FUE procedure with 3500 grafts in one session / FUE healing time / ARTAS robotics is it faster? (photo)

Dear Dima85,In our hands the ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System has been more successful and quicker than manual FUE, but that can vary from surgeon to surgeon. The punches used in most FUE devices are about the same size: 0.9mm to 1.0mm in diameter. It is not the device that will determine the final result. These FUE devices, of which there are many on the market, are simply tools...like a paintbrush. Everyone knows that no paintbrush at any price can guarantee a beautiful painting. It is the experience, dedication, and track-record of success of the surgeon and his team of assistant that will dictate the outcome every single time. So go with the best surgeon and his team, not the "best device"...In terms of healing, and getting back to work so colleagues won't notice, that is going to be quicker with a linear FUT procedure as there is far less trimming of the hair that has to be done, especially if you and your doctor are contemplating a 3,500 graft procedure, which is about as large as a procedure can get. That being said, with an FUE procedure it will take 2 to 4 weeks, depending on your hair shaft caliber, your hair color, and the density of extraction with the FUE device. I hope this informatoin is helpful to you.Kind Regards,Ken Anderson, MD, FISHRS, ABHRSBoard Certified Hair Restoration Surgeon

The speed of the FUE surgery is dependant on the doctor and the patient's skin/hair characteristics. Speed does not relate to quality or results.

It is not true that FUE procedures with the ARTAS robot are faster or more accurate than manual FUE performed by an experienced physician. It is also not true that there is less scarring with the ARTAS system, as the punches used by the robotic machine is typically larger than those performed manually, and will actually lead to more scarring.

ARTAS is more effective and efficient than any other type of hair restoration. It offers the highest degree of precision and accuracy on the market today. Manual FUE is extremely demanding and tiring. It is difficult and requires a high level of hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. Typically, a clinician manually punches out thousands of grafts by hand. Detailed analysis of graft characteristics is extremely difficult with the human eye. There are not any automated safeguards to track previous dissection sites. Hair direction, angle, spacing and depth must be estimated visually by the operator.



With ARTAS, an image-guided robotic alignment allows for precise graft dissection, unmatched by human manual techniques. The graft quality remains consistent throughout the entire ARTAS procedure. This means the thousandth graft is the same quality as the first, and human fatigue is not a factor. The ARTAS Robotic System monitors and updates the parameters of each follicular unit 60 times per second, and the intelligent algorithms are able to identify and select the optimal hairs for harvesting. 



Also, manual FUE uses a sharp punch, which results in a greater risk of damage and transection (cutting a healthy graft and rendering it unusable). ARTAS uses a patented blunt dissection technique designed to produce minimal scarring and increase viable grafts. ARTAS patients are able to return back to work and normal activities in a few days. Most patients sleep comfortably without pain in the donor area immediately post-procedure.

As the inventor of the robot and the pioneer of FUE, I can say with authority that there is little difference between an ARTAS and a manual FUE in terms of healing time. As I have had an ARTAS in our office for a few years, I found that we were three times faster with the manual FUE than with the ARTAS and for that reason, we sold our ARTAS. The skilled surgeon can perform manual FUE faster than the ARTAS