Robotic Hair Transplants

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As many as 50 percent of men will experience some hair loss by the age of 50, and many women also suffer from a genetic predisposition to permanent hair loss. There exist a variety of medications and treatments to halt the progress of hair loss, and a multitude of products designed to conceal or disguise thinning or lost hair, but only a hair transplant can restore hair that has already been lost. As such, many people seeking to regain the appearance and feel of their own hair consider hair transplants. Transplanted hair is in all ways real and natural, because it comes from areas of the patient’s own scalp that are not affected by hair loss; the back and sides of the head of not susceptible to genetic pattern balding. Within a few months of the procedure, the transplanted hair will grow as normal, requiring no special attention or treatment beyond normal hair care. The technology of hair restoration has progressed in recent years, offering patients the precision and ease of a robot hair transplant.
A robot hair transplant is very similar, in principle, to a manual FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) transplant procedure, in which naturally-occurring units of one to four hair follicles are extracted from the donor area of the scalp under local anesthetic. Each follicular unit, about a millimeter in diameter, is then grafted into the areas of the scalp affected by balding. In contrast with other procedures, in which a strip of skin containing follicles is harvested from the scalp whole, and then cut into follicular units, FUE is more precise in its follicle harvesting. Rather than leaving a long, linear scar where the donor tissue was removed, FUE creates much less scarring at the harvest site and less discomfort for the patient, and requires a shorter healing time. However, FUE is a more labor-intensive harvesting process, requiring hours of repetitive labor, keen perception, and careful judgment.
Using the ARTAS System, a robot hair transplant removes the guesswork and potential for human error from the harvesting procedure. Under the control of a physician, the ARTAS System uses cameras and 3-D imaging computer software to guide the robotic arm to perform the graft extraction. The imaging system can recognize individual hair follicles, and the computer uses an algorithm to determine the optimal angle at which to extract them to prevent damage to the follicles as they are removed. Even the most experienced human physician will have an average rate of transection, or cutting through the follicle, of 20-30 percent; the robot hair transplant system reduces the transection rate to an average of 8 percent, resulting in more intact follicles and a more efficient harvesting. The ARTAS System harvests follicular units at a much faster rate than can be done by hand, reducing the length of the procedure, the amount of anesthesia that must be used, and the patient’s discomfort, while shortening the time that the harvested follicular units must be stored before they are transplanted manually by the physician. This ensures that as many follicles as possible survive to take root and grow in the treatment site.
The ARTAS System received clearance from the FDA in 2011, and every physician who operates the system receives special training in its use. Use of the ARTAS robot hair transplant system guarantees a patient the most precise, least invasive, least uncomfortable hair transplant procedure available today by removing human error from the follicle harvesting process. If you are considering a hair restoration procedure, a robot hair transplant can offer you the precision, efficiency, and quick recovery time that your life demands.Mark A Bishara, M.D., P.A. Medical Director
The Paragon Plastic Surgery and Med Spa