ArochaHair

Here is a case that is considered to almost be taboo when it comes to shaving vs. not shaving. Dr. Arocha performed a very larger procedure, 5900 grafts in one session, and this diffused thinner did not have to shave his recipient zone. The final outcome speaks for itself. http://vimeo.com/117635650

Harry, the key is to comb your hair while you just walk around, that way it doesn't look unusual when you're in front of the mirrors:)

Hi Dr. Bloxham, The upgrades include a punch that is not only smaller but is also completely unique in the field of FUE. The design is such that allows for scoring, like every other punch on the market, but also complete detachment of the follicle. The punch literally separates the follicle from the scalp, 100%, as opposed to simply leaving it attached at the bottom to later be extracted with forceps. Imagine if you will a tree spade and how they can transplant a fully grown tree, roots and all. It is a similar concept and one that cannot be accomplished by hand with an expectation of getting enough grafts for a proper transplant. Once the graft is scored it is extracted without tension which cannot be said about any other method in the industry. There is also true data logging for each procedure. For years there have been transection rates spoken about by various FUE practitioners with data that is compiled without third party oversight. Restoration Robotics has included data logging for not only each attempt made but also the true transection rates so it is a piece of information that cannot be manipulated. They have also taken measures to prevent procedures from being prepared by non-medical professionals. This is to help ensure that the doctor is actually involved and prevents technician only oversight. The software also allows the robot to have more dexterity for reaching previously difficult areas such as the area just below the occipital protrusion. Of course, the robot is not the only tool for all patients but it is a tool that is getting noticeably better with each update. Dr. Arocha is very good with his manual FUE extraction as evidenced by his results but he believes that there is a place for technology in our chosen field. Remember, each update is the culmination of hundreds of thousands of attempts that are recorded and transmitted back to company, which they then use to make improvements for the next update. It is very impressive technology. It's not a perfect technology and there is still a need for very high quality manual FUE but we're already seeing the great improvements to the donor zone after the last update and the new update should see another big improvement as well.

Shaving definitely makes a procedure easier for the doctor and in many cases it can be easier for the patient with regards to the after care (applying topical for recovery) but many patients simply cannot be in a position where their heads are shaved in any way shape or form. 1. It can be more difficult but only if a really high density is being attempted but of course if a very high density is being attempted this means that there is probably not much hair in the recipient area to begin with so it is kind of a contradictory situation. 2. No. Quite the opposite. With the direct exposure a shaved head gets it is more likely for "dirt" to fall directly on the recipient area. With hair unshaven this can potentially deflect this dirt that you speak of from causing infection in the first place. If the recipient sites are made properly (small enough) then they will close and start to heal very fast and once a clot has formed on the incision then infection has a really hard time taking hold. In fact, most post surgery infections can trace the point of infection back to the surgery itself because of relaxed contamination protocols. 3. True but this is usually not an issue if the recipient area is cleaned properly after your surgery. Besides, you likely won't be mingling with friends and family for the first few days after your surgery anyway so it doesn't really matter. When a few days have passed it is safe to carefully style your hair. The debate about shaving or not shaving is pretty old and there are many points pro and con on both sides but ultimately it comes down to the experience of the doctor you choose.

The following video is a compilation of several excellent results achieved by Dr. Arocha and the team at Arocha Hair Restoration in Houston, Texas. These results represent both surgical options offered by Dr. Arocha, follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS) and follicular unit extraction (FUE). There are also a variety of ethnicities as well as both male and female patients represented. If you have any questions regarding these results please don’t hesitate to ask. www.youtube.com/watch?v=N85l2ZzFLwg&feature

Dr. Arocha has been performing manual FUE for a number of years now and with great success however he purchased the ARTAS as it was seen as an opportunity to participate in what he felt was the progression of the field. However, it was not long afterward that he felt it did not match the results he was getting from his manual FUE. This is changing. The latest software update to the robot has allowed for smaller punches to be used and the results are vastly improved overall. Here is one recent case that we posted the other day. The improvements to the robot are continuing. It is our opinion that FUE can be successfully performed if the practitioner understands how best to use the tools at their disposal. There are many tools available on the market and all of the top clinics use a mix of them to achieve their respective results. We believe that a clinic should be judged on their results, not on the tools they use to achieve them. If the tools were so important to warrant being on center stage we'd be arguing about the football instead of enjoying the fact that the Broncos won the Super Bowl:)

I see the resemblance. What ever were we thinking? I do not know which photos you are looking at but on the case we presented above the goal was to connect the moustache to the beard, along either side of his mouth and then fill in the patches of no growth on the cheeks. The "goatee" was already established and also needed only to be connected to the beard on the cheeks. The patient is coming in soon to have round 2 with the ARTAS for increasing overall density. Thank you for your opinion.

Thank you for your comments. I'm curious what it is exactly that you think makes the result look unnatural. Please use this photo and pick out specifics that help you to form your opinion. Thank you.

This patient came to see Dr. Arocha because he was concerned about his receding hairline and increased temple exposure. Dr. Arocha classified him as a NW3 and that approximately 2500 grafts would be necessary to rebuild the temples and to retconned the temples to the central hairline with good density. The patient was presented with options for his surgery and due to the lack of a linear scar he chose the ARTAS robotic system for his procedure. The results shown are 8 months post-surgery.

Hi Fitmodel007, Thank you very much for your wonderful comments about Dr. Arocha and the team. We certainly enjoyed having you back in the office and we look forward to your documentation.

"Better" is relative but to get a cosmetic improvement that would be worthwhile another few hundred to even a thousand could be done with effectiveness. Beards vary from person to person, not just in density but in overall surface area so the goal with patients like this is to simply get a cosmetic improvement, which Dr. Arocha has obviously achieved. Thank you for your comments. We're glad you like the result:)

Hairline shape is mainly subjective but in general you want to keep a design that will look natural as you age. Some temple angle closure is ok but not combined with a drastic drop in the hairline height overall. You want to keep the height at approximately 7cm at the very lowest. This would be the distance measured from the center of your hairline to the point between your eyebrows, known as the glabella. See here... Maintaining some temple closure is ok but the more you close the temples, the more grafts you need of which you only have a finite supply so being fairly conservative with high density is the best approach. Both quotes you received could give you good density but one would allow for a lower hairline than the other.

It should be noted that this exceptional donor result was achieved before the latest software update for the ARTAS robot. The newer software allows for far greater accuracy for each attempt as well the use of a smaller punch.

Thank you, David. Naturalness is what we strive for. Without that, everything else is pointless:)

Thank you htreporter, We wish to showcase our results with as much detail as possible.

Thank you for your comments.

A year and a half ago we shared the video results from a patient after a 3000 plus graft FUE procedure. The video documented his 5 month and 9 months results. The thread is seen here... http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/176136-dr-arocha-fue-3000-9-month-results.html Now we have a new video showing his journey plus one year post-op. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Thank you, Spanker, for your comment.

thisguy1, Sorry for the delay answering the estimate question. Dr. Arocha considered the patient's total donor supply with the future in mind. Because Dr. Arocha offers FUE as well as strip surgery he can use both methods to maximize the donor area to it's fullest potential. Considering both procedures can be used Dr. Arocha feels the patient has between 7000 and 9000 additional grafts above and beyond what he has had already. Considering the placement of the hairline he should have enough grafts to satisfy most any need in the future in a natural fashion.

Dr. Arocha recently received the following question: I'm considering FUE hair transplantation to help with thinning eyebrows. I noticed that a prominent feature of models or attractive men is thick hair, and thick eyebrows. What is your professional opinion on this matter? Any and all comments or questions are welcome.

Hello thisguy1, Thank you for your question. The patient is not only on finasteride but also 2% Nizoral. Please note that the hairline placement was quite mature to help deal with any potential issues of loss in the future but it is unlikely given his positive response to medication and assuming he maintains his daily regimen.

Unfortunately this is a question that is too broad to answer accurately. 2000 grafts can mean a few different things. 2000 grafts with some clinics will equal 1000 grafts with others if they are sub-divided or it may mean 2500 grafts with another clinic if they use multi-follicular unit grafts. It really comes down to hair counts. Assuming you mean a NW6 by saying "completely bald top" you could get acceptable coverage. "Acceptable" is where another factor comes into play and that is known as "expectations". What is acceptable to one person is completely unacceptable to another. I know of one patient that had 2400 grafts in one procedure and he was a NW6 and got very good coverage for the front, anterior of the vertex, with the crown left untouched. Another 2400 grafts later and his crown as nicely, but thinly, covered and additional density was achieved in the hairline. He was happy as are many others with this type of approach but there are those people that believe a result should have strong density even on advanced case of hair loss, which is unreasonable. So to summarize the answer for you, 2000 may be acceptable to you but you will only know if you see a lot of cases that are similar to your own one year after similar sized surgeries. Find recommended doctors, engage them for their opinion, and weight your options. Investigate hair loss medications as well as this should be the first line of defence because you begin your offence.

Hello everyone, Today we have an HD video of one of Dr. Arocha's latest results. This patient is in his mid-twenties and was concerned about his recession in the corners that presented as a NW3 pattern of loss. Dr. Arocha transplanted 3017 grafts via follicular unit strip surgery to achieve the result seen in the video. As always, if you have any questions please let us know.

In 2013 this patient was concerned about his hairline because of the recession in the front and the corners. At the time he was in his late 30's and was noticing how the recession was affecting his appearance overall. During his consultation with Dr. Arocha it was suggested that the corners should be dramatically strengthened and tied in to a stronger frontal hairline. During surgery 3144 grafts were transplanted in one procedure for the result you see here, three years later. .

This 50 year old patient came to see Dr. Arocha 2.5 years ago because he wanted to do something about his receded frontal hairline. Dr. Arocha examined the donor and recipient areas and determined that the entire frontal zone would need to be improved to ensure consistency. 2105 grafts were transplanted in one procedure. One year later the patient returned, happy with his results, and inquired about adding density to the frontal hairline. After further consideration Dr. Arocha agreed that about 1000 grafts would be the ceiling for what should be placed so with 1081 grafts Dr. Arocha added density and slight design enhancements for the result you see below which is 1.5 years after the second procedure. Please make sure the video settings are for 1080p HD and you enlarge to full screen. Larger monitors are suggested for proper viewing.