GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix

[Viney]

Brilliant write up - thanks for all you do for this community. This is going to be a lot of fun to watch.

[Mggm]

On 2/1/2022 at 10:05 AM, Gatsby said:

I feel like I have a sense of calm and peace about myself that I haven't experienced

It's hard to explain this to someone but only people who have gone through the stages of MPB and a hair transplant can relate to this. The feeling of finally getting that peace of mind after years of constant worry.

[Ryan Daniel]

You're already looking better than you ever did Adrian and it's just the beginning. Looking forward for more. Your case was a special one indeed!

[OliverAtom]

On 1/27/2022 at 8:16 AM, Gatsby said:

After two long years of waiting for my surgery, the day for departing Australia had finally arrived. I made my way to Melbourne airport on Sunday. With a couple of hours up my sleeve and with Australian border bureaucracy as it has been, there had to be still one form that was missing. Fortunately, a Qantas official came to my aid and spent an hour with me on my phone downloading apps, uploading more pics, documents, etc, until eventually I was on that plane and it was lift off at long last. When I landed in Delhi after a long flight, lot of great memories came flooding back to me, having travelled and back packed through India several times before. However, once I walked out of the Delhi airport this time, I soon realized that this was no back packing trip. I arrived to the greetings of a huge bouquet of flowers and a camera crew which greeted me like a rock star, filming and capturing photos of my every move! First off I was met by Raj from Eugenix who chatted with me in the car about a host of different issues (apart from just hair) as our driver Jeldah drove. Next when we arrived at the Eugenix Farmhouse and I thought I had arrived in Shangri la! If you do go to Eugenix for surgery, get used to the staff fighting over carrying the smallest bag upon you. It was here also that I finally met Anil. While chatting with Anil I began to hear the dulcet tones of  ‘Welcome brother!’ I turned around to see Dr Pradeep, who welcomed me with a huge embrace. I was told to sit and eat (something that Melvin had warned me about but no amount of fasting could have prepared me for this much food!!!). THE FOOD! For the next eight days it just never ended! ‘Twenty seven’ hours later after dinner I was taken to the Westin Hotel to sleep on the first night before my first day of surgery the following day.

I awoke the next morning feeling fully rested and after eating a huge breakfast I was picked up and driven to Eugenix. I was introduced to the Eugenix film crew which decided that we should do some video’s in the morning before surgery with Muddah, Raman, Yash, Pradeek and Aditya. The problem during filming though was that Yash kept geting the giggles and we all lost our shit!! CUT! (Be prepared to have camera’s around you at times and just take it all in your stride and have fun!) After filming the next stop was with Dr Pradeep in his office and he assessed my scalp and beard donor supply. Despite the many photos, video’s and WhatsApp chats with Dr Pradeep over the past couple of years, my donor fell short of what Dr Pradeep was expecting. The scalp donor was a little less robust and even my beard was less than what he had imagined. Still, Dr Pradeep was not dissuaded, and he ensured me that I would get a great result regardless and that we should be aiming to extract up to 8,000 grafts to which I was delighted to hear. However harvesting my grafts turned out to be more of a marathon than a sprint. The original three days of surgery that Dr Pradeep had initially planned now turned out into becoming six long days straight, totaling almost 60 hours on the table. As I write this now however and reflecting on my experience, it was worth every single minute of it.

Dr Pradeep then then drew my hairline free hand and I was delighted that it included hiding my hairline scar (from previous botched work) that had always been a source for self-consciousness for myself. He drew the hairline so that the grafts would come down to just ‘kiss’ the very edge behind the scar on the left, slightly overlap the scar at the mid point and then rise a little behind the scar on the right as it met the opposing temple. In all, my 15 cm long hair line scar would now be reduced to just 1.5cm’s exposed and yet this new hairline would still look natural and non-juvenile for my age. There was nothing I wanted to change about it. It was asymmetrical and it just looked natural in both its height and design. I was then taken to a cloak room to change out of my clothes and into patient garb and after a short wait with an explanation of what was involved with surgery, I entered the theatre. Here I was greeted by more nurses, doctors, techs, etc, as my long-awaited surgery began. Dr Pradeep began making the slits for the hairline and the beginning of the frontal third while scalp grafts began to be extracted by the very competent Dr Shishir. When the first day was finished, I was given medication by Anil who explained to me what to take and when. The next morning, I was again picked up from the Westin where I again stayed for the second night and we again returned to Eugenix to repeat the procedure. More grafts were extracted from the scalp and Dr Pradeep began to assess my beard for both hair quality and density, etc. After anesthesia was injected into my cheeks and my face became numbed, Dr Shishir began scoring out and extracting beard grafts that were to be used for behind the hairline, the mid-section and for the crown which were to be mixed in with more scalp grafts. By the end of the second day, we had 5,000 pre made slits in total and 1,235 grafts transplanted and to top all of this off I now had temple points! 184 scalp grafts for the left temple point and 223 scalp grafts for the right temple point. It was slow and steady going as there were many challenges that we had to face. This surgery wasn’t simply a straightforward hair transplant. We had to tackle poor scalp donor, a large head and crown and scars along the hairline and donor area that I wanted to be addressed. Dr Pradeep attacked this like a mathematical equation and though he didn’t always say much, you could almost hear his mind ticking over as his talent rose to the fore, drawing on the thousands of surgeries he had performed before. I never once doubted or questioned any of Dr Pradeep’s decisions, nor that of any of the other doctors or techs involved. I asked a lot of questions at times and they answered each and every one of them. Their skills in patient communication matched that of their surgical brilliance! The entire team worked along like a well-oiled machine in harmony the entire time.

Day three and another long ten-hour day of surgery soon began. By the end of this day we were now at a total of 5,765 grafts moved. When surgery was finished, I was then driven to the Eugenix farm house for another ‘HUUUUUGE’ dinner. After dinner I relaxed sitting around the fire outside with Dr Pradeep and some of his friends. One was a famous Hindi singer and the other was Dr Vinita or ‘Winnie’ who was involved in my surgery and I must admit was very ‘easy on the eyes’ to say the least! After chatting with Winnie after this night I kept telling myself that if I was only 20 years younger and an extra 5,000 scalp grafts! Hmmmm!!!!! 😉Just as with the Eugenix surgery staff, the Eugenix farm house had staff that would attend to your every whim and need. Apart from a chef being on hand all hours there was the ever-faithful Sudhir who would spray down the grafts every evening when I returned from a day in surgery and was at my beck and call if ever I needed anything no matter how small. The selflessness and care from Sudhir was overwhelming and was consistent with that of every single member of the Eugenix team across the board.

Another morning and again that ‘bottomless breakfast’ was served! After gaining another 10kg’s I was again driven to Eugenix on day four and today Dr Pradeep and Dr Shisher were examining my chest in search for suitable chest hair grafts that would match and serve to be utilized as a filler in the crown along with scalp and beard grafts. This was yet again another long day. Up until now, everything in terms of pain management had been smooth sailing. I had never once felt any pain as at any time you could stop to request more anesthesia. I generally also have quite a high pain threshold anyway. However, due to the almost 30 hours of concentration, I found mental fatigue starting to set in and becoming a little bit of an issue for me. It was today that I would begin to ask for a little bit more of anesthesia than I had prior. Nevertheless I was determined to push on and to see this through for however long it would take. I decided to let go of counting the tally of grafts being taken and just put all of my attention into the job at hand. By the end of this day however we had a combined total of 7,853 grafts and of those I was delighted that 3,190 were from the scalp! Dr Pradeep had told me that despite my poor scalp donor he was hoping that we could harvest somewhere between 3,000 – 3,500 scalp grafts. The man just never failed to deliver! As I looked up on the large TV screen playing a loop of modern Hindi music, I saw a face that looked familiar. It was the chap I was chatting to the night before around the fire at the Eugenix farm house with who had just completed his surgery. When I returned back to the Eugenix farm house that night I met a few other patients from the UK, USA and from elsewhere. We gathered around the fire and chatted and I couldn’t help but tell them about all the horror stories that abound in the hair transplant world and just how lucky they were to have chosen Eugenix for there first procedure. A couple of these guys told me that they had considered Turkey due to location, price, etc, but had changed their minds. We later went inside and had a few games of table tennis and MORE FOOD! The night was becoming another late one so after Sudhir sprayed down my grafts and ensured that I had taken all the required meds he literally ‘tucked me into bed’ to ensure that my head was resting in the best possible way to protect the grafts.

I awoke to day five, the final day (or so I thought)! That morning I had decided to shave off my moustache as it was beginning to become quite itchy. Again in surgery, more grafts were scored and extracted from my chest and transplanted into the crown area. I now knew that we were so close to the finish line I could almost smell it! I told Dr Shisher that he was welcome to extract some grafts from my moustache. Dr Shisher replied no as it would be too painful and to leave it. Dr Pradeep came in not long after and saw that I had shaved off my moustache. He looked at me with a curious look on his face. He asked me why I had shaved off my ‘tash’ and I told him it was just getting too itchy. I could then hear him chatting with Dr Shisher and I could sense something new was being discussed. Dr Pradeep then told me that my moustache would make for a great filler in the crown to gain more density so it was an easy agreement for me. I wasn’t concerned about any perceived pain by this stage. I had waited for two years and travelled a long way to get the best results that I could by whatever means possible. With the vibrating pressure the anesthesia was no different to any other part of my body. It wasn’t pain that I now had to battle but mental fatigue. As Dr Pradeep and then Dr Shisher scored out and extracted beard grafts they were then placed into more premade slits in the crown. At the end of the day I was elated. We had cracked the 8,000 graft count mark! We had achieved 8,491 grafts. More than I could believe would be possible with what I had for Eugenix to work with! After a great back and arm massage from the techs I was beyond happy. After being sprayed down and cleaned up I was taken to the photo booth for the ‘after’ photos to be taken just as the ‘before’ photos  had been taken on day one prior to surgery. That night I had achieved the unachievable after 37 long years. I was elated and after another ‘HUGE MEAL’ Sudhir sprayed down my grafts, got out the meds for me and ensured that I was set up in bed in the best possible position to prevent any grafts from being dislodged. It was now no longer just grafts on top of my head to contend with. It was the over 2,500 plus grafts that now resided in my crown that required protection. That night I was physically and mentally spent.

The next morning yep you guessed it. Another HUGE BREAKFAST! I was up fairly early and after showering, etc, Dr Pradeep and I took a walk around the magnificent gardens of the Eugenix farm house. We chatted and joked during a lap of the farm and then Dr Pradeep said we need to go back to Eugenix for one last day! Day six! Dr Pradeep had been thinking about one of my early requests (if it was at all possible) and that was to fill in my old donor scars with hair grafts. Despite the SMP being there to cover my old donor scars, Dr Pradeep was still not content. So off we both drove again to Eugenix. In the theatre both Dr Shiser and Dr Pradeep both discussed the matter and though I couldn’t understand them, I could sense that the conversation was around donor source. The amount of grafts taken by Dr Pradeep had so far ensured that donor management was as much of a priority as was gaining full coverage. Dr Pradeep then turned to me and asked me to lower my pants!! 8-0 Both he and Dr Shisher examined my pubic hair and said it was probably the strongest donor area on my entire body!!! Who am I to argue I thought and as embarrassing as it may sound I thought well if it means we can fill the old donor scars in with grafts from ‘down stairs’ then let’s do it! From the pubic region Dr Shisher was able to harvest 232 grafts!!! I then had to have slits made in the old donor scars carried out. I had lost track of time on this sixth and final day and I was really being stretched to the end of my endurance. I was just a dead weight lying prone on the table as two techs went to work and inserted the last of the grafts into the donor scars. At some point I could feel the anesthesia starting to wear off, but I was on a mission, and I knew that I was literally at the finish line to having all my surgical goals completed. I asked one of the techs how many more grafts were their left to be placed in the donor scars? I was told 23. I was running on pre adrenaline now and rather than stop and wait to have more anesthesia injected I said just keep going. I counted every one of those pubic grafts planted into my donor scars as they went in and I felt them too! I just bit down hard as I counted them down. When the last implanter could no longer be heard I knew it was over. I wanted to get up but I was told to remain lying still on the table as they wanted to ensure that the grafts were firmly in place. It was like a huge weight of 37 years of plugs, scars, wigs and ink had finally been lifted from me. I could see my reflection in the window to my left and I could feel tears welling up. But these were not tears of sadness but tears of just sheer pure joy. Physically I felt as though I had gone 10 rounds with all my heavy weight demons and at the final bell, I had come out victorious on top. Dr Pradeep was singing, fist pumping and high fiving! The end tally was now 8,723 grafts. Anymore grafts and we would have needed a bigger white board!!

In closing none of this would have been able to have been made possible if it were not for the Hair Restoration Network. This forum and its members have become like a brotherhood to me. I would like to thank everyone for there love and support and I hope that my experience can in some way help others and let them know that things can be made possible by the support of others. I began this thread on stating how Eugenix made me feel like a rock star when I arrived in India. However the true rock stars are Dr Pradeep and Dr Arika, Dr Shishir, Winnie 😍, Surya, Satyam, Kabul, Aklhilesh, Shushant, Sudhir, Mohindar, Jeldah, Yash, Pradeek, Anil, Raman, Muddha and everyone else associated with Eugenix. From my experience with Dr Pradeep all I can say is that if you had three best mates then Dr Pradeep would be two of them!

 

 

 

 

 

What a wonderful and exciting adventure @Gatsby !!!

This thread could become THE THREAD on this Forum. The numbers, the difficulty, the info and details provided ... just something amazing! 

Thanks a lot for sharing. Eugenix is among the best and one of my favourites along with Dr Couto, Dr Freitas, Dr Mwamba and Dr Bisanga for when my time comes 🤗 

Can not wait to see your transformation! Please, keep those updates coming SOON! 

 

 

[stephcurry30]

On 1/31/2022 at 10:35 PM, Gatsby said:

I thought I'd take a photo today. Ten days post op and before those grafts start to shed. For the first time in thirty seven years it's such a massive relief being in public and not thinking about hair loss, scars, hair pieces, ink, wearing a cap, etc! I feel like I have a sense of calm and peace about myself that I haven't experienced since I was eighteen. I have to keep reminding myself that I can just get up and walk out the door! From now on I will post on the 22nd of each month for my monthly update. ☺️

 

That is incredible to hear! You and Melvin are both inspirational stories!

[Hair Triggered]

Truly an inspirational story! I’m cheering for you!

[Leb_Guy]

Happy for you @Gatsby. Happy growing!

[Arvind Rai]

@Gatsby  Congrats for the surgery.
 
However, I just wanted to know :
1. What was the cost of your surgery, how much per graft they charged you?
2. Was the accommodation provided by the clinic?
3. Are you using any finasteride or minoxidil?
4. What about the pain & swelling?

Looking forward to updates! Hope you get a great result. Keep post the latest updates.

[Gabreille Nelson Mukhia]

Hope you are well. I believe that you must've had your first headwash also. The shedding phase is could begin anytime now. Please don't be worried if it does initiate early or doesn't happen at all. It differs from person to person. We are hoping to see your amazing growth in the coming future. Thank you for letting us serve you. Please do let us know if you shall require anything. We are right here for you.

[LondonRamen]

Very happy for you man. Hope it works out well. Looks like it'll be a good one.

[Raphael84]

@Gatsby

Great write up and I am wishing you the very best my friend.
You are a credit and great value to this community and thoroughly deserve the best result possible.

I look forward to following your evolution.

Take care and heal well.

[Vann]

This was a phenomenal read. Between you physically enduring the procedure but the mental struggle that I am sure we all have faced with. I am really excited for you and I hope you continue to share your growth with us.

You definitely kept strong towards the end and now you get to reap those benefits!

[Gatsby]

14 hours ago, Arvind Rai said:

@Gatsby  Congrats for the surgery.
 
However, I just wanted to know :
1. What was the cost of your surgery, how much per graft they charged you?
2. Was the accommodation provided by the clinic?
3. Are you using any finasteride or minoxidil?
4. What about the pain & swelling?

Looking forward to updates! Hope you get a great result. Keep post the latest updates.

I paid for the top tiered option. It was a lot! The accommodation was provided by the clinic (part of which was included in the price). The rest of the time I spent with Dr Pradeep at the Eugenix farm house which is quite new. I'm on 1mg of finsteride Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am not on any other meds. I have had no pain or swelling. I haven't even had a headache. Thanks for your well wishes and I will be updating my results every month on the 22nd for one year. All the best.

[Gatsby]

12 hours ago, Gabreille Nelson Mukhia said:

Hope you are well. I believe that you must've had your first headwash also. The shedding phase is could begin anytime now. Please don't be worried if it does initiate early or doesn't happen at all. It differs from person to person. We are hoping to see your amazing growth in the coming future. Thank you for letting us serve you. Please do let us know if you shall require anything. We are right here for you.

Nelson I asked after you when I was at Eugenix. I have also received all of your daily updates on what to do post op. 👏 The hair grafts are still hanging on though I feel this week they will begin their demise and then it's on to the ugly duckling phase for me. Your offer of assistance is greatly appreciated and is something that has been afforded to me from everyone of the Eugenix team. 🙏

[Gabreille Nelson Mukhia]

3 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Nelson I asked after you when I was at Eugenix. I have also received all of your daily updates on what to do post op. 👏 The hair grafts are still hanging on though I feel this week they will begin their demise and then it's on to the ugly duckling phase for me. Your offer of assistance is greatly appreciated and is something that has been afforded to me from everyone of the Eugenix team. 🙏

Aww thank you sir. I went through the ugly duckling phase too. I wish you a speedy result.

[Arvind Rai]

3 hours ago, Gatsby said:

I paid for the top tiered option. It was a lot! The accommodation was provided by the clinic (part of which was included in the price). The rest of the time I spent with Dr Pradeep at the Eugenix farm house which is quite new. I'm on 1mg of finsteride Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am not on any other meds. I have had no pain or swelling. I haven't even had a headache. Thanks for your well wishes and I will be updating my results every month on the 22nd for one year. All the best.

I appreciate ur quick reply. Actually if someone wants the more than 5000 Grafts from Eugenix, what will be the approx. cost, just want to let me know? what will be the graft charge ?

[Gatsby]

5 hours ago, Arvind Rai said:

I appreciate ur quick reply. Actually if someone wants the more than 5000 Grafts from Eugenix, what will be the approx. cost, just want to let me know? what will be the graft charge ?

It just depends on what package you choose. 

[ljpcarrera]

Gatsby, in your research what do the surgeons say about implanting grafts into areas that had prior grafts reduced. I have old school punch grafts on both sides of my hairline. Lucky dutasteride has been able to keep most of my hair for 20 plus years, so there easy to cover up. 
 

I had the plugs reduced twice in the 2000s but the hair that was salveged and re implanted did not grow, maybe 20 percent of them. I know the can remove them by excise a line and your left with a small scar on the hairline. This removes all the scar tissue. 
 

Like you I had a bad transplant at 19 way before the internet. I just want to not worry about always having to style or avoid wind once and for all.

 

thanks

[Gabreille Nelson Mukhia]

On 2/5/2022 at 10:26 AM, Arvind Rai said:

I appreciate ur quick reply. Actually if someone wants the more than 5000 Grafts from Eugenix, what will be the approx. cost, just want to let me know? what will be the graft charge ?

The following link is to our cost page on our website:

https://eugenix.in/hair-transplant-cost

Please do reach out to us at +918826473333 or info@eugenix.in for more queries.

 

[follically challenged]

On 2/5/2022 at 12:51 PM, ljpcarrera said:

Gatsby, in your research what do the surgeons say about implanting grafts into areas that had prior grafts reduced. I have old school punch grafts on both sides of my hairline. Lucky dutasteride has been able to keep most of my hair for 20 plus years, so there easy to cover up. 
 

I had the plugs reduced twice in the 2000s but the hair that was salveged and re implanted did not grow, maybe 20 percent of them. I know the can remove them by excise a line and your left with a small scar on the hairline. This removes all the scar tissue. 
 

Like you I had a bad transplant at 19 way before the internet. I just want to not worry about always having to style or avoid wind once and for all.

 

thanks

Ever had any sides at all from 20 years on Dut?

[Gatsby]

On 2/5/2022 at 3:56 PM, Arvind Rai said:

I appreciate ur quick reply. Actually if someone wants the more than 5000 Grafts from Eugenix, what will be the approx. cost, just want to let me know? what will be the graft charge ?

You have to contact Eugenix for a cost break down. 

[Gatsby]

On 2/5/2022 at 11:51 PM, ljpcarrera said:

Gatsby, in your research what do the surgeons say about implanting grafts into areas that had prior grafts reduced. I have old school punch grafts on both sides of my hairline. Lucky dutasteride has been able to keep most of my hair for 20 plus years, so there easy to cover up. 
 

I had the plugs reduced twice in the 2000s but the hair that was salveged and re implanted did not grow, maybe 20 percent of them. I know the can remove them by excise a line and your left with a small scar on the hairline. This removes all the scar tissue. 
 

Like you I had a bad transplant at 19 way before the internet. I just want to not worry about always having to style or avoid wind once and for all.

 

thanks

Wow. I hope my experience can help. I was 18 when I had ‘plugs.’ You have done well to hold onto your hair! 👌 I would say whoever removed the plugs for you transected a lot of grafts (possibly). It could be due to a lot of other factors too like handling the grafts too much, etc. The only thing discussed between Dr Pradeep and myself regarding my hairline scar was that he felt implanting grafts into the scar was risky so he placed single grafts behind the hairline scar and at the midpoint he placed some singles just in front of the hairline scar. Today removing punch grafts and dissecting them into smaller single grafts by a good surgeon is a very common procedure. Have a look at the doctors recommended on the forum. All the best! 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Gatsby

[_lshy]

Love this post Gatsby - beautifully detailed and it looks like you had so much fun with the team!

Subbed, can't wait to see how this works out!

[Gatsby]

1 hour ago, _lshy said:

Love this post Gatsby - beautifully detailed and it looks like you had so much fun with the team!

Subbed, can't wait to see how this works out!

Many thanks @_lshy. I'm looking forward to following your journey too! 👌

[Stewie]

this looks and sounds amazing, I think you have sold me on visiting these guys for my third and hopefully final session for filling in and added density maybe some point next year, absolutely superb on every level