2931 hairline grafts by Dr Bhatti - HT journey starting June 2016

[starscream]

I have to make this post a bit long, to pay it forward to those looking for details.

 

 

First, some background (Skip if you don’t care about me)

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I am a 29 years old Indian male. I’ve always had a fairly high hairline growing up and I started losing hair at my hairline around 8 years ago. I never did anything about it because I always thought I would be able to pull it off somehow and “embrace it” if I fail. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to pull off the “balding, but covering it up” look for long and decided to shave it off. Honestly it wasn’t so bad because most people said it suited me well ( a few said i looked horrible ). But everytime I looked into the mirror, I would be looking at a stranger and never came to terms with that look so I grew my hair back. As days passed, I realized I won’t be able to live my life the way I want as long as my brain sees my hairline as an obstacle to everything. This had to be fixed, and I started looking for solutions. One google search led to the other and finally I was on this website. I started following a bunch of HT progress updates regularly, even poking OPs asking for updates . I came to realize that science had progressed quite a lot over the years and an HT could actually be done in India from a top doctor and still be able to afford it. I didn’t like the idea of cutting a long strip of scalp off my head so zeroed in on FUE as a possible solution for my problems.

 

After lurking around this forum and doing a lot of research for more than a year, I finally got my HT done today by Dr. Bhatti at Darling Buds, Chandigarh, India.

 

Everything that happened pre-op

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Part 1 : Three months of Emails

I dropped a mail to Dr. Bhatti around 3 months ago. He promptly responded asking for some pics of my head and after seeing them, he estimated that I’d need around 2800 - 3000 grafts for a hairline that would look dense. For the next three months, I bombarded him with questions and he patiently and promptly responded to every single one of them. When things got serious, I requested for a Skype call to clearly communicate my goals to the doctor and get some important questions cleared regarding hairline design, graft placements et al. During the call we discussed how the grafts would be placed, whether the hairline will be a zig-zag vs a straight line (I wanted zig-zag) and many other questions I had in my mind. I got the answers I was looking for and I only had one more thing to know - how my hairline would look like. Dr. Bhatti mailed me a pic with the hairline he had designed for me and I was sold! The hairline was exactly what I had in my mind.

 

Part 2: Booking, travelling and stay

After I expressed my interest in getting the procedure done at Darling Buds, they offered me a date and I made an advance payment to block the date. I booked the travel tickets on my own and the clinic reserved a room for me in their preferred hotel “ABs” which is 5 minutes walk from the clinic. The food at the hotel is overpriced, but they have room service which is a good thing for HT patients. The clinic had arranged for the airport pickup and the driver was waiting for me as soon as I landed at the airport. I’ve read good things about Darling Buds’ drivers and this guy was no exception.

 

Part 3: Pre-op Counseling and hairline design

After I reached the clinic, Dr. Bhatti drew a hairline on my forehead after taking the measurement of my facial features and asked me if I was okay with it. From the forums I had read that Dr Bhatti prefers conservative hairlines, so it was always my worry if I would end up with a higher hairline than i had expected. But he drew the same hairline that he had mailed me and I was really happy with it. I guess it would be a high hairline for many people out there, but having lived with a high hairline all my life, this looked pretty low to me. I even asked the doctor if we should stick to a conservative hairline to save the grafts and he said this *was* a conservative hairline . My blood sample was collected for some tests and I was given 3 medicines which were to be taken that night. I was asked to have a light breakfast and be ready at 6:50 AM for the pickup from the hotel.

 

Surgery day

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Part 1: Preparation

Once I reached the clinic, I was given “surgery clothes” and an intravenous cannula was fixed on my hand. I was about to be given an injection but I got a bit tensed at this point because I hadn’t met the guy who was holding the syringe before and the doctor wasn’t around at the moment. The tension built up and my mind wandered and I started imagining all the horrible things that could happen to me if I took this unknown injection from someone I had never met! I felt a bit weak in my knees so I waited till I saw the doctor and I got a green flag for the injection. I got a chance to review the hairline again and then my hair was trimmed and washed. I was strictly prohibited from touching my scalp or even lifting my hand towards the scalp from this point on.

 

Part 2: Harvesting

The doctor briefed me about all the steps involved in the surgery and proceeded to harvest my grafts from the donor area. Anesthesia injections were made on the donor area of the scalp which were slightly painful, but didn’t bother me much. The punch drilled into my numb scalp and the doctor extracted the grafts - almost painless. He explained all the things that he was doing and this really helped relax during the extraction. I had to lie face down for this part which was a bit uncomfortable for me, barring which, harvesting went fine. I was told that I had good quality grafts.

 

Part 3: Slit making

The doctor injected anesthesia into the recipient area of the scalp and started making slits where the harvested grafts would be planted later. This part was easy and we got through this without any trouble at all.

 

Part 4: Planting the grafts

The grafts were planted one by one into the slits by two technicians. There was another technician who was sorting the grafts and spraying my scalp with saline solution time to time. This was the longest part of the procedure (took around 2.5 hours). Due to a previous injury I had, I am prone to body pain when lying in certain positions for a long time so this was a very painful part for me. Shalini, the technician who was planting the grafts was really helpful and understanding. I got frequent breaks and was allowed to change to a more comfortable position to ease my body pain. When her colleagues let her know that it’s lunch time, she continued with the work so she could relieve me sooner. Her commitment to work is praiseworthy.

Once planting was done, my head was wrapped in a bandage and I was taken to the waiting area. I changed into my own clothes, had my lunch (my lunch preference was noted before the surgery started) and waited for around 3 hours in the waiting area for the post-op consultation and dressing that would be done by the doctor. I went and looked in the mirror to see an outline of the hairline, but it was behind the bandage. I was hoping it would not be higher or be different from the outline that the doctor had drawn before.

 

Part 5: The grand unveiling

The doctor finally called me in to dress the donor area and give me post-op instructions. Now the part I had been waiting for - seeing the final work on my hairline. The doctor removed the bandage and I finally saw the hairline that I’ve always wanted. The doctor explained that they had achieved dense packing using good quality grafts. I hope it all works out well in the end!

He went on to demonstrate how to use the items in the post-op care kit and explained the dos and donts for post-op evening. I wish the post-op instructions were given sooner, probably right after plantation so that while you are waiting to see the doc, you won’t make stupid mistakes like bending forward, biting strongly into your food etc. Luckily, I was careful because I had read about these from some other posts here.

 

Some tips if you are planning an HT with Dr Bhatti:

 

 

1. 
   Make sure you have sufficient debit limit in your card or make sure you have added Dr. Bhatti’s account number as a beneficiary in your netbanking early enough so there are no hassles to make all payments before the procedure. Dr. Bhatti will want the whole money to be transferred before the procedure. So if you are in India like me, it’s best to be ready with an account with sufficient balance and IMPS facility.
   

 

 

• 
  Before checking in at the ABs hotel, telling the receptionist that you are coming from Darling Buds will get you a discount.
  

 

• 
  If you are staying at the ABs hotel, don’t get the room next to the reception like I did. They get a lot of calls in the night and you’ll probably lose your sleep.
  

 

• 
  Don’t look down at your phone after the surgery. Instead, keep the phone at eye level if possible. The key to avoid swelling of the face is to always keep your head tilted back a little, or so I was told. I can confirm this in a few days
  

 

 

Attaching pics: pre-op and immediately after the surgery. I’ll continue to post updates regularly. Feel free to ping me if you need more info.

 

What do you folks think about the pics ? As for me, I’m extremely pleased with the work done by Dr. Bhatti and the team.

Edited June 24, 2016 by starscream

[sivy28]

great detailed write up let us know how you get on , im considering dr bhatti too im currently going through lots of research and the good thing about him there is lots out there about him.

 

sivy

[n00b]

congrats on your first step starscream...

did the doctor advise any meds? or is your hairloss stable?

[spyk777]

Nice write up. Clean work. Wish you all success.

[starscream]

n00b, thanks. I have been taking finasteride 1mg for seven months, which I'll continue. I think I'll be prescribed a few more post-op meds once I go to the clinic today (1 day after the surgery). I don't think my hairloss has stabilized otherwise.

[TakingThePlunge]

Thanks for sharing your case. I'm a happy Dr. Bhatti patient and I'm sure you will be also. Please keep us posted on your progress.

[starscream]

I went to the clinic today to wash my recipient site and change the dressing of the donor area. I also got some medications for the next 3 days and a kit containing all the things needed to care for the scalp in the upcoming weeks. Also received a nice booklet containing clear post-op instructions, i find this very useful. I was taught how to wash the recipient site and was given a bandana to wear, which IMO looks and feels much better than the loose fitting cap.

 

Updates on the grafts - in just one day, the grafts have started to look different. The red bumps around each graft have now shrunk into dark dots - I think these are the beginning of crust formation ? Pic attached.

[Rawkerboi]

Yes, it's the beginning of the crust!

Be careful now..

[starscream]

Today morning, before leaving Chandigarh, I went to the clinic one last time and got my scalp cleaned and bandage removed from the donor site. The clinic's driver dropped me at the airport.

 

I was wearing the bandana provided by the clinic which would cover the whole of the recipient area and most of the donor area. I was a little conscious because I kept wondering whether my donor area was bleeding since it was the first day without a bandage, but nothing bad happened. Everything went smooth at the airport.

 

Something interesting happened at the security check, though. While the security guy was scanning me with the metal detector, I asked him to be careful while scanning my bandana covered head and told him I got that I had gotten a surgery done. He immediately asked me if it was a hair surgery that I had done and went on to ask me a lot of questions - he was really curious to know how a hair transplant works! He finally stopped talking and let me through when people standing behind in the queue started to get impatient. Looks like he's seen a lot of similar looking bandanas flying out of Chandigarh

[home1212]

same exact thing happened to me at airport in Ottawa after having surgery with Dr. Rahal, I was wearing a surgical cap provided by his clinic, and the customs agent immediately asked if I had just come from the special doctor who does hair transplants in Ottawa, I guess when you're one of the top knotch doctors in your field and you have patients visiting you literally from all over the world, its a common occurrence...

[mav23100gunther]

After my surgery with Rahal, I connected through Toronto back to the states. Whilst going through US immigration at Toronto Pearson airport with my black surgical hat supplied by the clinic, an immigration officer asked something like "you are coming from that hair doctor in Ottawa aren't you?"

[Dr Tejinder Bhatti]

Mr. Starscream,

 

Thank you for your wonderful account of your experience in my clinic. It was a pleasure to have you with us. Yes, there are a lot of patients that fly from around the world to visit us here so it is no wonder this was mentioned in the airport. I actually hear this from patients on a fairly regular basis:) Do keep in touch and let me know if you have any questions or needs.

[Dr.Ahmad Chaudhry1530041157]

I went to the clinic today to wash my recipient site and change the dressing of the donor area. I also got some medications for the next 3 days and a kit containing all the things needed to care for the scalp in the upcoming weeks. Also received a nice booklet containing clear post-op instructions, i find this very useful. I was taught how to wash the recipient site and was given a bandana to wear, which IMO looks and feels much better than the loose fitting cap.

 

Updates on the grafts - in just one day, the grafts have started to look different. The red bumps around each graft have now shrunk into dark dots - I think these are the beginning of crust formation ? Pic attached.

 

Hi, after seeing your post op photo, it seems frontal hairline density can be increased further and more grafts can be placed especially frontal 1 cm area. Hope you will have good results.

[starscream]

Drchaudhry, thanks for your thoughts. I am quite happy with the density for now and waiting to see how this turns out in the end

[Dr.Ahmad Chaudhry1530041157]

Hi, its not matter of your happiness. If you see work of other surgeons in this forum, your density is low compared to their cases. I commented that frontal hairline zone at least 1 cm area , density is less. Lets see outcome.

[starscream]

Drchaudhry,

 

can you point out the area in the pic you are talking about (the 1cm area)? Also, when you say work of other surgeons in the forum, can you show me a pic of similar work with higher density so that I and others on this forum can have a better idea? Thanks

 

its not matter of your happiness

What is not a matter of my happiness ?

[starscream]

After 1 week, the recipient looks pretty much the same. The donor area has had a remarkable change though. Everyday, while cleaning the donor area, small scabs would fall off and now it looks pretty okay compared to the surrounding skin barring the slight redness, which should go away with time.

 

I was worried about discomfort while sleeping during this initial period, but fortunately I've had no problems sleeping. I still use a travel pillow to ensure the head doesn't move around in sleep.

 

Pic of donor area attached.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dr. Chaudry,

 

Actually it IS a matter of the patient's happiness. While you are entitled to your opinion, Dr. Bhatti has produced dozens of outstanding ultra refined results on this forum. If you feel that you are doing work on par or better, you are welcome to contact me privately and share some of your work with me. If we feel that you have the right stuff, we can consider you for potential recommendation. But coming on this forum and being negative about a world renowned hair transplant surgeon's work is in poor taste.

 

Best Regards,

 

Bill

[starscream]

After 14th day, all post-op care stops and now I can go under the shower.

 

Today (15th day), I washed my head with Johnson&Johnson shampoo that was provided by the clinic and slowly removed all the crusts on the planted area. Here's how the planted area looks right after the cleaning:

 

 

I had quite a lot of crusts remaining so it took a while to gently remove all of them from the scalp. I noticed that they come off more easily when they're soaked with shampoo. Here's a picture of the fallen crusts. You can see hair in some of them, which is normal as I was told :

 

[n00b]

looking good.

good job in cleaning the scabs off

[MrOneSeries]

Yup looking good! Thanks for the update.

[starscream]

Planted area:

Doesn't look very different compared to last week. I've been mentally preparing myself for the "ugly duckling" phase. It's like I'm willing it to hit me sooner than later! I may have lost some 50 or so small hair strands during the last week while washing, but the rest is still hanging in there.

 

Donor area:

There is still some minor redness. No pain, but some parts are sensitive to touch. There is some itching at times - the source of this itching, i think, are some small hair coming out through the skin. Whenever I run my fingers through the hair that's growing in the donor area, I can feel some stubble here and there. So yesterday, I asked my wife to take a closer look. She said she could see some really tiny hair poking through the skin. I am wondering why these hairs feel like stubble - the kind of hair that remains after shaving, and not like the regular hair that's soft when they start to grow. Anyway, the more new hair I see the better, so I'm not complaining

 

Looking back, post-op care was more time consuming and required more care in the first 2 weeks because the crusts were still attached to the hair, but after the second week, I didn't have to worry about the hair at all. I had a lot of questions about whether I've been doing things properly and I'm happy that Dr. Bhatti has been replying to all my naive questions promptly.

[starscream]

A lot of planted hair fell off during the last week, but some still remain. I've now started using Minoxidil 5% once a day on the planted area as per Dr.Bhatti's instruction. There's no pain in the recipient or donor area, a little bit sensitivity remains. There's some itching in the donor area which is subsiding as days pass.

 

Seems like I have some shock loss at donor area which looks more evident under harsh light, but not really noticeable under indoor lights.

 

Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

[Shera]

Hi Starscream,

 

Your scalp is looking very similar to my own after 1 month FUE. Nothing to worry about, keep the updates coming. Feel free to PM me anytime for any help and advice.

[akdjrd]

Hi Starscream,

Do you have any update. It's been a while. We would like to learn about your growth story. how is your growth coming along?