According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), at least 35 million men in the United States are affected by male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia. By age 50, approximately 50% of men will experience some degree of appreciable hair loss. Approximately one in four men suffer from male pattern baldness (MPB), which has psychological, professional and social consequences.
Hair transplant surgeries are lengthy and painful; both for the patients and surgeons. However, in recent years we have seen several advancements and inventions in the field of hair transplantation that have improved the entire aspect of the procedure. The most eagerly asked or wondered about question though, is which invention will become the perfect solution for hair loss patients who search the world for a better solution.
In a surgical hair transplant techniques lost hair is replaced with patient’s own fuzz from donor areas on the back and sides of the scalp by either the follicular unit extraction (FUE) or strip harvesting. FUE uses a small, 1mm dermal punch to pluck small tufts of hairs directly from the scalp. Strip harvesting relies on cutting out a strip of scalp and manually excising the follicles from the flesh using a microscope. These follicles are then carefully grafted onto the bald patch, known as the recipient area.
ARTAS, the first and only FDA cleared, physician controlled interactive, computer assisted system that allows safe and effective FUE. The procedure utilizes image-guidance to enhance the quality of hair follicle harvesting. Through its design and ease-of-use, ARTAS has the potential to solve most of the technical challenges inherent in the manual FUE technique. The System is operated under the direction of a physician. This technology allows patients to permanently regain the vitality of their appearance affected by hair loss.
The ARTAS System combines several features including an interactive, image-guided robotic arm, special imaging technologies, small dermal punches and a computer interface. After the System is positioned over the patient’s donor area of the scalp, ARTAS is capable of identifying and harvesting follicular units. The follicular units are stored until they are implanted into the patient’s recipient area using current manual techniques. For more information, please visit ARTAS official site.
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