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September 28th: First Robotic Hair Transplant in Canada


mattj

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September 28th: First Robotic Hair Transplant in Canada

 

 

 

 

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As some of you know, Dr. Rahal recently purchased the ARTAS robotic hair transplant system. Up to now he has used it to perform smaller test sessions.

 

Adamo Papa, a local patient, will be taking the seat and the spotlight tomorrow when he becomes the first patient to undergo a robotic hair transplant in Canada.

 

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We know there’s been a lot of interest and curiosity surrounding the ARTAS system, so Dr. Rahal and Adamo will be answering questions both during and after the procedure.

 

There are two ways to get involved, ask a question and offer Adamo support:

 

  • If you're on Twitter, add hashtag #robotht to tweets both during and after the procedure

Adamo has also agreed to document the procedure in detail from start to finish including photos, video and blog journal, so feel free to contact him directly for any requests! We will of course update forum members regularly.

 

Several media will be attending including the Discovery Channel, and we welcome forum members to join in the discussion and share their experience, support and knowledge.

 

Please keep in mind that the ARTAS trial is ongoing and for the time being will be offered on a very limited basis.

I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal.

 

My FUE Procedure With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result

 

I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com

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That's great news MattJ.

 

It is a shame we cannot watch it live like Michael Gray for Farjo.

2 poor unsatisfactory hair transplants performed in the UK.

 

Based on vast research and meeting patients, I travelled to see Dr Feller in New York to get repaired.

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I've seen a video of one of these somewhere. I think it just pics the grafts and makes the FUE incisions (in a random pattern). It's up to the doc to then extract them with tweezers. The whole process then continues as a normal FUE transplant.

4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013

1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018

763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020

Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day

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The real question is if using the robot lowers the cost. Automation on most processes do. The justification before for the high prices was taking up the time of the doctor to use the FUE tool carefully in preparing the graft, extracting the graft, and making the incisions. It seems 2 of these will be done by the machine?

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There is a video and some photos of Adamo from this morning:

 

Day 1 – Here We Go! | adamo

 

It is correct that the ARTAS system itself is responsible for the cutting part of the extractions, with the rest of the procedure being like regular FUE.

I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal.

 

My FUE Procedure With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result

 

I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com

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Good luck to Adomo! (and good luck to Dr. Rahal and to ARTAS!)

 

To me, the critical questions regarding ARTAS as an FUE harvesting tool this case will contribute to answering are:

 

1. Will ARTAS make the harvesting of high-quality FUE grafts more repeatable and faster and, therefore, allow for more consistent and predictable large session FUE transplants?

 

2. Will the punctate scarring in the donor region be any more or less noticeable with ARTAS than with manual punches or hand-held motorized punches?

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1mm punch size sounds a bit large. Im still a fan of manual punches with grafts extracted in small numbers then implanted, then more grafta extracted then implanted etc. Interested to see how this works.

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Nice videos. Great to see little "spinets" of the action. So what were the numbers for this FUE session? Was it purely the front zone that was worked on?

Patient Advisor for Dr. Bisanga - BHR Clinic 

ian@bhrclinic.com   -    BHR YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcH4PY1OxoYFwSDKzAkZRww

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

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I would assume that the goal is to eventually only do FUE via the ARTAS for its obvious advantages. Why continue with the safe or manual system if the robot proves to do just as good or a better job. Is this the plan Matt?

 

Also, I would think the robot would lower the cost of FUE substantially since harvesting, the hardest part of FUE, and what makes it expensive is now automated. Granted 500 grafts an hour is still longer than strip in terms of harvesting and the cost of the robot needs to be recovered, it needs to be maintained, calibrated, etc but I would think in time, the use of the robot should bring the cost of FUE more in line with strip. Not the same but much closer than it is today.

 

I looked at Dr. Bernstein's wesite and he charges 11$ per grafts for FUE using the ARTAS which in my mind is rediculous. Although his strip cost is also outrageous. I know he is considered a pioneer, is located in NYC, etc but I think this is unreasonable.

My Hairloss Web Site -

 

Procedure #1: 5229 Grafts with Dr. Rahal Oct, 2010

Procedure #2: 2642 Grafts with Dr. Rahal Aug, 2013

 

7871 Grafts

 

http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=2452

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I would assume that the goal is to eventually only do FUE via the ARTAS for its obvious advantages. Why continue with the safe or manual system if the robot proves to do just as good or a better job. Is this the plan Matt?

 

Also, I would think the robot would lower the cost of FUE substantially since harvesting, the hardest part of FUE, and what makes it expensive is now automated. Granted 500 grafts an hour is still longer than strip in terms of harvesting and the cost of the robot needs to be recovered, it needs to be maintained, calibrated, etc but I would think in time, the use of the robot should bring the cost of FUE more in line with strip. Not the same but much closer than it is today.

 

I looked at Dr. Bernstein's wesite and he charges 11$ per grafts for FUE using the ARTAS which in my mind is rediculous. Although his strip cost is also outrageous. I know he is considered a pioneer, is located in NYC, etc but I think this is unreasonable.

 

Good points. However the ARTAS has ongoing maintenance fees as well as charging the Doctor per graft extracted(I read it is $1 per graft). Not to mention the enormous cost of the machine(well into the 6 digit mark). I'm not sure it will bring FUE prices down across the board. I personally do not think many doctors(no one specific) like performing FUE on the consistent basis so they keep the cost up to limit FUE demand and also to make their time performing it worthwhile.

 

The ARTAS system is very innovative, I was skeptical until I saw how it performs on Rahal's website. However I'm not sure if the transection rate would be lowered significantly. Also looks like it punches quite swiftly which is a bit fast for my liking. However I have seen bad results from the world's best FUE doctors whether they used motorized or manual punches too. Time will tell.

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Mickey- Are you saying that even after the robot is purchased by the clinic, they still pay a per graft fee to the Robot's vendor throughout its life? If so, I did not realize this and is a very interesting point and concept to keep in mind when considering how much the cost of FUE will be reduced as a result of the robot. Although, I would think the offset to this would be that the vendor includes periodic calibration and maintenance during the life of the robot as part of the purchase package.

My Hairloss Web Site -

 

Procedure #1: 5229 Grafts with Dr. Rahal Oct, 2010

Procedure #2: 2642 Grafts with Dr. Rahal Aug, 2013

 

7871 Grafts

 

http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=2452

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Mickey- Are you saying that even after the robot is purchased by the clinic, they still pay a per graft fee to the Robot's vendor throughout its life? If so, I did not realize this and is a very interesting point and concept to keep in mind when considering how much the cost of FUE will be reduced as a result of the robot. Although, I would think the offset to this would be that the vendor includes periodic calibration and maintenance during the life of the robot as part of the purchase package.

 

Yeah.. I think Janna mentioned this a few weeks ago. Some Doctors are apprehensive about the unit. I'm not sure if maintenance and calibration are included though... I remember reading it was not...

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Good points. However the ARTAS has ongoing maintenance fees as well as charging the Doctor per graft extracted(I read it is $1 per graft). Not to mention the enormous cost of the machine(well into the 6 digit mark).

 

Artas robot is $200,000 & the doctor needs to pay $1 per graft for its use.

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Artas robot is $200,000 & the doctor needs to pay $1 per graft for its use.

 

Is the $200,000 figure accurate? I was not told a specific amount, just that it was well into the 6 digits.

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I believe that 2 sessions of 2,000 graphs per patient for a doctor like Dr. Bernstein is not uncommon. At $11 per graph, minus the $1 per graph, ARTAS fee, that's 40 grand per case, do 5 cases like that and it's paid for. Seems like a winner for a doctor with even minimal FUE interested patients at $11 per graph.

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$11 per graft is astronomical ! That would put 2,800 FUE at $31,000 !

 

FUE practice are now coming down in cost as techniques develop, therefore anything to add to this cost is going against the market trend.

 

The figures just don't add up really. The $200k purchase price plus $1 per graft fee means that only the most expensive surgeons would purchase it.

 

This will ultimately mean that their prices will go up as they pass the cost onto the customer. As a result, it'll price them way out of the market and reduce demand for their service and make the (already) less expensive, manual/standard motorized procedures more appealing to potential new patients.

 

Nice bit of kit, but i can't see the proposed benefits outweighing the additional costs.

2800 FUE, Istanbul

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$11 per graft is astronomical ! That would put 2,800 FUE at $31,000 !

 

FUE practice are now coming down in cost as techniques develop, therefore anything to add to this cost is going against the market trend.

 

The figures just don't add up really. The $200k purchase price plus $1 per graft fee means that only the most expensive surgeons would purchase it.

 

This will ultimately mean that their prices will go up as they pass the cost onto the customer. As a result, it'll price them way out of the market and reduce demand for their service and make the (already) less expensive, manual/standard motorized procedures more appealing to potential new patients.

 

Nice bit of kit, but i can't see the proposed benefits outweighing the additional costs.

 

Agreed. I'm also weary of how fast it punches the grafts. Maybe it has xray vision and can see how the graft grows and accommodates for the angle and depth within milliseconds?

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1mm punch size sounds a bit large. Im still a fan of manual punches with grafts extracted in small numbers then implanted, then more grafta extracted then implanted etc. Interested to see how this works.

 

We implement the technique described above so that the grafts are out of the body minimally as possible. I don't see why you couldn't do that with the Artas.

 

Aside from the cost of the Robot, the $1 per graft is ongoing for the lifetime of the Robot. In addition, I believe there will be an ongoing yearly maintenance fee.

 

One of the main concerns I read from members on various forums with the Artas is the size of the 1.0mm scoring punch and the higher size blunt punch that ultimately goes down to the follicles. It's definately a concern with Shapiro Medical as well. However, they are in the final stages of testing .9mm punches so it'll be available soon.

 

The Artas Robot has made significant improvements over the last few years and I don't doubt it'll continue to improve in the future. The continual improvements and upgrades to the systems will be passed onto each owner of the Robot so that you're not left behind. I believe that's part of the ongoing maintenance fee.

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We implement the technique described above so that the grafts are out of the body minimally as possible. I don't see why you couldn't do that with the Artas.

 

Aside from the cost of the Robot, the $1 per graft is ongoing for the lifetime of the Robot. In addition, I believe there will be an ongoing yearly maintenance fee.

 

One of the main concerns I read from members on various forums with the Artas is the size of the 1.0mm scoring punch and the higher size blunt punch that ultimately goes down to the follicles. It's definately a concern with Shapiro Medical as well. However, they are in the final stages of testing .9mm punches so it'll be available soon.

 

The Artas Robot has made significant improvements over the last few years and I don't doubt it'll continue to improve in the future. The continual improvements and upgrades to the systems will be passed onto each owner of the Robot so that you're not left behind. I believe that's part of the ongoing maintenance fee.

 

 

Thanks for the info Janna. Good to know you guys dont extract large numbers of grafts via fue all at once. Some clinics do which may or may no affect yield but i like to play things safe. What are the Shapiro's current opinions on the machine?

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I would assume that the goal is to eventually only do FUE via the ARTAS for its obvious advantages. Why continue with the safe or manual system if the robot proves to do just as good or a better job. Is this the plan Matt?

 

ARTAS would definitely need to match or surpass the hand-held tool in every regard for this to be viable.

 

Right now ARTAS is on trial and is not available to patients to choose as an option.

 

The intention here is to document the procedure fully from start to finish and to do so with complete transparency.

I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal.

 

My FUE Procedure With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result

 

I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com

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