Early 50s, Salt and Pepper but Feeling Younger - Atlanta, GA

A very pleasant experience. Virtually painless. Dr. Anderson and his team are very attentive to details and patient's needs. From the first meeting all the steps were explained in details and questions answered afterwards. During the 2 (half) days of the procedure I felt very relaxed. You can tell you are in a very professional environment with some room for humor. The post operation days where better than anticipated. Everything that happened (swelling, redness...) was pre-announced and minimal. All I had to do was to take medications and refrain from exercising or doing other strenuous activities.The DecisionWhen I visited dr. Anderson I was already sold on the ARTAS Robotic System. I was aware of the technology ever since the development was announced about 10 years ago. Everything basically came together: ARTAS Robotic arrived in GA, Emory University has a great reputation in the medical field and Dr. Anderson comes from Emory. His office is in the prestigious Northside Hospital area, not far from where I live, and digging even further, I found out that he is a frequent speaker at medical conventions. He basically knows his stuff and he is willing to share his know-how.The objective of my visit to Dr. Anderson was to determine my eligibility, find out the cost and plan the intervention with the Artas Robot. The first contact was with Sara, the client liaison, she will brief you about the hair, the procedure and the care required after the procedure. She will tell you about Dr. Anderson and will find the answer to all of your questions, on site, via email or calls afterwards. My procedure was scheduled for the following summer as I couldn’t take time off during work.Pre Op Day (almost a year after my first visit):.Sara will inform you in details what to do before, during and after the procedure with print outs that are detailed day by day.On the pre-op day you might have second guesses, new questions, new desires, new fears…forget about it. Dr. Anderson from the first consultation will listen, take pictures and tell you what is best for you. You just have to trust his experience. On pre op day he spends the whole time with you going over the procedure, (design, expected results…) and starts preparing the recipient area. Hair is cut short and then basically micro-holes are created for the new hair. There is going to be some blood on your scalp but you won’t notice and it is easily controlled. Most importantly, there is no pain. In fact I was impressed by how quickly and skillfully, Dr. Anderson performed the local anesthesia himself, with no pain from the syringes he used. At this stage you will also be amused by the sounds your scalp can make while getting ready to receive new “guests”. Back home on the first night you are asked to take the prescribed medications, mostly aimed at preventing infections, swelling and pain. To my surprise I didn’t have to use any pain killer and I could have done without the Ambien too. In fact, I think I could have driven myself home, but each subject, you will be told, responds in different ways so every precautions is taken to minimize the risks.The Day of the ProcedureThe following day is ARTAS show time: you start early (around 7.30), some prep work and then, for the next 2 or 3 hours you sit with your face gently squeezed on a small pillow while a robotic arm does the rest. All you hear is the sound of the robotic arm that you perceive hovering behind your head. There is no pain. In fact, I was also able to take a little snooze. Being under the robotic arm also gives you a chance to get to know the rest of the staff. All trained hair technicians, they know what to do, they are a pleasant company and they make sure to keep you comfortable and the area spotless at all time. You won’t get to see Sara, your first contact, but I guess business attire is not allowed in the operation room. Besides she will be busy managing the new clients. From the day of my booking, to the day of my procedure 10 months later in fact, it was evident that Dr. Anderson had established his reputation: the practice moved to a bigger office, he hired new staff, he now meets with new prospects when he doesn’t need to be with the patient. For example after the robot has done his job it is the team of technicians that insert the grafts in a much faster way than the doctor. Dr. Anderson will still come and check and be very attentive to his patients and to things around them. I was surprised to the attention he paid to objects that were not “in the usual spot” or to how attentive he was to some apparently irrelevant requests I had made before the procedure. Some people might call it micromanaging but this is not his case. He is very friendly and relates well to his staff and patients. I am just not sure about his singing skills (there is music on the background all the time and occasionally he picks up a verse). After the ProcedureAll you have to do after the procedure is to follow the directions about taking your medications, avoid exercise and sleep sitting up for 2-3 nights. In my case the response was way better than I expected: I did not have to take any sleeping pills or pain killer, there was no bleeding. There was some minor swelling and redness around my eyes but this was expected and I could easily work from home. It took about 4 days for the blood spots and redness to disappear so that I could go out without getting attention.What’s NextOne anecdote to conclude my experience: while waiting in the reception area before my dismissal, I hear the receptionist talking over the phone. I could tell the caller was rude insisting and complaining for not being able to have a consultation or a procedure during the week-end. The receptionist could have said: “we have a life”, but instead very gracefully she said that they were not a hospital or a big corporation but a small practice. Few minutes later dr. Anderson came to say good bye to me and said basically the same thing: “We are a small practice but when you are a patient you become family and we will call you periodically to check on you”. That’s the general feeling I got. Everything I have written here so far matched most of the comments (public or private) I read from other patients. All of them were also very satisfied about the final result. I will need to wait 8 months to see the final result, but since my comments are similar to others… I am optimistic.