Dr. Tejinder Bhatti: 2412 FUE on February 23, 2015

[TakingThePlunge]

2412 grafts on February 23, 2015 with Dr. Tejinder Bhatti.

820 singles

1278 doubles

314 triples

 

Six days into my third hair restoration journey and here are my pics and review. My goal here is to provide details of my total experience from travel to accommodations to the procedure in order to assist those that may be on the fence about traveling abroad for surgery or Dr. Bhatti in particular. From this point forward, I plan to post monthly updates to my Hair Restoration Website.

 

If you only want to know about the procedure, feel free to jump to the bottom.

 

Travel

 

I've traveled to a number of countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America but this was my first trip to India and my first medical procedure outside the US. There weren't many direct options from my local airport so I ended up changing planes in Newark, NJ. I departed Ft. Myers on Friday at 5pm and arrived in Delhi just after midnight on Sunday. Delhi time is +10.5 hours from US EST.

 

I was met at the airport by Dr. Bhatti's driver Sachin who is a truly friendly and helpful guy. It's a 4.5 hour drive from Delhi to Chandigarh and I considered flying but figured that I'd have precious little time in India and it would be an experience to make the drive. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the round trip but now that I've done it, I would probably choose to fly next time as there is a ton of traffic most of the way.

 

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was made to take my hat off about 4 times going through security on the return trip. If you haven't traveled much out of the US, you may be surprised to know that India and some other countries don't even allow you to enter the terminal without a ticket. Then you have to go through two separate sets of security screenings.

 

The first guy that asked me to remove my cap got big eyes and exclaimed "oh!" upon seeing my head. He said nothing after that, stamped my passport and waived me on. The second guy got excited and asked me how many grafts I had even though I don't recall him looking bald. In the US, the immigration guy asked, "what happened?!" Those were pretty funny exchanges. The worst time was in Newark. No one said a thing but I had to take my hat off and put it through the x-ray machine with my other stuff. It took a long time to get through and I could see a number of people ogling my head.

 

On my final flight I chatted with a very nice woman sitting next to me and, in the course of conversation, I chose to share my procedure with her and removed my Darling Buds cap. She was quite interested and told me that her boyfriend is concerned about hair loss so I gave her my contact information.

Accommodations

 

Like most of Dr. Bhatti's patients, I stayed at the Altius Hotel. I've read some pros and cons about the place but I have to say that I had a wonderful experience there. The room was small but modern and super clean. The bed was comfortable with thick pillows and crisp sheets, wall-mounted flat screen TV and elegant shower.

 

The hotel offers free WI-fi but it's limited to 150mb per day. However, the one time I actually ran out of data, I phoned the desk and they issued me a new password.

 

The staff was friendly and attentive. There is an excellent restaurant on the third flood called 10 Downing Street that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and there is a disco on the 6th floor. The disco is loud on Wednesday nights and I could hear the music in my room. Even so, I still had some of the best sleep there that I've had in a long time. I would definitely stay there again.

Shopping/Attractions

 

During my stay I had the opportunity to visit some beautiful, fun and interesting places. First was Timber Trail. This is a spa and resort perched on a mountaintop. You need to ride a cable car to get there and the views from the top are stunning.

 

Next I visited the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Garden_of_Chandigarh which is way more impressive that it sounds. You just need to see it. It's like entering a fantasy land. I walked around http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhna_Lake which was not unlike many of the parks here in Florida and the war memorial at Chappar Chiri.

 

For the American that wants a taste of home, the Elante Mall is a short 15 minute walk from the Altius Hotel. If you were knocked on the head and woke up in this mall you'd have no idea you weren't somewhere in America. Many of the familiar shops are there as well as many favorite fast food joints. They even have a Chili's! I'm not one to eat American food whilst traveling abroad so I passed on the KFC, McDonald's and Pizza Hut. However, I was jazzed to see a place called Nando's that my sister introduced me to in the UK so had to get that. I remembered Nando's fondly as the only place in England I could get free soft drink refills. No such luck in India. Despite the menu stating such, they sell soda by the can.

 

Enough with the travelogue...let's get to the hair transplant!

 

Clinic

 

The Darling Buds clinic is clean, modern and state-of-the-art. It is on par with Western standards and very elegant. Dr. Bhatti designed the clinic to be functional. For example, his office has doors on opposing walls that open to the waiting room on one side and the operating theaters on the other so he has quick access to both. He has a total of 4 operating rooms but he never does more than two surgeries per day (one larger procedure and one smaller procedure).

 

He also showed me the room where he keeps his autoclaves for sterilizing surgical equipment.

 

The 4,000 square foot facility also has a small media room where meetings, trainings and press conferences can be held. Dr. Bhatti has performed transplants on a number of local Punjabi celebrities as well as some from the larger Bollywood scene and they sometimes address the media here.

 

His staff is friendly, caring and attentive. They took great care of me.

 

Procedure

 

The morning of my procedure I ate a small breakfast at the hotel restaurant at 7:30 and met Dr. Bhatti's driver Sachin in the lobby. It's about a 15 minute drive to the clinic. On arrival, I sat with Dr. Bhatti in his office and we reviewed photos from my blog so he could see what I looked like prior to my first hair transplant and where all the hair was placed during my first two procedures. He had already informed me that our original goal of 3000 grafts was not realistic and he asked me again what my objectives were for this third procedure. I wanted to concentrate on lowering and reshaping the hairline and then add density behind the previously transplanted area with the remaining grafts going to the crown.

 

Dr. Bhatti feels that this will likely be my final hair transplant given my age the apparent stability of my hair loss. He did say, however, that I may have another 1500 scalp hairs available for a future procedure and there is always BHT if needed.

 

After some discussion, he drew the hairline on my head and asked for my input. Initially, I thought it was too pointy and I wanted it a bit rounder. He pointed out that there was a small tick mark in the center that was making it appear more pointed than it was and he cleaned up the line a little and also rounded it just slightly more. He said that my long/narrow face would look better with a bit of a point and I agreed to trust his judgment. In the end, I'm very pleased with it.

 

Dr. Bhatti then identified the two other regions of my head that would receive grafts and drew all the lines on my scalp. He then declared that my noggin looked like a golf course from the top.

 

Due to my salt and pepper hair, it was necessary to dye my donor area prior to shaving it. Once that was done, I was cleaned up and we discussed the hairline a final time before proceeding. I should note here that Dr. Bhatti shaved my head himself. He feels it's an important step in the process because it gives him a better feel for the play of light through the hair and assists him in planning how to best place the grafts to create the all important illusion of density.

 

After the obligatory and uncomfortable local anesthetic injections, Dr. Bhatti stated, "So Mr. David, I am now starting your third hair transplant." With that the first of the 2412 extractions began. I can confirm that Dr. Bhatti performs all extractions personally. His tool of choice is the Harris Powered SAFE Scribe. On Caucasians, he uses a .8mm punch.

 

I was a little out of it by this time so I don't really remember if we broke for lunch before or after Dr. Bhatti made the recipient sites but I do recall that he said my skin was unusually tough. I also remember the creepy crunching sound each one made like stepping on a bag of potato chips.

 

Lunch was ordered from a nice place called Hot Millions and consisted of a tasty chicken sandwich and fries. They also have great coffee!

 

When it came time to plant the grafts, I was pretty tired and slept about half the time. The young ladies working on me asked if it was okay if they listened to Indian music while they worked. Hey, it's important to keep the girls placing your precious grafts happy and I've always liked the sound of Bollywood music so of course I said yes. When I told them that I enjoyed the music despite not understanding it I was treated to translations for each song. It was very sweet.

 

By the time we wrapped up and took the post-op pics, I was there a total of about 10 hours I think.

 

Summary

 

Like anyone would be, I had questions about traveling to India for surgery. I got some words of caution from family members who thought it was one of the nuttiest things I'd ever decided to do. I was sad about leaving my family for the week and concerned about the long flights for a variety of reasons. But, in the end, I'm so glad that I did it. It was an exceptional experience and I've got high hopes for my hair growth. I know that once my daughter is older, we'll go back as a family to see more of India.

 

During my time at the Darling Buds clinic I had the opportunity to meet and talk to some of Dr. Bhatti's recent and future patients from the UK, US and India. I took the opportunity to talk about our community here and encourage them to also come on and document their experiences. I hope more will choose to do so.

 

I hope my experience will assist anyone looking for information not only about Dr. Bhatti but about traveling for hair transplant surgery in general.

 

I'm posting some of my surgery pics here. I'll also be adding them to my Hair Restoration Website. General travel pics will be added to my HTN Facebook page. Once they're up, I'll post the link here for anyone that is interested in seeing them.

 

Thanks for reading guys! Please feel free to ask questions here or PM me. Next update at one month post-op.

Edited March 3, 2015 by David - Moderator

[TakingThePlunge]

I forgot to mention that Dr. Bhatti has a very comprehensive aftercare regimen. I didn't document the forms and products I sas given but, if you're interested, you can view this YouTube video.

 

 

As part of the post-operative routine, I'm going to start finasteride again for at least 6 months. Dr. Bhatti recommends this along with biotin and minoxidil for 6 months post-op. I purchased the finasteride very reasonably in India. However, I chose to forgo the biotin as I'm prone to acne and this is a known side effect.

 

I've also got a few more pics to post of the clinic and staff. More coming...

Edited March 2, 2015 by David - TakingThePlunge

[CAMPBELL]

Really enjoyed reading that David. Sounds like a very professional set up. You must return to India at some stage as a tourist as its an amazing, vibrant, colorful & diverse continent.

Good Luck!

[husqvarnawrk]

Wow, great write up. I am going to be there on the 29th of April and this post seems to confirm I have made the right choice.

 

Fantastic hairline design and execution as well.

[Kilimanjaro]

Hey David! Great report and best of luck. I rarely come here, but might have to come by more frequently to follow your posts.

 

I started reading some of your older posts, and it seems we have some similarities...I also get acne (and hyperpigmentation, since I have darker skin type 4) that is probably from Propecia. I also have some gyno, but not 100 percent if its from Propecia. Seems like you did not get that side effect?

 

More importantly, I am 36 and not married and probably unlikely to have children till I turn 40 assuming I meet someone right. Was there a reason you delayed parenthood? How did you finally meet your wife if you don't mind personal questions? Did your child turn out okay even though you (and your wife?) were older? The medical establishment really scares people who are older and having children.

[Raj Jayukdht]

Thanks David for a great write up. Im sure this will help any future patients of Dr Bhatti.

 

Big respect to Dr Bhatti for great work.

 

BTW David your scar looks very good.

[chrisdav]

Great write up David. The scar is very good by the way.

 

Looking forward to your progress.

[Danyb]

Hi David, thanks for sharing your experience. Best of luck and looking forward to seeing your progress.

[Blake Bloxham]

Awesome! Congratulations, Dave. I really look forward to updates.

 

By the way, looks like you were very fortunate to heal well from your past 2 strip procedures. The scar is quite thin!

[Spanker]

If it were me I would have skipped the crown and continued with beefing up the frontal third.

 

However, I think this will make a big difference for you.

 

You know as much or more than I do about hair, but I see some concern for future loss on the lateral sides of your crown. I know you stopped fin, have you considered restarting?

 

Either way, you seem realistic and really pleased. I believe you work from home to which kind of makes me jealous. FuE plus a hone based job, your recovery should be a breeze.

[California]

Hi David,

 

Great write up! Thanks for sharing. I am pleasantly surprised that you got so much (HT and sight seeing) accomplished during your very short stay in India. Also glad that you liked India so much and are planning to go back for a vacation when your daughter is a little older. A trip to the Taj Mahal is still pending:)

 

We appreciate your kind words about Dr. Bhatti and Darling Buds. At Darling Buds, we always try our best to meet and exceed the expectations of our Patients.

 

Will be following your updates.

 

Best regards,

California

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dave,

 

Congratulations once again for "taking the plunge", this time by traveling to India and undergoing surgery with physician expert Dr. Tejinder Bhatti. It sounds like you had quite a journey and I look forward to viewing your transformation as the months go by.

 

Best wishes on a speedy recovery and excellent growth :-).

 

Bill

[TakingThePlunge]

Really enjoyed reading that David. Sounds like a very professional set up. You must return to India at some stage as a tourist as its an amazing, vibrant, colorful & diverse continent.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks Campbell! I look forward to the day when I can see more of the country.

 

Wow, great write up. I am going to be there on the 29th of April and this post seems to confirm I have made the right choice.

 

Fantastic hairline design and execution as well.

 

Thanks! I know you're going to be thrilled with your experience. Be sure to give Dr. Bhatti and his staff my regards.

 

Hey David! Great report and best of luck. I rarely come here, but might have to come by more frequently to follow your posts.

 

I started reading some of your older posts, and it seems we have some similarities...I also get acne (and hyperpigmentation, since I have darker skin type 4) that is probably from Propecia. I also have some gyno, but not 100 percent if its from Propecia. Seems like you did not get that side effect?

 

More importantly, I am 36 and not married and probably unlikely to have children till I turn 40 assuming I meet someone right. Was there a reason you delayed parenthood? How did you finally meet your wife if you don't mind personal questions? Did your child turn out okay even though you (and your wife?) were older? The medical establishment really scares people who are older and having children.

 

Yeah, I've been dealing with the acne since about 2009 off and on. Prior to that I had no issues for more than a decade. The only thing that had changed was the use of finasteride and Biotin. When I discontinued use things got better but never fully recovered despite visits to multiple dermatologists. I was told it couldn't have been the finasteride but I'm a little gun shy about starting it up again and really won't risk it for Biotin.

 

The known sides I had with finasteride were minor and subsided maybe 6 months or more after I quit. I didn't experience gyno but I've never had the firmest chest to begin with.

 

At the age of 40, having come out of an 8 year relationship and finding myself overweight and balding, it was pretty daunting starting over. I've talked about all of that before so I won't go into details here but I'd spent years not wanting a family and was just coming around to the idea when my relationship came to an end. After having my first HT and dropping 30+ lbs, I opted to go the online dating route.

 

My wife was 34 and I was 44 when our daughter was born. I've also read about the dangers of conceiving later in life but our little one is perfectly healthy.

 

I'd be happy to discuss in more detail if you want to PM me.

 

Thanks David for a great write up. Im sure this will help any future patients of Dr Bhatti.

 

Big respect to Dr Bhatti for great work.

 

BTW David your scar looks very good.

 

Thanks Raj! Your posts and PMs were very helpful. I also appreciated that you messaged Dr. Bhatti on the evening of my surgery to ask how it turned out.

 

Great write up David. The scar is very good by the way.

 

Looking forward to your progress.

 

Thanks chrisdav! I was pleasantly surprised to see the scar. It's a testament to Dr. Alexander's skills.

 

Hi David, thanks for sharing your experience. Best of luck and looking forward to seeing your progress.

 

Thanks Danyb! As you know, I've been following your case as well.

 

Awesome! Congratulations, Dave. I really look forward to updates.

 

By the way, looks like you were very fortunate to heal well from your past 2 strip procedures. The scar is quite thin!

 

Thanks Blake!

 

If it were me I would have skipped the crown and continued with beefing up the frontal third.

 

However, I think this will make a big difference for you.

 

You know as much or more than I do about hair, but I see some concern for future loss on the lateral sides of your crown. I know you stopped fin, have you considered restarting?

 

Either way, you seem realistic and really pleased. I believe you work from home to which kind of makes me jealous. FuE plus a hone based job, your recovery should be a breeze.

 

Spanker, thanks for your input! I'm sure everyone would agree that you're one of the most knowledgeable members of this community and I value your opinion.

 

It's a funny thing. When looking at the pics, I see your point about the frontal third. However, in person and with longer hair I can live with the density of the previously transplanted area. I felt that the lower and denser hairline will help with the overall appearance as will the added density behind.

 

The plan that we ultimately carried out was conceived when we thought we would have another 600 grafts and we'd planned to address that area originally. Dr. Bhatti asked for my input and I asked for his advice and we came to this design based on a review of my hair loss over the past 6 years. It's been a pretty slow progression and he felt that this would provide me with a good result for the foreseeable future.

 

I've been off fin for a few years now but I'm going back on it for at least 6 months provided I don't suffer any serious sides. If all goes well I may continue it.

 

I'm not too worried about the sides dropping. My dad has very high sides in his 80s and my hair loss seems to mimic his. The truth is we never know but I'm comfortable with the prediction. At least I've got some scalp hair left for another pass and Dr. Bhatti has discussed the possibility of BHT if I want to go that route also.

 

The funny thing ism now that I finally have a nice hairline, I like the way it looks shaved. Who knows, maybe I'll get the scar repaired and some SMP down the road and try it buzzed if things don't work out.

 

Hi David,

 

Great write up! Thanks for sharing. I am pleasantly surprised that you got so much (HT and sight seeing) accomplished during your very short stay in India. Also glad that you liked India so much and are planning to go back for a vacation when your daughter is a little older. A trip to the Taj Mahal is still pending:)

 

We appreciate your kind words about Dr. Bhatti and Darling Buds. At Darling Buds, we always try our best to meet and exceed the expectations of our Patients.

 

Will be following your updates.

 

Best regards,

California

 

Thanks California! The truth is it may not have happened if it weren't for you. I appreciate all of your help!

 

Dave,

 

Congratulations once again for "taking the plunge", this time by traveling to India and undergoing surgery with physician expert Dr. Tejinder Bhatti. It sounds like you had quite a journey and I look forward to viewing your transformation as the months go by.

 

Best wishes on a speedy recovery and excellent growth :-).

 

Bill

 

Thanks Bill!

[1978matt]

Nice one David. Hope this will be the icing on the cake for you.

[TakingThePlunge]

Nice one David. Hope this will be the icing on the cake for you.

 

Thanks Matt! I'm following my post-op care instructions to the letter. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[TakingThePlunge]

Here are some pics of my room at the Altius.

[Raj Jayukdht]

It seems your room was smaller that mind. Hotel is very nice and clean.

[TakingThePlunge]

It seems your room was smaller that mind. Hotel is very nice and clean.

 

Definitely small but very comfy.

[TakingThePlunge]

Here are some pics taken around the clinic.

[spyk777]

Great. Thanks for sharing.

[Squatch]

Great write-up. Looking forward to your progress.

[TakingThePlunge]

Great write-up. Looking forward to your progress.

 

Thanks Squatch!

[TakingThePlunge]

Great write-up. Looking forward to your progress.

 

Thanks Squatch!

[TakingThePlunge]

Hey guys,

 

I've updated my Hair Transplant Network Facebook page with pics of my time in India if anyone is interested.

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Around Chandigarh

[aaron1234]

Congrats David, looks good! I must say that I am impressed with your strip scar from two surgeries. Not bad at all... All the best of luck with this round.