Robotic Hair Restoration: The ARTAS® System

by Samuel Lam, M.D.

Robotic technology is changing the way medicine is practiced today. Robotics has been implemented successfully in many kinds of surgeries.

Now computer-assisted robotic technology has come to hair restoration in the form of the first consistent, reliable, and precise method of Follicular Unit Extraction.

What is Follicular Unit Extraction?

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is an incisionless method for harvesting hair for transplantation from the back of the head in which individual follicular units are extracted one at a time.

FUE has been gaining in popularity over the last several years, especially in active men who wish to wear a shorter hairstyle. With FUE, no linear incision is made on the back of the head and there is no linear scar.

In the past, the problem with FUE was the high degree of variability in harvesting quality that often led to unpredictable and unsatisfactory hair transplant results.

The ARTAS® Robotic Hair Restoration System

The ARTAS® System is a computer-assisted, FDA-cleared, robotic device that offers the most precise method for follicular unit extraction possible today.

Unlike older techniques (e.g. NEOGRAFT or hand harvesting for FUE), the image-guided ARTAS® robotic arm relies on a complex algorithm and multiple sensors for unparalleled precision and speed. It is able to harvest grafts at the ideal depth, angle and direction with optimal distance between grafts.

The advantages of the ARTAS® System for hair restoration are as follows:

• Precise, robot-controlled, consistent FUE harvesting.
• No linear incision or scarring along the back of the head.
• Procedure is nearly undetectable after a week.
• Hairstyle can be worn at any length without showing a donor scar.
• Rapid return to sports and other activities.

How Does the ARTAS® System Work?

The ARTAS® Robotic Hair Transplant Procedure is an automated technology that helps to restore thinning hair. The ARTAS® technology works by transplanting thick, healthy hair from the back or sides of your head into the thinning areas.

Your hair transplant surgeon begins the procedure by using the ARTAS® Robotic System to digitally scan areas of your scalp, identifying those areas of hair in their natural groupings. The selected hair is then removed using the ARTAS® Robotic System’s image-guided robotics.

Most of the surrounding hair is left in place so that the donor area retains its natural appearance.

Your hair transplant surgeon then transplants the removed hair into the other areas of your scalp where you are experiencing thinning. After about six months, this transplanted hair will grow naturally in its new location.

The ARTAS® Robotic Procedure, Step-by-Step:

1. The area of the scalp to be used as a donor area is trimmed so it can then be digitized by the ARTAS® Robotic System. Your surgeon will then apply a local anesthetic.
2. A skin tensioner is also applied to the scalp so that the ARTAS® System can accurately locate and harvest the hair in its natural groupings.
3. The ARTAS® Robotic System digitally maps the donor area, analyzing the location of each natural grouping of hair (follicular unit).
4. With your surgeon’s guidance, the ARTAS® System randomly harvests hair in such a way that the donor area retains its original appearance. This process is repeated several times to acquire the desired amount of hair.
5. The follicular units are then transplanted into the thinning areas of the scalp, based on your surgeon’s artistic design. Within nine to twelve months you should enjoy permanent and natural results that you can confidently wear in any length or style.

The Advantages of ARTAS® Robot Hair Restoration

The ARTAS® system utilizes the latest digital imaging technology and precision robotics to help you keep that youthful and confident feeling with healthy, natural results.

The ARTAS® system is the first and only FDA-approved computer-assisted technology for harvesting follicular units directly from your donor area.

The advanced digital technology and precision robotics behind the ARTAS® system help deliver a revolutionary hair restoration procedure that is:

• Minimally-invasive
• Allows you to quickly get back to your active lifestyle
• Delivers consistent, proven and natural results

Unlike stripped harvest surgery, the ARTAS® procedure requires no linear incisions or stitches. Additionally the ARTAS® system harvests hair in a natural fashion, so that the donor area retains its original appearance which allows you to quickly returned to your active lifestyle.

Now that you understand the technology and precision robotics behind the ARTAS® system, maybe it’s time you discovered this minimally-invasive hair restoration procedure for yourself?

(published July 19, 2013)

Samuel M. Lam, M.D. is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and a board-certified hair transplant surgeon. The author of five major medical textbooks, Dr. Lam lectures monthly both nationally and internationally. He has also been distinguished as Surgeon-of-the-Month by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, of which he is a member. Dr. Lam is the owner of the 27,000 square foot Willow Bend Wellness Center in Dallas, Texas, which supports meditation, revitalization, rejuvenation, relaxation and wellness. He can be reached at 972-312-8188.