Dr Pittella's "PRECISE" scale app - ScalpScan

[Ccd99]

Been following Dr Pittella's Instagram and just saw this post he put up. Looks like the software he uses to calculate the bald area using his "PRECISE" scale is now available to download. 

I tried installing it on mine but since my iPhone is older it does not have the LIDAR sensor that is required to do the scan.

It isn't cheap but there is a free 7-day trial option.

Wondering if anyone has tried it yet? I will probably give it a go later this weekend just need to borrow a newer iPhone off a friend.

[Melvin- Admin]

I did a podcast with him yesterday. I was going to keep it a secret. But, hey let’s talk about it. In my opinion, this app will BE the gold standard. 

It’s quantitive data, it precisely measures the scalp and the level of hair miniaturization in a given area. I think the beauty is that it can be altered depending on the patients goals. Hopefully I release it soon.

This app is for surgeons though, I don’t think you’ll get much use as a patient. Unless you’re just curious.

[Ccd99]

20 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

I did a podcast with him yesterday. I was going to keep it a secret. But, hey let’s talk about it. In my opinion, this app will BE the gold standard. 

It’s quantitive data, it precisely measures the scalp and the level of hair miniaturization in a given area. I think the beauty is that it can be altered depending on the patients goals. Hopefully I release it soon.

This app is for surgeons though, I don’t think you’ll get much use as a patient. Unless you’re just curious.

The app is released, you can download it today

I agree, this is definitely the way forward, the NW scale is outdated and does not accurately depict balding levels for diffuse patients, additionally everyone's head surface area size is different so you can't really compare 2 patients with the same NW scale as one might have a much smaller/larger head than the other.

I'm just looking to try it for curiosity reasons, I am just being a nerd and interested in the numbers that's all!

Edited April 4 by Ccd99

[mr_peanutbutter]

22 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

I did a podcast with him yesterday. I was going to keep it a secret. But, hey let’s talk about it. In my opinion, this app will BE the gold standard. 

It’s quantitive data, it precisely measures the scalp and the level of hair miniaturization in a given area. I think the beauty is that it can be altered depending on the patients goals. Hopefully I release it soon.

This app is for surgeons though, I don’t think you’ll get much use as a patient. Unless you’re just curious.

does it work with iphone though? i think pittella used a different device in his videos tbh

[Ccd99]

5 minutes ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

does it work with iphone though? i think pittella used a different device in his videos tbh

Yes it only works on iPhones, not Android. I have it up and running on my friend's phone now, the scanning process is quite lengthy and you need to be in a well-lit room, so probably something I will try after work tonight.

[Chrisno]

This looks like a marketing gimmick. I'm sorry, but I don't believe for a second an experience hair transpant surgeon would have any need for this.

[mr_peanutbutter]

1 hour ago, Chrisno said:

This looks like a marketing gimmick. I'm sorry, but I don't believe for a second an experience hair transpant surgeon would have any need for this.

i see so many thread with „how many grafts do i need“ or „surgeon y suggested xxx grafts while surgeon z suggested xyx grafts, who is right?“

so in that regard it would be definitely helpful

[shiba1985]

55 minutes ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

i see so many thread with „how many grafts do i need“ or „surgeon y suggested xxx grafts while surgeon z suggested xyx grafts, who is right?“

so in that regard it would be definitely helpful

how bald the area need to be covered is only one part of the puzzle. 
 

A lot more complex and nuanced and hence often ignored part is how thick the individuals hair is, and what are his follicular groupings. A small increase in the cross sectional diameter of hair has a 4 time impact in the coverage it provides. 
 

Measuring the bald area, or recepient area is relatively the easy part 

[shiba1985]

You can’t transplant a Swedish blonde fine hair and Mediterranean patient  with thick jet black hair with same amount of follicles and expect exact same coverage. 

[davidn]

27 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

You can’t transplant a Swedish blonde fine hair and Mediterranean patient  with thick jet black hair with same amount of follicles and expect exact same coverage. 

yeah but it shouldnt be that hard to take a picture of your donor and let computer vision approximate this too. In general, the whole process should be much more data-driven. 

[Melvin- Admin]

14 hours ago, Chrisno said:

This looks like a marketing gimmick. I'm sorry, but I don't believe for a second an experience hair transpant surgeon would have any need for this.

Every surgeon will have a use for this, it calculates precisely the cm2 of the balding area, and the number of grafts per cm2 necessary based on the individual patients head shape and size. Every surgeon will eventually use some form of AI like this, it’s the future. No more eyeballing. This quantitative data.

[Melvin- Admin]

12 hours ago, shiba1985 said:

how bald the area need to be covered is only one part of the puzzle. 
 

A lot more complex and nuanced and hence often ignored part is how thick the individuals hair is, and what are his follicular groupings. A small increase in the cross sectional diameter of hair has a 4 time impact in the coverage it provides. 
 

Measuring the bald area, or recepient area is relatively the easy part 

The app will calculate the hair shaft diameter in the update. It’s a soft launch. But it will calculate both the hair shaft diameter, head size and balding surface area + the exact number of grafts to achieve 70,80, 90 and 100% density. 

Surgeons will be able to tailor it according to the patient’s goals. All the complaints of “they drew my hairline and didn’t even look at my head” will be obsolete. There are a lot more updates im not privy to mention. But it’s a genius idea.

[Shadman]

22 hours ago, Melvin- Admin said:

I did a podcast with him yesterday. I was going to keep it a secret. But, hey let’s talk about it. In my opinion, this app will BE the gold standard. 

It’s quantitive data, it precisely measures the scalp and the level of hair miniaturization in a given area. I think the beauty is that it can be altered depending on the patients goals. Hopefully I release it soon.

This app is for surgeons though, I don’t think you’ll get much use as a patient. Unless you’re just curious.

Looking forward to watch your podcast with Dr. Pittella

[general-etwan]

On 4/4/2024 at 6:58 AM, Chrisno said:

This looks like a marketing gimmick. I'm sorry, but I don't believe for a second an experience hair transpant surgeon would have any need for this.

Great surgeons might not need this precise quantitative analysis, but it definitely gives anyone who uses it an edge. Just like no one really needs to own a cell phone to live but most people would agree it gives you an edge in life.

Tech/AI/robotics will inevitably continue to improve many fields.

Edited April 5 by general-etwan

[Melvin- Admin]

15 hours ago, general-etwan said:

Great surgeons might not need this precise quantitative analysis, but it definitely gives anyone who uses it an edge. Just like no one really needs to own a cell phone to live but most people would agree it gives you an edge in life.

Tech/AI/robotics will inevitably continue to improve many fields.

Yup, you can go to the library and look up encyclopedias and get information without a smartphone after labor intensive research. While someone with a smartphone can get the same information in seconds with minimal effort. At the end you will be able to save precious time, give patients the most accurate assessment and focus on the results. 

[YodaHead]

I think a software like this was long due. It promotes transparency and also combines technology with skills and experience to create optimal design/plan for each individual. Remember, just like every new app/technology, there will be upgrades/improvements. 

[Melvin- Admin]

A small snippet

 

[BackFromTheBrink]

What would be extremely useful for patients is for it to compare the before and after.

Presumably it would be able to do a good job of predicting what is needed, and having being told what was done, then assessing how many of those grafts grew, the new Vs desired density, and therefore the success of the surgery?

[Melvin- Admin]

5 minutes ago, BackFromTheBrink said:

What would be extremely useful for patients is for it to compare the before and after.

Presumably it would be able to do a good job of predicting what is needed, and having being told what was done, then assessing how many of those grafts grew, the new Vs desired density, and therefore the success of the surgery?

As of today, it calculates the hair miniaturization index (HMI), meaning the hair that is miniaturized in a particular cm2 surface area. However, this gets tricky with patients that are still losing hair like diffuse hair loss patterns or lower Norwoods. It may pick up the natural progression of miniaturization that isn’t indicative of a poor result. But I believe in the future it will be able to count all the hairs to the number.
 

At that point, it’s off to the races IMO. Because then you will be able to have undeniable data about the success of the result. It will undoubtedly help patients and surgeons. For those surgeons who achieve high success but find patients still dissatisfied, they will have data to support the success of their procedure. On the other hand, patients will be able to present their case of dissatisfaction with proof if the growth is subpar. No more guessing. But it’s still a ways from that. 

[Melvin- Admin]

I would like to know @Dr. Felipe Pittella input on some of these comments. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Here's the full podcast