ARTAS FUE Transplant by Dr. Paul Shapiro - 2007 grafts

[avivalasvegas]

It looks like I'm among the first to post pics and share my experiences from the Artas FUE robot which took place in Feb'13. A total of 2007 grafts over two days. In my case, 100% of the grafts were transplanted using ARTAS, a first for SMG I believe. I guess I was lucky to be worked on exclusively by Dr. Paul Shapiro (And Dr. Ron for small bits of the procedure) because Tom (the tech) was out sick.

 

Currently, I believe I've experienced all of my "shock loss" and my hair loss looks as bad if not worse than it did before the procedure. I'm anxiously awaiting signs that the procedure was successful and will update pics at month 3 and 6. I'm currently only on topical minoxidil + topical finasteride and ketoconazole shampoo.

 

The procedure itself was awesome to observe and felt like I was in a science fiction movie! No pain and the rate at which ARTAS punches around the grafts is quite incredible. I guess I'll let the pictures do the talking and answer any questions you have

 

About the pictures:

 

Pic 1 - Shows diffuse hair loss treated only by topicals

Pic 2 - Taken immediately after the procedure

Pic 3 - Shows healing at nearly undectable levels by the 5th day

Edited April 16, 2013 by avivalasvegas

[TakingThePlunge]

avivalasvegas,

 

Very interesting case! It's great to see a patient posting ARTAS assisted FUE pics. Can't wait to see how this progresses. The post-op pics look stellar.

[avivalasvegas]

Thanks David. I was surprised that more than 350 grafts were 3s and 4s. Janna did mention that the grafts looked good so I'm quite optimistic, especially given that FUE grafts are dipped in A-Cell at SMG.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Aviva,

 

Congratulations on your recent hair transplant with Dr. Paul Shapiro. I'll be following your progress with great interest since there aren't too many results yet available from physicians using the ARTAS.

 

Keep us posted on your progress :-).

 

Hairy wishes,

 

Bill

[avivalasvegas]

Thanks guys! I'm curious as to your thoughts on the transplant based on the pictures (you've obviously seen many more images than I have)!

[SADbutTRUE]

welcome to the forums, heal well and great growth to you, SMG is a top clinic and your in great hands,

[HARIRI]

Hoping for a good robotic result. However I noticed that ARTAS Robot causes sever redness in the donor area.

[hairthere]

Out of curiosity, what were the reasons you opted for an Artas FUE surgery?

[socates123]

I would be keen to compare the results from Adamo Papa as well..

[HARIRI]

I think Adamo last posted results were by Month 3 week 2. Now its almost 6 months and didn't see an update. Hope more pics will be posted soon. This is his blog:-

 

adamo - Advancing the art of hair restoration

[avivalasvegas]

I chose Artas because of the promotional price offered by SMG. If it were at the same price as the regular handheld punch, I probably would have waited for one of the two to drop in price.

 

Needless to say, I believe my transplant was worth it. Redness was nearly invisible by day 5 as you can see in the picture and my case was thoroughy worked by Dr. Paul and even had a couple cameo appearances by Dr. Ron

Edited May 30, 2013 by avivalasvegas

[Mickey85]

All the best with your procedure champ. Be interesting to see how it develops.

[sapo]

Is it true that you can't use ARTAS with curly hair?

[avivalasvegas]

They buzzed my hair really short (#1 on the trimmer) , so I don't believe that to be true.

[avivalasvegas]

Here's a picture a couple days shy of the 2 month mark. As you can see, there's no sign of growth.

 

This really is the ugly duckling phase as the shock loss has increased scalp visibility to levels higher than I've ever seen on my head. I actually had a cute girl come up to me and ask if I was doing anything about it :confused:

 

The topical Finasteride + Minoxidil regimen continues...

[Janna]

Hoping for a good robotic result. However I noticed that ARTAS Robot causes sever redness in the donor area.

 

During day of the procedure and perhaps the next day there may be a slight more redness but it certainly doesn't cause "severe redness" in the donor from the Artas.

[Janna]

Is it true that you can't use ARTAS with curly hair?

 

It can be used on curly hair.

[Janna]

Here's a picture a couple days shy of the 2 month mark. As you can see, there's no sign of growth.

 

This really is the ugly duckling phase as the shock loss has increased scalp visibility to levels higher than I've ever seen on my head. I actually had a cute girl come up to me and ask if I was doing anything about it :confused:

 

The topical Finasteride + Minoxidil regimen continues...

 

It's normal not to see any growth at 2 mos post op. It'll be close to 4 mos post op before you notice growth. Thanks for the update.

[SADbutTRUE]

your right on schedule the next couple of months you will see the transformation , hang in there ,

[avivalasvegas]

Update @ 3 months exactly. Please note that my hair is a bit longer, which shouldn't be mistaken for thickness.

[Nick153452]

Well, you've successfully survived the ugly duckling phase

 

Any new growth?? or is that just old hairs?

[HARIRI]

Janna, Is there any advantages of ARTAS over manual FUE? Is it only for easing the job of the surgeon or it has advantages for the patient himself? Can you explain more? So far it looks to me that its a tool designed to for the fatigue of the surgeon, this is it and nothing more!

[avivalasvegas]

Any new growth?? or is that just old hairs?

 

Honestly, I really can't tell at this stage. Earlier it was easy to say no but now I'm not sure if these are the transplanted units or regrowth of the shock loss.

 

I've posted earlier pictures. Feel free to take a look and chime in with your comparative thoughts

[Dr. Paul Shapiro]

Hariri

That is a good question.

 

It is true that by using the Robot there will be less fatigue of the surgeon and that is a good thing. Even though we all like to think we do our best all the time. We all do a better job if we are less fatigued. But if that was the only reason for using the Robot we would not have invested in it.

 

We are using the robot because we feel it has the potential to be superior to all other methods of Follicular Unit Extraction. The robot has two punches. First it makes a scoring punch with a sharp punch, and then it makes a deeper punch with a dull punch. We believe this method using the robot to visualize and guide the punch has the potential of yielding superior grafts with less transection and more tissue around the grafts.

 

FUE is still a relatively new process compared to the traditional strip technique. There are many ways the follicles can be extracted and there still is a debate whether any one method is superior. There are sharp punches and dull punches. There are various mechanical assisted devices for both sharp and dull punches. The Robot is one of many mechanical assisted devices.

 

The difference between a sharp and a dull punch is how deep one can go. With a sharp punch the surgeon needs to be very precise with the depth of the punch. If the punch goes lower than the bulge of the hair follicle it is easy to transect the hair. The hair then is harvested by carefully pulling the graft out, and this can leave the hair bulb with very little or no extra tissue around it. Also, the graft can be damaged during this pulling process. When using a dull punch, the punch can go all the way down to the hair bulb. Instead of cutting the dull punch separates the graft from surrounding tissue by bluntly dissecting around the graft while the graft straightens. In theory using a dull punch there can be more tissue around the grafts and thus better survival. Also the grafts are already separated from the tissue so there is little or no trauma in removing the graft. The disadvantage of a dull punch is the grafts can get buried

 

Just to be clear the Robot is one of many mechanical assisted devises. All of these make it easier on the surgeon. There is the SAFE system which also uses a dull punch. The Neograft machine and the powered FUE isolation device both use a sharp punch. There are other mechanical devices I have not mentioned. All these machines can yield excellent results when used correctly by an experienced surgeon.

 

At Shapiro Medical Group we use the SAFE system and the Robot. We believe ultimately the Robot has the potential to yield superior results. The robot is constantly improving. New hardware is constantly being developed to make the robot more accurate and they have developed a .9mm punch. At present, in most of our FUE cases with the Robot we are also extracting some grafts using the SAFE system. Since we have only been using the Robot for 6 months we are just starting to get results in. We want to compare the results to see if there is a difference in graft survival and donor scarring.

Because the Robot is a new technology we are going slow and taking limited cases. We do not have any 6 month follow up cases yet. So I cannot give you any information on our results compared to using the SAFE system. I can say that the grafts extracted when using the Robot look as good as the SAFE method and I am expecting excellent results.

I hope this informatioin is helpful

Dr. Paul Shapiro

Edited June 4, 2013 by TakingThePlunge

[avivalasvegas]

In a way, part of my reason for doing this was the prospect of partnering with SMG as the clinic helps develop the technology. I was thrilled to see both the Dr. Shapiro's excited about the technology!