FOLLICULAR UNIT EXTRACTION (FUE) HAIR TRANSPLANT DEVICES
There has been a great deal of conversation online about the most effective procedure for performing a hair transplant procedure. In our Orange County & Las Vegas hair transplant offices we have had many patients come in for consultation that are confused by FUE, NeoGraft, Artas, AlphaGraft and other FUE devices. That is correct, these are devices and not a surgical procedure.
In many cases patients believe that a NeoGraft hair transplant is a surgical technique when it is only a mechanized devices for performing FUE hair transplants. Simply put, follicular unit extraction involves removing tiny follicular bundles from the back of the scalp with a tiny .7-1mm circular punch. The incision is typically so small that there is no visible scar after the wound heals.
WHAT IS THE NEOGRAFT HAIR TRANSPLANT SYSTEM?
According to the company – NeoGraft is the first and only FDA cleared follicular unit harvesting and implantation system. The NeoGraft system delivers automation of the FUE technique. The above statement is true. the device, originally developed in Europe is combination electrical hand engine the powers a hollow circular punch and then sucks the hair graft into a container where the grafts are gathered and then implanted. Although the company has developed a device to also insert that grafts it is rarely used. The concern of many experienced hair surgeons including Dr. Yazdan is that the suction tears the tiny graft from the connecting fat tissue at the bottom and can tear or transact the graft which can significantly impact graft hair growth. There have also been concerns that in some cases the procedure with these devices is actually performed by unlicensed technicians for surgeons with little or no hair restoration experience. (Read more)
ARTAS ROBOTIC HAIR TRANSPLANT SYSTEM
Artas was launched in 2011 as the first robotic hair transplant system. The system is sophisticated, utilizing computer assistance to harvest hair follicles during the actual process of hair replacement. ARTAS incorporates a number of elements in its operation, including an image-guided robotic arm and special imaging technologies that co-ordinate together for the purpose of implementing the “follicular unit extraction (FUE)” technique upon the recipient of the system. The system is very expensive – approximately $200,000, cost more for physicians to use and to date has shown no superiority in hair graft quality from those of experienced hair surgeons using hand operated mechanized FUE devices. In FDA trials ARTAS showed no superiority to hand held follicular unit extraction by an experienced hair transplant surgeon.
IN OUR PRACTICE
Dr. Yazdan has developed his own instrumentation to assure the most precise results possible. He will modify his instrumentation to adapt to a specific patients hair type and angle of hair growth. The important issue for patients to understand is that follicular unit extraction (FUE) is a procedure and that everything else is a reference to a device that helps the physician extract the follicular units. Many surgeons use different devices to perform excellent FUE results and the important part is the surgical expertise and care of the grafts once harvested that assures optimal results for the patient.
Below is a video of Dr. Yazdan performing the procedure.
