FUE Hair Transplant:
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), or FUE hair transplants, also known by other abbreviations: FOX, FIT, FUM, is a method of extracting hair from the donor area without an incision. Because there is no incision made, it has achieved popularity in the press. The advantages of FUE include the obviously stated one that there is no linear incision on the back of the head. In addition, because there is no incision, the relative discomfort (feeling of tightness for the first week and some mild achiness) will be greatly diminished. However, swelling in the forehead can be similar to a standard follicular-unit transplant (FUT) that uses linear harvesting of the donor area and that can last several days to a week following a procedure. FUE is particularly helpful for those individuals who have active life styles and/or wear their hair short in which even a very good donor closure could still be visible to the naked eye.
ARTAS System (Robotic Follicular Unit Extraction [FUE]) for Hair Restoration
Dr. Lam combines his talents as a leader in the field of hair restoration with Emina Karamanovski, former national and international training director for Restoration Robotics, to offer the pre-eminent technology in no-incision, robotic hair transplant technology.
ARTAS: Precision Robotics, No-Incision Hair Restoration
The ARTAS System (from Restoration Robotics) is a computer-assisted, FDA-cleared, robotic device that offers the most precise method for follicular unit extraction (FUE) possible today. FUE refers to an incisionless method for harvesting hair from the back of the head in which individual follicular units are extracted one at a time. The advantages of the ARTAS system for hair restoration are as follows:
- No linear incision or scarring along the back of the head
- Precise, robot-controlled, consistent FUE harvesting
- Hairstyle can be worn at any length without risk of exposing the donor scar
- Nearly undetectable after a week
- Quick return to sporting and other activities after a week.
Robotic technology has come of age to change the way that medicine is practiced today. Robotics has been implemented successfully in heart valve and bypass surgeries, prostate surgery, and kidney transplantation. Now computer-assisted robotic technology has arrived to change the landscape of hair restoration by offering the first consistent, reliable, and precise method of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). FUE has been gaining steady popularity over the last decade, especially in active men who desire to sport a shorter hairstyle. Since no linear incision is made on the back of the head, there is no risk of a linear scar.
Until the advent of robotic technology, the problem with FUE was the high degree of variability in harvesting quality that oftentimes led to poor, unpredictable hair transplant results. In particular, Dr. Lam believes that almost all previous methods of FUE have fallen short of his expectations for quality. Unlike older techniques like NEOGRAFT and hand harvesting for FUE, which are only powered tools, the image-guided robotic arm relies on a complex algorithm and multiple sensors that lead to unparalleled precision and speed in harvesting grafts at the ideal depth, angle and direction with optimal distance between grafts.
For ARTAS robotic-controlled FUE hair transplant procedures, the patient’s hair must be trimmed down to 1 mm in length in order for the imaging technology to identify and select the targeted follicular units for extraction. During harvesting, the patient rests comfortably in the ergonomically designed surgery chair, and a uniquely designed skin tensioner is applied to the patient’s scalp to stabilize the skin for accurate tracking and dissection of follicular units. After the harvesting is completed, Dr. Lam creates the recipient sites in an artistic manner to accommodate the harvested grafts. The grafts undergo final preparation and placement by Dr. Lam’s highly skilled, full-time and on-site hair-transplant staff. Recovery is quick and the donor area is healed and nearly undetectable within a week.
Despite the advanced state of robotic technology in the field of hair restoration, Dr. Lam believes that his artistic control over the design of your hair transplant pattern ultimately dictates the naturalness, visual density, and aesthetic appearance of your hair transplant. Always seeking to improve patient experience and outcome, Dr. Lam has been using healing and growth-promoting injections witnessing a revolution in his hair transplant results. Combining specialized platelet rich plasma (PRP) and Acell (morselized porcine basement membrane) and injecting them into the scalp, have increased the speed and percentage of hair growth. Since these injections improve quality of his hair transplant results in a exceptional way, Dr. Lam uses them in almost every hair-transplant case whether it is performed via Robotic FUE or traditional strip harvesting.
With the combined experience of Emina Karamanovski, who has worked as the national and international training director for Restoration Robotics, Dr. Lam believes that he offers unparalleled experience and skill with the ARTAS system worldwide. Whether Dr. Lam performs standard strip harvesting or robotic FUE, he believes that he will provide you the most superior and natural results in hair restoration possible today.
FUE Hair Transplant Cost
Of course, FUE hair transplant cost is a concern for many when trying to determine if ARTAS FUE is the right procedure for them. The good news is that FUE with ARTAS costs make it an affordable method for hair restoration. Follicular unit extraction costs can be relatively similar to other forms of hair restoration. The exact cost of your FUE hair transplant will be discussed during an initial consultation with Dr. Lam. During this consultation, your hair restoration needs and desires will be assessed by Dr. Lam and he will be able to provide you with an accurate overall FUE cost, based on the variety of factors that are unique to your case.
Every patient’s FUE hair transplant cost will be different, dependent primarily on how many hair grafts are required to achieve the level of coverage and density desired by the patient. Although an exact follicular unit extraction cost cannot be provided as a generalization to cover all patients, we want to be as transparent as possible about FUE hair transplant pricing so you have some idea of what to expect. In general, patients can expect FUE pricing to be just over $7 per graft, although smaller procedures may incur a slightly higher per graft cost. The FUE costs reflect a slight surcharge related to the use of the advanced ARTAS technology and the disposal costs that are incurred with each graft.
