Dr. Tejinder Bhatti, FUE 1500 grafts February 2016

Silver669 · July 15, 2016

Hi, I'm new to posting on the forum. Here's my experience of travelling from London to India and seeing Dr Bhatti at the Darling buds clinic in Chandigarh. If it wasn't for the advice shared on here I would never have gone through with it, so I'm grateful to others who put up their stories.

I'm 44 and my temples have been receding over the past 5 years. I've been taking Propecia for 8 months, no side effects and I uses Minoxidil 5% morning and night.

I was booked for a FUE in Turkey but was put off at last minute by everyone talking about the surgeons ducking out half way through the procedure. I decided to fly to India and see Dr Bhatti instead. I couldn't find a single bad review on him, also I'd never been to India so it seemed like a good opportunity to travel. I was slightly nervous about undergoing a medical procedure abroad though. I ruled out the UK after getting quotes of up to ?10k +.

Once dates were agreed there was the ?360 deposit to transfer so I could reserve my slot. This was complicated as the bank details I was given didn't work. I even tried Western Union, but no luck. The Darling Buds clinic didn't offer a solution so in the end I had to carry all the ?2000 cash with me. A little bizarre in the modern world of online banking but it was the only way I could pay. Apparently you can withdraw money in India but the chances are your bank will block the account.

The costs of the whole trip -

Flights to Delhi ?620

Flights to Chandigarh ?60

E-visa ?40

Jabs - Hep A and B, Tetanus ?180

Procedure 1500 grafts ?1600

Care kit and meds - ?60

Hotels - ?120

Food and drink ?100

Total was around - ?2800

I got to Delhi and then on to Chandigarh with the money securely strapped to my leg. There are long waits in Delhi for visa checks and fingerprinting but everyone's helpful and cheerful.

A driver was waiting for me at Chandigarh airport and we drove 30 minutes to the clinic for my consultation. The hot weather in February felt great and I was eager to see something of India. What I saw was a bit of a shock. People building houses out of rubbish and pulling insane amounts of stuff around on carts. Chandigarh looked almost derelict. Stray dogs trotting around the place and litter everywhere. I quickly got used to it though. The locals were really friendly and the town square livens up in the evenings with music and food stalls. If you're a pasty white guy like me expect to be approach by every street seller you come across.

During the the car journey the clinic called to tell me the consultation had been cancelled and rescheduled for the next day before the surgery. This was disappointing, I was eager to discuss options and have the night to think it over. Dr Bhatti wasn't available so that was that. Then the clinic called again to ask about the money. The car pulled over for this conversation for some reason?

The driver changed course to my hotel. Before I got out the car he turned to me, gave me a plastic bag of pills and asked me to take them. I thought this was a little unorthodox so I called clinic. They explained they were pre-op anti inflammatory drugs and I would have been given them by Dr Bhatti. They had to be taken the day before surgery so the driver was given the task of passing on the drugs. All fine..if a little quirky.

As for accommodation the clinic recommends some hotels and the AB's seemed to be a popular choice. It's perfectly fine and the reception very friendly. All the guests were there for the same reason so it felt a little like attending a hair transplant convention. Still, it was a good opportunity to share experiences. The Hot Millionaires restaurant is right next door and a convenient place to eat, plus they deliver to your room. I didn't love the food but it did the job.

Next morning at 9am I walked 5 minutes to clinic with the same driver. Apologies, I forget his name. The clinic was very clean and modern. Such a contrast to its surroundings.

The staff are welcoming. I changed into scrubs, a blood sample was taken and an injection of antibiotics. I then met Dr Bhatti who drew a hair line and suggested 1500 grafts which was less than the 1800 discussed over email. Initially I wasn't sure about the straight hair line he suggested as my old one used to be quite pointed. In the end I trusted his opinion and went with it. He told me it would look better and I think he got it right.

I instantly liked Dr Bhatti. He took pictures and shaved my head. I expected his assistant to do this pretty mundane job but he told me he always shaves he patients and learns a lot about their hair type and head shapes. I found the shaving quite traumatic but Dr Bhatti chatted and made jokes, a welcoming distraction. It's actually not that bad once the hair's gone, almost therapeutic. Then into the main office to happily off load the cash from my leg.

I had an anxious 2 hour wait before the procedure. Finally we got started at 12.30. A quick head wash then into the procedure room. For the next 2 hours I was lying prone with my face sticking through a hole in a bed while Dr Bhatti did all the extractions. It's not very comfortable and sometimes painful but you're given more local anaesthetic on request. Listening to an extraction pen drilling onto your head 1500 times is not pleasant but Dr Bhatti distracts you with chat. He loves England it seems.

Straight after this he cracks on with the incisions and there's no hanging about. You lie on your back, he numbs your forehead and creates the holes where the grafts will go. This was completely pain free and took about an hour. After a quick break Dr Bhatti was keen to get on with the implanting.

Then his 3 or 4 assistants took over. They placed the grafts into the slots made by Dr Bhatti. They were very professional and really focused on the job. If you like Punjab dance music you're in luck, it's on the telly for the duration of this 2 hour procedure. It kept everyone in good spirits which was fine by me. Dr Bhatti popped in regularly to check on the progress.

So the whole thing took about 4.5 hours which is exhausting but bearable. Obviously the more grafts you have the longer you're going to be there. I met a guy having beard and head grafts extracted. Respect to him, he'd had quite a day.

They bandaged me up then a final meet with Dr Bhatti for a briefing on hair care for the crucial evening ahead. He provides you with a sports cap to wear and shows you a technique for getting it on and off safety. You also get a care kit to take back to the hotel.

The top priority for the first evening is not to disturb, touch or even blow on the new grafts. They're only resting in place so the slightest knock and they could fall out. Even frowning, talking or simply bending over can cause bleeding. You have to spray your head every 20 mins with a saline solution until midnight and then sleep in an upright position. I slept in a armchair with one of those neck support cushions. Some patients told me they were intending to stay up the first night in case they rolled on the implants. A chair worked fine for me.

Next morning it's back to the clinic for a head wash and check up. Dr Bhatti examined my head and only one graft had come out. I'd been really careful but still lost one.

Finally I picked up my meds. It's quite a bundle - 2 litre of saline solution, minoxidil and Fin, soaps, foam, pads, vitamins etc. Luckily I didn't get stung at the airport checking in my hand luggage with all the extra liquids. I purchased extra minoxidil and Fin as it's a fraction of the price in India.

You have to follow a strict scalp cleaning programme over the following few weeks to remove the scabs and crusts. They explain all this at the clinic and give you written instructions to take home. It's easy to follow and worth putting in the effort as I was told it could effect the end result.

Going home I had to wear a blue head scarf to protect my head. You could use your own bandanna and go for the Axl Rose look but I knew I'd never pull that one off. I looked ridiculous and worse still the flight was delayed so I had to hang around the airport. Once on the plane all was fine. The cap option is too uncomfortable for the long periods.

Once home I development severe pain in the donor area on day 4. It felt like needles stabbing the back of my head, really difficult to ignore and sleep. Taking ibuprofen, paracetamol and applying Aloe Vera gel really helped. It turned out to be a normal reaction. At 5 months I still have 6 bumps in the donor area that are occasionally sore to touch. It comes and goes.

Going back to work I was worried how I was going to hide hair transplant. No one noticed which makes you realise how little people actually look at your hair. No suspicious glances up at my head, not even from close friends and family. So far I've gotten away with it!

Overall, apart from a few wobbles on arrival I couldn't fault Dr Bhatti and his clinic. His team are experienced, confident and very attentive. You feel like you're in safe hands. There's a happy vibe about the place too and they're all good humoured. Dr Bhatti is a likeable man and easy to talk too. You can see a lot of experience and thought has gone into his FUE programme. He does a majority of work and is constantly checking when his staff are doing their bit.

To sum up, it has to be the most horrific thing I've ever done to myself and at the time it's hard to imagine your scalp ever recovering let alone growing hair. But it does heal quickly and 5 months on I've got my hair line back. I feel like telling everyone how please I am with the results but of course I can't without giving the game away.

Wwiizzkkiidd24 · July 15, 2016

welcome mate,

imo the hairline looks great and very age appropriate. I think dr bhatti and he's team done well and the 5 month photo you posted looks right on schedule as well and you would expect it to thicken up over the next coming months.

how was your flight back did you get asked any questions at the airport?

great write up by the way.

Silver669 · July 15, 2016

Cheers. All fine, I sailed through both airports with no questions at all. I guess they'd seen enough European guys with head scarfs to know what it was all about.

TakingThePlunge · July 15, 2016

Silver669

Thanks for sharing such a detailed account of your experience with Dr. Bhatti. Speaking from experience, I'm sure you'll be thrilled with the results. Please keep us posted.

Happy Growing!

Shera · July 15, 2016

Hi Silver669, congratulations on your hair transplant with Dr Bhatti, it's coming along very well in my opinion.

A belated apology for the difficulty you had in paying the deposit in the UK, there is now a facility to pay into a UK bank account so future patients will not have the same problem.

I look forward to seeing your future progression, please do keep us updated.

Of course, if you have any concerns, please feel free to contact me or the clinic at any time.

irishpaddyman · July 16, 2016

am to having hair transplant with dr bhatti on wed how can i create my own post

MrOneSeries · July 16, 2016

Excellent post - thanks for including so much detail and great pics of your progress!

Sounds like you had a very positive experience, well as much as you can when going through this procedure.

Shera · July 16, 2016

am to having hair transplant with dr bhatti on wed how can i create my own post

Hi Paddy, use the link below

Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients

and then just click the New Thread button on the left.

I have replied to your private message too.

Silver669 · July 16, 2016

Excellent post - thanks for including so much detail and great pics of your progress!
Sounds like you had a very positive experience, well as much as you can when going through this procedure.

Thanks. Yes, it went pretty well. I think you really have to want it to go through with it though. I can still hear that extraction pen

Silver669 · July 16, 2016

Hi Silver669, congratulations on your hair transplant with Dr Bhatti, it's coming along very well in my opinion.

A belated apology for the difficulty you had in paying the deposit in the UK, there is now a facility to pay into a UK bank account so future patients will not have the same problem.

I look forward to seeing your future progression, please do keep us updated.

Of course, if you have any concerns, please feel free to contact me or the clinic at any time.

Thanks Shera. I only caught your posts about you dealing UK booking after my procedure. I really could have done with your help at the time because I spent hours emailing trying to resolve the deposit difficulties . Glad to hear it's no longer a problem.

Silver669 · July 16, 2016

Silver669

Thanks for sharing such a detailed account of your experience with Dr. Bhatti. Speaking from experience, I'm sure you'll be thrilled with the results. Please keep us posted.

Happy Growing!

Thanks David. Your story motivated me to go through with it...so thanks for that.

rickyrixon · February 4, 2017

Thank you for the detailed write up... If you still lurk on these forums it would be great if you could share your final results. I'm sure many of us would be interested.

RAZZAQ · May 30, 2017

hi Junior you really has nice hair line . am just wondering how come he did 2800 grafts in on day procedure. i did research says that maximum hair transplanted per day is 1000 grafts to 1500 grafts and its big lie if surgeon say he can transplanted 4000 grafts per day . if you look at top surgen like Ordogan Koray etc... they transplanted 1500 grafts per day ? so what do you think ?

Shera · May 30, 2017

hi Junior you really has nice hair line . am just wondering how come he did 2800 grafts in on day procedure. i did research says that maximum hair transplanted per day is 1000 grafts to 1500 grafts and its big lie if surgeon say he can transplanted 4000 grafts per day . if you look at top surgen like Ordogan Koray etc... they transplanted 1500 grafts per day ? so what do you think ?

Hi Razzaq,

It's common place for Dr Bhatti to do large sessions of thousands of grafts in a day, 4000 probably being the upper limit.

I had 3305 grafts in a day and there are numerous patients who have had similar and there are numerous surgeons who do similar amounts.

You can check out my write up in my link below, it's no lie.

JayLDD · May 30, 2017

hi Junior you really has nice hair line . am just wondering how come he did 2800 grafts in on day procedure. i did research says that maximum hair transplanted per day is 1000 grafts to 1500 grafts and its big lie if surgeon say he can transplanted 4000 grafts per day . if you look at top surgen like Ordogan Koray etc... they transplanted 1500 grafts per day ? so what do you think ?

Koray does 3000 in a day.

RAZZAQ · June 1, 2017

hi silver could you please help me by giving me your facebook so i can see other pic of yours am welling to go next moth to this doctor but i still confused i cant find many comment about this doctor

Shera · June 1, 2017

hi silver could you please help me by giving me your facebook so i can see other pic of yours am welling to go next moth to this doctor but i still confused i cant find many comment about this doctor

Hi Razzaq,

While you are waiting for Silver to respond, I stumbled across the following links with comments about the doctor you mentioned.

30 year old Irish Man large 2 day session

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/170853-4346-fue-grafts-dr-bhatti-india.html

25 Year old Indian 1800 grafts to hairline

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/182061-my-hair-transplant-journey-dr-tejinder-bhatti-1800-grafts-7months-completed.html

David - Hair Transplant Network Moderator

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178637-dr-tejinder-bhatti-2412-fue-february-23-2015-a.html

36 year old American 3750 grafts

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/169005-hair-restoration-procedure-w-dr-tejinder-bhatti.html

29 year old Australian 4000 grafts (this was the story that inspired me to go to Dr Bhatti)

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/167897-hair-transplant-dr-tejinder-bhatti-darling-buds-chandigarh-india.html