Regular Member johanchicago Posted November 3, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted November 3, 2018 I have been losing hair since I was 19yrs old and I was on and off minoxidil since I was 24 but at 28yrs I completely stopped minoxidil for 1 yr and it was the worst decision ever. I lost almost all my hair within this 1 yr. I tried to get back on minoxidil and finasteride but it did not help. At age 30, I finally decided that I will do HT. After some research and some consultation with various doctors in Chicago, including Dr.Vladamir Panine, Dr.Allan Purgangao and some doctors in India including Dr.Madhu and Dr.Bhatti. I finally decided to go ahead and fly to India to perform my HT with Dr.Bhatti. Here is my experience with Dr.Bhatti at Darling buds. I reached India on 8th of Oct 2018, Dr.Bhatti had arranged transportation from Delhi airport to Chandigarh. It's a 3hrs ride which was pretty decent even after the long 19hr flight. I was taken directly to the hotel where I slept few hours. At 430pm local time a car was sent to pick me up from the hotel for my consultation with Dr.Bhatti. The consultation was about my hairline design and inspection of my donor area, after which blood sample were taken for necessary investigation. Day of the surgery. I was give antibiotic and sedative injection. I was drowsy very quickly and felt slight pinch at the back of my head at the beginning but soon I fell asleep and did not feel any pain. The surgery was about 7hrs during which a total of 2476 grafts were harvested from the donor area. Single - 328 Double - 1657 Triple - 491 I did not have any pain after the surgery and came back from dressing the donor area early next morning. The healing was pretty good and on the 3rd day my dressing was completely taken off, I never took any pain medication after the surgery. I am pretty pleased with the healing process so far. I have posted pictures taken on the day of the surgery and progression on week 1 , 2, and 3. Dr.Bhatti has prescribed to take finasteride 1mg + 5mg biotin and spray minoxdil 5% for the first 6 months only to promote hair growth. I am taking the medication religiously and hoping for the best outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member johanchicago Posted November 3, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 3, 2018 Week 1 after the surgery. Surgery done on 9th Oct, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member johanchicago Posted November 3, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 3, 2018 Week 2 after the surgery, most of the crust came off by this time after following the instruction booklet provided by Dr.Bhatti Surgery was done on 9th Oct, 2018. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member johanchicago Posted November 3, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 3, 2018 Week 3 after the surgery, I am noticing a lot of hair loss and native hair not growing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member rocketmas Posted November 3, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted November 3, 2018 Your HT looks great and seems like a very neat job. You will have a great head of hair in 8-9 months. Keep posting ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted November 3, 2018 Administrators Share Posted November 3, 2018 shock loss is normal, you should beseeing new hair growth in a few months. Happy growing ? I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member SWdan Posted November 3, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted November 3, 2018 Looks good. Please keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Panamera13 Posted November 8, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted November 8, 2018 (edited) Aren't the graft implanted too far away from each other or is this normal since a lot of area had to be covered? From what I read, it should be dense packed in front, medium in back and low in crown. My hair loss pattern is pretty much same (probably worse in the back) as OP but I have lot of gray hair too. Edited November 8, 2018 by Panamera13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Rawkerboi Posted November 10, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted November 10, 2018 Gaps are scary !! Anyways wish you luck do keep us updated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member johanchicago Posted November 18, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 18, 2018 Dr.Panine also suggested the same approx 2500 grafts for hairline and mid scalp but I went with Dr.Bhatti after going through the positive post in this forum. Do you think the 40 grafts / cm2 wasn't meet? Please let me know your feedback, I am starting to get concerned about the comments related to the gap. Total of 2476 grafts were extracted approx 5000 hairs - for hairline and midscalp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member OliverAtom Posted November 19, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted November 19, 2018 On 11/3/2018 at 4:20 AM, johanchicago said: Week 3 after the surgery, I am noticing a lot of hair loss and native hair not growing. Looking good. 3 months after surgery are supposed to be the most complicated ones ... but hair will grow back up there!!! And please, do not stop sharing the process ; ) Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member johanchicago Posted November 22, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 22, 2018 This is update after 6 weeks. The photos were taken with flash on for clearer pictures of newly growing hairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tel aviv Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Hi, Do you have an update for us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HLPToronto Posted April 19, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted April 19, 2019 Hey Johanchicago, Kindly update your post with some pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Panamera13 Posted April 22, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted April 22, 2019 I'm curious to see updates on this case as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member johanchicago Posted April 27, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 27, 2019 (edited) I am extremely unsatisfied with the results therefore I didn't bother posting any update. I have attached photo taken today 04/26/2019. 6.5 month post surgery. #Darlingbuds and #dr.bhatti was very helpful and always prompt to respond to the emails . However, I am very disappointed with the results. Edited April 27, 2019 by johanchicago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Panamera13 Posted April 27, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted April 27, 2019 12 minutes ago, johanchicago said: I am extremely unsatisfied with the results therefore I didn't bother posting any update. I have attached photo taken today 04/26/2019. 6.5 month post surgery. #Darlingbuds and #dr.bhatti was very helpful and always prompt to respond to the emails . However, I am very disappointed with the results. Actually when you first posted your pic, I had the same question - Too much area to cover, not enough donor. It's not the doc's fault to be honest, it's supply and demand. You had two choices - Either cover the front region with proper density and leave the midscalp and crown OR go over the entire area (which you chose). If you grow your hair out it should still give you a better look than before. And if you use some hair fibers, it will give an even better look. Best of luck!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member AltonMeyer Posted April 27, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted April 27, 2019 3 hours ago, johanchicago said: I am extremely unsatisfied with the results therefore I didn't bother posting any update. I have attached photo taken today 04/26/2019. 6.5 month post surgery. #Darlingbuds and #dr.bhatti was very helpful and always prompt to respond to the emails . However, I am very disappointed with the results. Well in hindsight I suppose you could've gone for a more conservative V-shaped hairline, that area was just too much to be covered with 2.5k grafts. You'd probably have needed at least 3.5K. What you could do now is trim it to 1mm and get SMP to fill in the gaps - you'd still have a great look trust me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Fozzie Posted April 30, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted April 30, 2019 As already been mentioned, just seemed too large an area to cover with just 2476 grafts. I'd have thought somewhere in the region of 3500 were probably needed to make a real difference considering it's the frontal and midscalp area that were transplanted in. You are still at the 6.5 month mark so still time for things to improve but think with the numbers involved and the area to be covered, got to realistic with your expectations at the 12 month mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Shera Posted May 1, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted May 1, 2019 Hi Johanchicago, With the area to cover and the limited availability of grafts the expectation for anyone of your balding should be to appear not bald with the added option of creating an enhanced look through the use of fibres now that you have sufficient hairs for them to attach to. It is simply not possible that Dr Panine or any other surgeon could have covered that area more effectively with the limited number of grafts available. Also in similar cases as yours more than one procedure and possibly a course of SMP is recommended and I'm sure this would have been made clear to you as it is with all similar balding patients. Saying that, you are 6.5 months in and appear to be growing very well. You still have quite a few months of growth left so I think from what I can see there is much improvement to be still had. Try to be more positive, you are on your way to making a big aesthetic difference to where you started. Feel free to contact me personally if you need my support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ahmedabad_guy Posted May 1, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted May 1, 2019 On 4/27/2019 at 6:19 AM, AltonMeyer said: Well in hindsight I suppose you could've gone for a more conservative V-shaped hairline, that area was just too much to be covered with 2.5k grafts. You'd probably have needed at least 3.5K. What you could do now is trim it to 1mm and get SMP to fill in the gaps - you'd still have a great look trust me! I think it is still early days for you. It is only 6.5 months you should wait for another 3-4 months then post your results and then let this community give their feedback. Hopefully you will get decent results. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xadiohead Posted May 1, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted May 1, 2019 2 hours ago, ahmedabad_guy said: I think it is still early days for you. It is only 6.5 months you should wait for another 3-4 months then post your results and then let this community give their feedback. Hopefully you will get decent results. I generally agree with this when people post things like this at the 6-7 month mark but I too don't see how he can get a good result based on the gaps in the post opp pics. Every graft/hair would have to survive for it to even be a decent result. I too think SMP is going to be his best route, but should wait at least 6 months for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Lennney Posted May 1, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted May 1, 2019 Any HT at 6 months won't look good if you keep it under an inch length. Start growing your hair out. You're at the stage where there will be more consistent hair growth. Finally, let's be realistic. You have no before nor any after pics of you from the front; as someone would see you. Find a pic of you that someone took 5+ feet away before HT and now(6+ months post). I'd wager you look a lot different post HT, and would look even more so with longer hair. I wouldn't be disappointed, I would look for ways to improve my situation. Shift your efforts to things you can control. At least try growing your hair out, just see what happens after 3 months of letting it grow! Also, change your requirement for a successful HT. You were never going to un-bald with so much area to cover. This HT success should be measured by the attention it takes away from your balding. Again, this is measured by a front profile view of you (as others see you). And, by the way, if you notice you look different from the front, make a conscious effort to keep your posture up (will also make you look and feel more confident) and look people in the eyes. Some of us feel self conscious and look at the floor/away. Highlight your most attractive appearance by making it the appearance people see. Avoid your less-than-flattering appearance by recognizing what actions and behaviors you do. No one will care about the aerial view of your head if you don't show it! There is no need for pessimism. You're on track, and looking much better/improved over your prior situation. I only hope you consider some of the advice here. 3 If you're thinking of traveling abroad, consider this read: Airfare guide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Petroholic Posted May 2, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2019 @AltonMeyer Wernt you suggested higher number of grafts by Dr Bhattin? Or was the donor sparse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member AltonMeyer Posted May 2, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted May 2, 2019 Just now, Petroholic said: @AltonMeyer Wernt you suggested higher number of grafts by Dr Bhattin? Or was the donor sparse. I am not the patient. I supposed I have been tagged by @ahmedabad_guy due to some sort of confusion.@johanchicago is the patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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