Hiya - my name is Corrie - at the age of 47 (nearly 48) I made a life changing decision that now my children were old enough I would pack my bags and do some travelling. I decided to go on a six month solo journey around South East Asia and India. Upon my return to England it was too my delight that I had lost quite a lot of weight almost effortlessly on my travels. However it was also to my shock that a lot of the weight had come off my face and neck - leaving me with a saggy neck and jowls and lines and wrinkles which were much more noticeable. Having had such an amazing journey and feeling as though my world was just opening up - it was incredibly difficult for me to accept this droopy, sad looking face when I felt so young and energised and it felt like there was so much joy and fun still left inside me. I began to look into having some cosmetic surgery in the UK and went to a couple of consultations. One of the consultants (an Indian) mentioned that India had a busy cosmetic surgery industry and that it was considerably cheaper. I made the decision to research further on the internet.

I made contact with a number of agencies one of them being Surgigo - whose representative said that their hospital - Ruby Hall Clinic was in Pune ( a place I have a very positive connection to and was planning to visit again in the January 2007). The representative gave me Dr Ashish Davalbhakta's email address so that I could make direct contact with him. My initial intention was to visit the various hospitals on my travels around India and speak to the Consultants and then have my surgery at the end of my travelling when and if I had found the Consultant I would be happy to put my trust with. However life sometimes has different plans for you. Whilst in Pune 2 weeks after arriving in India - I called Dr Davalbhakta (or Ashish as he prefers to be called). His superb English and patient, caring and sincere responses resulted in my wanting to meet with him sooner rather than later. My first consultation with him at the Ruby Hall Clinic was excellent. Not only was I very impressed with how modern, clean and busy the hospital was with all the rich tapestry and colour that is India and its people, I was further impressed with Ashish and felt almost immediately that he was someone I could trust. He is absolutely dedicated to his profession, of which he is deeply knowledgable without being overwhelming. He sat patiently and listened and then explained in great detail how he would like to rejuvenate my face. He explained with much clarity how getting one thing done say my lower face region and not, say doing something about the lines around my eyes and on my upper lip, might affect the overall effect - he explained the operation and the healing process. His patience, knowledge and kindness were such that I found my trust towards him deepening.

After my first consultation, without any pressure whatsoever from Ashish, I found myself thinking more and more about the operation and felt that this needed to take precedent over my travels. I felt absolutely sure that I had found the person that I wanted to operate on me and so I went for a second consultation and the operation was booked for a week later. Ashish explained and laid out all the costs involved and it was at least a third cheaper than in the UK.

My admission into Ruby Hall was absolutely thorough, professional and was carried out with such care and compassion.. In fact during my whole stay (one week - it was actually hard to leave!) I have never been treated with such care and compassion before. The standards of professionalism, care and hygiene were exceptionally high - my room was large, very tastefully decorated and spotlessly clean. I cannot think of one complaint or grumble about the hospital or any of its staff - from the consultants to the cleaners.

Although I came to India and the hospital alone - I never felt lonely or alone - there were always nurses or others to talk to - I had a tv with satellite and plenty of books to read - so recovery from the op was a lovely peaceful time - like I said it was very hard for me to leave. Ashish, who is always a busy man came to see me every night just to check on my progress. He has remained throughout exceptionally patient, kind and reassuring of any anxieties, I may have had about the healing.

It is now nearly six weeks since my operation and laser treatment and I can honestly say that I am absolutely delighted with the results - I look a good 10 if not more years younger - no jowels, loose neck or lines above my top lip. I have never for a moment regretted having the operation done and for trusting completely Ashish's expert guidance and advice. My main priority is to massage my face several times a day and feel it coming back to normal and of course keep my face out of the sun (no easy thing in India) whilst the laser marks disappear (they are virtually gone now).

When I arrived in India for the first time in Jan 2006 I did so with a closed heart and mind - but the beauty of India and its people is that they seem to open you up to yourself in the most amazing and non-judgmental way.

I will finish by repeating my heartfelt gratitude to Dr Dhavalbhakta and all the medical, domestic staff at Ruby Hall Clinic - thank you all so very much.