Speed, precision and accuracy for hair transplant surgery – the robotic revolution that is the ARTAS System.
Cryomed, a leading supplier of aesthetic medical devices in Australia and New Zealand, is delighted to be the distributer of ARTAS, the first and only robotic hair transplant system.
The ARTAS system combines state-of-the-art robotic technology and scientific breakthroughs and is set to revolutionise hair transplant surgery. This exciting innovation offers unsurpassed efficiency and effectiveness for hair transplant procedures.
The ARTAS System uses sophisticated digital mapping by using the new ARTAS-3 precision robotics to harvest thousands of healthy individual hair follicles from the scalp. These follicles can then be expertly transplanted into the area of thinning hair.
Statistics show two-thirds of men experience some hair loss by their mid-30s, and 50 percent of men will see significant loss in hair thickness by age 50.
Hair transplant surgery is an ever-increasing segment of the cosmetic surgery market, with annual hair transplant procedures in Australia having doubled to almost 4,000 in the last decade. The revolutionary ARTAS system will permit continued growth of the hair transplant industry.
Traditional hair transplants
Hair transplant surgery has conventionally been performed using one of two harvesting techniques: the Strip technique and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).
In the Strip technique, grafts are made when an ellipse of skin from the back of the head is removed, then dissected under microscope magnification. The excised strip is then closed with sutures, and patients are left with a fine line of scarring at the back of the head.
The FUE technique uses a small, one millimetre diameter cylindrical punch to drill out individual units, using a punch excision. This is performed with a specialised drill, which can be operated manually or with the assistance of engine rotation.
Typically, the surgeon uses high definition microscopy to extract each follicular unit without causing damage to the live hair follicle.
The FUE technique is a tiring and demanding procedure, whether performed manually or engine-assisted. More technical then the Strip technique, the grafts can be easily damaged, lowering the growth potential after transplantation.
The FUE method is frequently preferred by patients, often with short or military style shaved heads, who do not want the linear scar caused by the strip technique.
The two techniques, Strip and FUE relate to the harvesting of donor hairs. The next stage of the process is preparation and transplantation.
Once the grafts are extracted, the follicles need to be relatively quickly prepared and then transplanted to the balding site. As the extracted follicles have no blood supply, the faster they are re-planted into the scalp, the better the prognosis for future growth.
The revolution behind ARTAS
The ARTAS robot takes over the extraction process and has been described as an ‘FUE game changer’. With the ability to remove up to 1,200 hair follicles per hour, it minimises the procedure time and reduces the transition time between extraction and transplantation.
As FUE is a slower technique to perform than strip, even an experienced surgeon can take a significant amount of time to perform an FUE manually, with the inherent risks of fatigue and potential inconsistency. The robot protects against any inconsistencies, and its speed is comparable to the best surgeons in the world.
The ARTAS system uses proprietary software to map out the new hairline and punch holes in the recipient area to an exact pattern.
After the extracted hairs follicles are transplanted to the site, the roots develop their own blood supply and begin to grow. New hairs are seen a few months after the procedure.
Typically, the surgeon applies a dressing and antibiotic cream to the micro wounds in the donor area directly following the procedure. The holes usually heal over seven to ten days following the operation, leaving tiny unobtrusive white circular scars.
The principle of FUE hair transplant surgery is unchanged. The advantage is that by using image-guided robotics and an intuitive touchscreen interface, the ARTAS-3 technology can precisely dissect follicular units, thousands of times in a single session, setting new standards in the efficiency, consistency and reliability of FUE hair transplants.
The revolutionary system eliminates guesswork and fatigue associated with manual handling methods, along with scarring, complications and downtime associated with older transplant methods.
Patient comfort and satisfaction is improved by the faster speed and increased accuracy of extraction. The procedure takes less time, so less anaesthetic is required, and the results are more reliable.
By using digital mapping and precision robotics, ARTAS can extract healthy hairs without causing damage to the follicle. Long-term growth after transplanting is assured.
With more than 200 systems in use worldwide since 2011, the ARTAS system is opening up the traditional hair transplant field, allowing practices to confidently offer hair restoration services.
For more information, call 1300 346 448 or visit www.cryomed.com.au
