3701 FUE Harvest grafts with the SAFE System by James A Harris, MD

[James A. Harris, MD, FACS]

30 year male Norwood Class III chose to have FUE Harvested Grafts with

James A. Harris, MD by using the SAFE System.

 

Patient received 3701 grafts with outstanding results.

[TakingThePlunge]

Dr. Harris,

 

This looks like a substantial result. Do you have any photos immediately post-op of the extraction and recipient sites?

[James A. Harris, MD, FACS]

I'm sorry, I don't routinely take photos of the donor and recipient areas immediately post-op unless I need them for teaching purposes.

 

J Harris

[ontop]

Great result Doctor.

 

Can you explain to the forum members of what the "Safe System" is.

Also last question can you tell us if this patient is taking any Medications for his MPB?

Edited August 3, 2016 by ontop
.

[James A. Harris, MD, FACS]

The SAFE System (Surgically Advanced Follicular Extraction) is a blunt punch dissection system that I started to develop in 2002. It has gone through many improvements though the years, including the powered version currently in use. The platform is a blunt (non-sharp) dissection tip that allows physicians to dissect to depths of 4mm, a depth which can’t be duplicated with sharp punch systems (Cole’s devices, SmartGraft, Neograft, Alphagraft, etc.). The importance of this is that a deeper graft dissection depth means a more complete separation of the graft from the skin and therefore less force and trauma are required to remove the graft. There is also the likelihood that there is more tissue around the graft that will protect it against dehydration and implantation/handling effects.

The blunt, non-sharp tip can make contact with the follicles during the procedure but instead of cutting through them, will guide the follicles into the lumen of the punch. Several years ago I noted that the use of a small amount of skin vibration can enhance the dissection process and lower follicle transection rates. This led to the development of a new design call the “Hex” which has a hexagonal cross section which results in skin vibration and improves the dissection process as compared to the standard cylindrical punch design. The Hex and standard cylindrical punch pictures are attached.

My studies examining follicle transection rates indicate that for a .9mm cylindrical SAFE System punch the rate is 5% while the use of the .9mm Hex results in a follicle transection rate of 2.8%. Both studies utilized hundreds of patients. I just held an ISHRS Regional workshop where 8 doctors with a variable amount of FUE experience had a chance to try 5 different FUE devices. The transection rates for the sharp punch systems ranged from 27-32% whereas the SAFE System had a 14% transection rate for these physicians. This illustrates the greater margin of safety for the blunt punch system. These rates would decrease as the physician gains experience.

The actual configuration of the dissecting surface of the punch is a flat surface which is slightly smoothed with electropolishing. This enhances follicle safety when the operator is slightly off angle or direction when performing the dissection.

There are doctors and manufactures starting to copy the flat, blunt punches but this system has been in constant development and improvement since 2002 and have achieved great clinical success in thousands of patients.