Advice on Travel/Transplant Recovery Time

[jg23]

Hi All,

 

I am on my hair restoration journey and am looking for any advice that can be given. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

I have done tons of research and I am in the process of booking my first hair transplant. I am considering having the procedure done in India and wondering what I should consider when planning the trip over from Canada.

 

How long should I plan on staying in India after the procedure? How many days should I estimate to travel and come back to Canada?

 

How soon can I go back to work with minimal questions regarding my new shaved head lol?

 

Is 10 days too soon to go back to work after the procedure?

 

I thank you all for your help/feedback!

[MayiraP0chu]

Hi!

 

Welcome to HRN!

 

A lot of your questions can be answered by telling us if you are getting a Strip or an FUE.

 

Since you are going to travel a long way, common sense says you should make a holiday out of it, unless you are time pressed.

 

If you are getting an FUE,

 

1. 3 days minimum. You can fly back on the third day.

2. You should be good to go to work as soon as you get back to Canada.

3. If you buzz your hair to level 2 or so after your PreOp consult, your head should look normal by the time you get back to Canada to give public appearances.

 

That being said, in general, giving a minimum of a week s time to recover will be very sensible.

 

If you are getting a Strip,

 

1. Same as FUE.

2. From my experience, I had some level of discomfort for a week. So, a min of one week.

3. Surgery will be a bit difficult to hide as you l expose your scar if you buzz your hair and if you don’t, you l have a funny looking shaved top and hairy back like a Poojari from the temples. Unless, you doctor agrees to not to shave the recipient area.

 

That being said, in general, giving a minimum of two week s time to recover will be very sensible.

 

Note: I had very minimal level of scabbing. So, I could have ventured out in a week had I chosen to. Otherwise, you l have to wear a hat or something until your scabs are gone. Which is generally between the 10 th and the 15 th day.

 

Where are you getting it done, what procedure and how many grafts btw? Some pictures will be nice. I believe you are not looking at the Canadian top dogs owing to costs?

[jg23]

Hi!

 

Welcome to HRN!

 

A lot of your questions can be answered by telling us if you are getting a Strip or an FUE.

 

Since you are going to travel a long way, common sense says you should make a holiday out of it, unless you are time pressed.

 

If you are getting an FUE,

 

1. 3 days minimum. You can fly back on the third day.

2. You should be good to go to work as soon as you get back to Canada.

3. If you buzz your hair to level 2 or so after your PreOp consult, your head should look normal by the time you get back to Canada to give public appearances.

 

That being said, in general, giving a minimum of a week s time to recover will be very sensible.

 

If you are getting a Strip,

 

1. Same as FUE.

2. From my experience, I had some level of discomfort for a week. So, a min of one week.

3. Surgery will be a bit difficult to hide as you l expose your scar if you buzz your hair and if you don’t, you l have a funny looking shaved top and hairy back like a Poojari from the temples. Unless, you doctor agrees to not to shave the recipient area.

 

That being said, in general, giving a minimum of two week s time to recover will be very sensible.

 

Note: I had very minimal level of scabbing. So, I could have ventured out in a week had I chosen to. Otherwise, you l have to wear a hat or something until your scabs are gone. Which is generally between the 10 th and the 15 th day.

 

Where are you getting it done, what procedure and how many grafts btw? Some pictures will be nice. I believe you are not looking at the Canadian top dogs owing to costs?

 

Hi MayiraP0chu

 

Thank you for your advice!

 

I will be going the FUE route. That would be ideal if I can buzz it down to a level two and then take two weeks off to recover and look somewhat normal.

 

I have attached some pictures from a month ago and I have sort drawn a draft hairline to display my expectations. I am not looking to lower my hairline much, but I am looking to fill in the temples and add some density to the frontal area. Again these pictures are from a month ago and I started minoxidil shortly after so I currently am a little thinner than in the pictures due to the initial shed from minoxidil. I have consulted quite a few doctors and the consensus is I would need between 1000 and 1500 grafts based on what I want to achieve.

 

That is correct, cost is a factor for me. There are some amazing doctors in Canada who have proved some excellent results. However, due to cost I must go overseas. I understand that often lower prices are perceived as lower quality and that when making a decision like this cost should not be a deciding factor, however the price gap between Canada and overseas is huge. Also, there are many amazing results that I have seen performed by overseas docs. All that being said, I am considering Dr. Bhatti for my procedure but I am working out all the details on my end before confirming a date.

[MayiraP0chu]

Excellent! You are adequately informed. Shera and California must be taking good care of you already. You don’t have to look elsewhere for advice.

 

Good luck mate!

[Shera]

Hi JG23,

 

If you are considering going to India and Dr Bhatti in particular then please take the following into consideration.

 

Travel

 

Look into flights and aim to get to India a day before your surgery, preferable in the morning so you can catch one of the many connecting flights to Chandigarh either from Delhi (approx. 1 hour) or Mumbai (approx. 2 hours). If you have time on your side then you could actually do a multi-trip and stay in one of these cities for a day or so to take in the sites and the experience. I could even do you an itinerary if you wish. The actual journey from Canada can be long and tiring with a stop or 2 thrown in, so be prepared.

 

Airport pickup from Delhi airport can be arranged with one of Dr Bhatti's drivers if your flight arrives later in the day.

 

Long haul carriers that have been used recently by patients from Canada include KLM, Air Canada, China Eastern, Air India, Cathy Pacific amongst others. You can connect on the same journey otherwise you will have to check out and check back in if you book a separate connecting flight and you will be limited to standard baggage of 20kg hold and 7kg luggage, ample for your short journey, but maybe not enough if you go on a mad shopping spree. If you are booking a separate connecting flight you will need to allow approximately 3 hours for your connection to account for checking out/in, possible transfer to another terminal and any other delays. You also may want to avoid school holidays to avoid paying hiked up prices for your journey.

 

You will be able to arrange the connecting flight online. (see http://www.makemytrip.com for a host of carriers with flight times, the prices here are generally the same as booking direct with the airline online).

 

Once in Chandigarh you will be collected from the airport and all logistical arrangements including hotel stay will have been made for you. You can solely concentrate on your hair procedure without having to worry about anything else.

 

Visa

 

Another thing you will need is a visa, the Indian eVisa system is solely completed online and a visa can be obtained within 48 hours. It is however unnecessarily fiddly which sometimes makes me think they actually do this intentionally to make clients screw up applications hence making them pay more than once :mad: . The link to the application site is below.

 

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

 

I generally get applicants to fill in their details and I then do the fiddly bits and finalise and submit the forms to avoid any errors and additional costs.

 

Length of stay

 

I would personally advise international patients to stay in Chandigarh for 3 - 6 days post op to relax, recover and explore. You are free to leave the day after the procedure once you have been checked out by Dr Bhatti and your dressings have been removed, but I would advise against this if you have a long journey back. You have just gone through a surgery which has probably cost you a small fortune, has taken you months or even years to build yourself up to so why take a risk in flying back so soon.

 

Following removal/swapping of the dressings the day after the procedure you will receive detailed post op care advice from Dr Bhatti and clinic staff. You will be shown how to wash your hair and Dr Bhatti will personally provide you with aftercare advice. You will be free to visit the clinic everyday for a hair wash, any other advice or even just for a coffee during your stay in Chandigarh. You will always be made to feel most welcome by all. There is no extra charge for this, it is all part of the aftercare service the clinic provides. So I think it's wise to stay for a few more days and not rush back.

 

Resuming Work

 

This really depends on the environment in which you work.

 

Generally you will be fit to go back to work as soon as you get back to Canada.

 

However the scabs that would have formed on your implanted area will take about 10-14 days to fall out and you may have some redness in the implanted area for a few weeks. In rare cases this redness can even last months, there is a case documented on this site but I have yet to come across this with any of Dr Bhatti's patients.

 

Also in your case, it may just be possible for you to grow your hair longer especially on the frontal third and the back and change your style so that it covers your forehead.This way you will get away with the no-shave technique and will be able to hide the implanted area with your existing hair.

 

If you can get away with wearing a hat then there's no problem with going back to work on your arrival.

 

If you have been open with your work colleagues, then there's no problem unless you are customer facing in which case you may want to wait the 10-14 days until you are scab free.

 

If your transplant is top secret, then again give it 10-14 days. Any temporary visible redness you can pass off as a rash or similar.

 

I hope that clarifies a few things for you, feel free to contact me if you need me to be more specific.

[jg23]

Hi JG23,

 

If you are considering going to India and Dr Bhatti in particular then please take the following into consideration.

 

Travel

 

Look into flights and aim to get to India a day before your surgery, preferable in the morning so you can catch one of the many connecting flights to Chandigarh either from Delhi (approx. 1 hour) or Mumbai (approx. 2 hours). If you have time on your side then you could actually do a multi-trip and stay in one of these cities for a day or so to take in the sites and the experience. I could even do you an itinerary if you wish. The actual journey from Canada can be long and tiring with a stop or 2 thrown in, so be prepared.

 

Airport pickup from Delhi airport can be arranged with one of Dr Bhatti's drivers if your flight arrives later in the day.

 

Long haul carriers that have been used recently by patients from Canada include KLM, Air Canada, China Eastern, Air India, Cathy Pacific amongst others. You can connect on the same journey otherwise you will have to check out and check back in if you book a separate connecting flight and you will be limited to standard baggage of 20kg hold and 7kg luggage, ample for your short journey, but maybe not enough if you go on a mad shopping spree. If you are booking a separate connecting flight you will need to allow approximately 3 hours for your connection to account for checking out/in, possible transfer to another terminal and any other delays. You also may want to avoid school holidays to avoid paying hiked up prices for your journey.

 

You will be able to arrange the connecting flight online. (see http://www.makemytrip.com for a host of carriers with flight times, the prices here are generally the same as booking direct with the airline online).

 

Once in Chandigarh you will be collected from the airport and all logistical arrangements including hotel stay will have been made for you. You can solely concentrate on your hair procedure without having to worry about anything else.

 

Visa

 

Another thing you will need is a visa, the Indian eVisa system is solely completed online and a visa can be obtained within 48 hours. It is however unnecessarily fiddly which sometimes makes me think they actually do this intentionally to make clients screw up applications hence making them pay more than once :mad: . The link to the application site is below.

 

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

 

I generally get applicants to fill in their details and I then do the fiddly bits and finalise and submit the forms to avoid any errors and additional costs.

 

Length of stay

 

I would personally advise international patients to stay in Chandigarh for 3 - 6 days post op to relax, recover and explore. You are free to leave the day after the procedure once you have been checked out by Dr Bhatti and your dressings have been removed, but I would advise against this if you have a long journey back. You have just gone through a surgery which has probably cost you a small fortune, has taken you months or even years to build yourself up to so why take a risk in flying back so soon.

 

Following removal/swapping of the dressings the day after the procedure you will receive detailed post op care advice from Dr Bhatti and clinic staff. You will be shown how to wash your hair and Dr Bhatti will personally provide you with aftercare advice. You will be free to visit the clinic everyday for a hair wash, any other advice or even just for a coffee during your stay in Chandigarh. You will always be made to feel most welcome by all. There is no extra charge for this, it is all part of the aftercare service the clinic provides. So I think it's wise to stay for a few more days and not rush back.

 

Resuming Work

 

This really depends on the environment in which you work.

 

Generally you will be fit to go back to work as soon as you get back to Canada.

 

However the scabs that would have formed on your implanted area will take about 10-14 days to fall out and you may have some redness in the implanted area for a few weeks. In rare cases this redness can even last months, there is a case documented on this site but I have yet to come across this with any of Dr Bhatti's patients.

 

Also in your case, it may just be possible for you to grow your hair longer especially on the frontal third and the back and change your style so that it covers your forehead.This way you will get away with the no-shave technique and will be able to hide the implanted area with your existing hair.

 

If you can get away with wearing a hat then there's no problem with going back to work on your arrival.

 

If you have been open with your work colleagues, then there's no problem unless you are customer facing in which case you may want to wait the 10-14 days until you are scab free.

 

If your transplant is top secret, then again give it 10-14 days. Any temporary visible redness you can pass off as a rash or similar.

 

I hope that clarifies a few things for you, feel free to contact me if you need me to be more specific.

 

Thank you for all of the advice Shera! It has been one month since I have started minoxidil and I am planning to add oral or topical fin to my hair restoration regimine. In your opinion would it be okay to proceed with an ht while starting these medications or would you recommend waiting till these medications have yielded some results?

 

Personally I do not want to wait for results from these medications as it will just add more time and stress in achieving a desired result. I would rather just get the ball rolling and have everything going simultaneously to achieve a desirable result within a decent time frame.

[MayiraP0chu]

I can't stress enough the importance of being on fin for at least two months before the surgery, if at all you choose to take fin. Longer, the better. It is goin to spruce up a lot of miniaturized hairs and reduce the severity of shock loss and it's recovery post the surgical trauma. In fact, there are a lot of doctors who do not operate before their prospective patients are on fin close to a year. I can feel your impatience to get the job done. I feel you. I am an impatient man myself. But, I implore you not to be.

 

Edit: Continue to be on Minoxidil as well, if you intend to be on it long term. Else, I don't think the hassle is worth it. You can stop it right now (if you want) and be on fin alone. My advice would be to use it long term religiously, at least once a day. Minoxidil has got a shell life of 22 hours. Even one application in the night alone (a little generous than 1 ml) should get the Job done.

Edited October 20, 2017 by MayiraP0chu

[jg23]

That does make sense and it is definitely something to think about. I am just not sure if want to wait another year. Ideally I was planning on getting the procedure done in mid December and using the Christmas holidays as recovery time before going back to work in the new year.

 

I have used both fin and minoxidil before for a couple of years but stopped due to feeling it just wasn't working anymore. Boy was I wrong! Do you think it is worth going forward with a December procedure if I hop on fin immediately. Thank you for understanding that I am at a point in my life where I just prefer not to wait any longer to take control of this situation.

[MayiraP0chu]

In general, for the effects to be seen at some level, it takes about three months. And it takes about 6 to 12 months for the miniaturized hair to thicken. But, this is not exact science. It varies person to person. I just saw a case presented in the forum a couple of days back. 2 months into Fin and some insane thickening. Nothing like I have ever seen before. Surely some magic happened under that hood. I guess you should be okay for a mid December surgery. So yeah, get on it NOW.

 

But, before I go, I would like to quote, 'Patience is the companion of wisdom'.

Edited October 20, 2017 by MayiraP0chu

[jg23]

Thanks for your help MayiraP0chu ! I am going to pick up my prescription this evening and get on fin asap. I am going to take a few days to make my decision on whether I should wait or get it done in mid December. An HT is something I have thought about for 5 years and I have been able to rationalize against it during those years. Through trying different medications and different hair styles I was able to argue against a hair transplant and say "its not so bad, I can live with this". Now its at a point where it is difficult to say that lol.

[Shera]

Hi JG23,

 

You should be fine commencing Fin now if you plan on going for surgery in mid December.

 

In two months Fin can do wonders to some people, so to give your hair that boost before surgery should be fine as already mentioned by Mayira. Shock loss itself is quite rare but there's no harm in preparing for it prior to surgery.

 

Furthermore Dr Bhatti will prescribe Finasteride for 6 months post surgery, however I always advise patients to pick up a years supply. Most patients will continue to use it for a year and beyond.

 

Also a years supply of Fin, Biotin and Minoxidil from the clinic will set you back about 200 Canadian dollars, a fraction of what you will pay in the West so it makes sense to pick up your supplies whilst in India.

 

Dr Bhatti also recommends you stop using Minoxidil 7 days prior to surgery, you can commence usage once your scabs have fallen off 10-14 days post surgery.

 

An HT is something I have thought about for 5 years and I have been able to rationalize against it during those years. Through trying different medications and different hair styles I was able to argue against a hair transplant and say "its not so bad, I can live with this". Now its at a point where it is difficult to say that lol.

 

When you walk away after the transplant, you'll feel immensely proud that you actually went through with it. You will also probably think to yourself what all the fuss was all about, it'll be a piece of cake.

Edited October 20, 2017 by Shera