from the pleasingly swift replies to my email communication with the doctor.

 

 

Travel and hotel

A Visa is required to enter India, a note Dr Bhatti reminded me of. Only this time coming from the UK the Visa was obtainable online through the Indian Visa Online website(see link) and was processed and sent out on an email attachment within 48hrs costing ?40.

 

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

 

Previously, coming from Australia, I had to go to the Indian High Commission in Sydney and it took 5 working days to process costing $157(Aus) I'm not sure if this is still the case or if they also process online.

 

A round trip flight from London to Delhi cost ?421 and took 8hrs one way. Although this may be cheaper depending on the time of year. Then from Delhi it was just a short flight, under 1 hour an ?26, to the Clinics locale in Chandigarh. Once again I was met at the airport by Dr Bhattis driver. He has two drivers who are very friendly and understand English well. And I was pleased to see the driver still working for the doctor from my first visit.

 

This time however I stayed in a hotel nearer to the clinic called the Emerald Hotel. The Altius where I stayed previously is probably on balance the better hotel but it is also twice the price(see previous post) But I found the Emerald Hotel to be perfectly comfortable and also clean.

The drivers are always there to collect you for the trips back and forth to the clinic throughout the stay so a hotel anywhere in Chandigarh is fine.

If shopping is your thing then being nearer to Sector 17, where the clinic is located, is better as that's where all the shops are.

 

 

Day of procedure

So on the day of the procedure I was collected by a driver and taken to the clinic where I was offered coffee(essential!), tea or water.

This period is where the doctors team go through the process of getting you to fill out the required forms on health etc and does not take more than 30 minutes. From there you change into surgery room loose fit clothing as you do not wear your own.

Once changed you go into the 'Prep room' to give a blood sample, of which you receive a copy of the report and also have a lure onto the back of your hand to enable the ease of administrating medicine like Antibiotics.

 

At all times without exception the staff make you feel relaxed. They are warm, friendly and gentle in their actions, which if a person had a fear of needles, or such like is very reassuring.

And the standard of cleanliness in the clinic is very high which in my experience cannot be said of some of our western hospitals.

 

Once this was all out of the way you then go into Dr Bhatti's office to discuss your requirements(hopes!) and he informs you of what is possible from the donor supply you have.

For this procedure I only wanted to use BHT from my beard and chest area. Dr Bhatti advised me that I had about 800/1000 grafts obtainable from my head donor supply but I did not wish to use these with my thinking that they mite be required at a later date. A reserve if you like.

 

However my chest supply is quite limited(see pic) and in Dr Bhatti's opinion, not a great supply so it was decided to only use the chest area if enough grafts could not be obtained from my beard supply.

Also he feels leg hair is not a good supply due to slow growth and survival rates.

 

So after having the donor and recipient area shaved I was then taken into the 'procedure room' to have the Heart Rate monitor connected and Blood Pressure cuff put on for the procedure to begin. Dr Bhatti administered a series of small injections of anesthetic. A process that was mainly painless with only the sensation of an occasional small sting and in no time at all the donor area is completely numb. This process is no different to any donor area that requires anesthetizing.

Dr Bhatti then proceeded to remove as many grafts as he could from the beard supply area. On this occasion the total came to 633 grafts.

Which I thought this was very good to get from this area considering 586 grafts had already been removed by Dr Bhatti from my previous HT.

The process lasted under 2 hours was pain free and Dr Bhatti continuously asked if I was ok and administering more anesthetic if required. As always Dr Bhatti enjoys conversation, where possible, of varied topics and not least a few laughs along the way. All contributing to making you feel relaxed.

 

Once the graft removal procedure was complete he went straight into anesthetizing the recipient area with the same small injections, which again was quickly numb. Then he proceeded to make all the required slits to the anesthetized area to receive the grafts. This process was obviously quicker than the graft removal. And still painless.

 

It was decided that the planting of the new grafts would be undertaken after lunch. So when I went to eat my lunch, supplied by the clinic from a local restaurant, the team of planters were busy preparing the new grafts for the next process.

 

After just under an hour for lunch I was shown back into the procedure room for the planting of the new grafts which was undertaken by his senior staff with Dr Bhatti constantly checking on the progress. His team are very experienced and do a fantastic job.

 

Again I suffered no pain during this process as the area was very numb.

As the number of new grafts this time was in the hundreds and not the thousands the work was completed fairly quickly.

Now the procedure was finished. The donor area was carefully bandaged and the new grafts area was covered with a baseball cap. On leaving the clinic I would be given a set of instructions for that evening along with various medication for pain, sleep etc

 

 

The next day

At 8am I was collected by the driver and taken to the clinic from where I was given a much more comprehensive set of instructions by the staff and a kit on how to look after my new grafts with the washing process demonstrated, various medications and various lotions, oils, saline supplied for the next 14 days. A very useful booklet is provided so as you do not have to memorize it as its quite a lot to pick up. But the staff are always happy to go over it again and answer any questions you have.

 

Once again I found Dr Bhatti and his team to be every bit as welcoming and professional as before and would not hesitate to use them again in the future. Should I have anything left to use that is!

 

With the FUE procedures I have now traveled to India on numerous occasions and have never had a problem there. Some people will have concerns with going to India for any surgery but I think as long as you do thorough research then you should be absolutely fine.

I found the Hair Restoration Network and the posts on it invaluable when I was researching my various HT procedures, so I hope this post will possibly help someone considering their options.

 

I have posted the pre and post procedure pictures that Dr Bhatti took and although a smaller HT in graft numbers I will still update with pictures on my progress.

[California]

Hi John101,

 

Welcome back to the Forum.

 

Thank you for sharing the details of your HT journey so far. I am glad to know that you are happy with the results from the HT that you had with Dr. Bhatti 2 years ago and that you decided to go back to Darling Buds India/Dr. Bhatti for your next procedure.

 

Please keep the updates coming. Happy growing!

 

Best regards,

California