September 28th: First Robotic Hair Transplant in Canada

[mattj]

September 28th: First Robotic Hair Transplant in Canada

As some of you know, Dr. Rahal recently purchased the ARTAS robotic hair transplant system. Up to now he has used it to perform smaller test sessions.

Adamo Papa, a local patient, will be taking the seat and the spotlight tomorrow when he becomes the first patient to undergo a robotic hair transplant in Canada.

We know there’s been a lot of interest and curiosity surrounding the ARTAS system, so Dr. Rahal and Adamo will be answering questions both during and after the procedure.

There are two ways to get involved, ask a question and offer Adamo support:

• If you're on Twitter, add hashtag #robotht to tweets both during and after the procedure

• Visit the Adamo's blog at http://www.rahalhairtransplant.com/adamo/ You can ask him questions both during and after the procedure through the comments

Adamo has also agreed to document the procedure in detail from start to finish including photos, video and blog journal, so feel free to contact him directly for any requests! We will of course update forum members regularly.

Several media will be attending including the Discovery Channel, and we welcome forum members to join in the discussion and share their experience, support and knowledge.

Please keep in mind that the ARTAS trial is ongoing and for the time being will be offered on a very limited basis.

[ejj]

Look forward to seeing the pictures , inparticular pictures of the donor area

out of interest as its a ` trial ` does this mean the Artas robotic system would do part of the extractions ? say somewhere between 2 - 5 , with the Dr doing the rest to gauge transection , scarring etc

I wish the patient all the best and look forward to the updates

Regards

ejj

[mattj]

On behalf of Adamo, thanks for your words of support.

This is the first full procedure using the system. Smaller tests sessions like you describe have already been carried out.

The plan is to show all aspects of the result, including the donor area. Over the coming 12 months a lot of questions will be answered for everyone who has an interest in this technology and what it can offer.

Adamo has posted a video from this morning:

http://www.rahalhairtransplant.com/adamo/day-1-here-we-go/

[dex89]

excuse my foul language but **** THAT SHIT, this is sound way to dangerous but intriguing. Let's say if this does work, wouldn't this mean that the prices per hair shaft will decrees because of man hours?

[topcat]

Very good to hear.

Can you tell us about the punch size range that was used on the patient and most important was the patient advised that the procedure being performed on him was also an evaluating tool for the clinic as the clinic was not sure themselves of if the robot was a superior or inferior method?

Has the patient been notified that there is extensive evidence of whtie dot scarring with larger punches as numerous patients have come forward over the years with complaints associating the punch size with the damage they received and that many of these same patients are at a loss what to do now with some resorting to tattooing?

Sometimes a doctor and clinic have a way of convincing a patient that there is not much to be concerned with in order for the patient to agree meanwhile the doctor knows very well that he is just testing it out to see if it works without the patient knowing.

I notice my comment to Adamo's blog has been posted, thank you. It's the only one asking questions so far while the majority can't wait to get into the chair. I must say I find that very disturbing but we can all wait around the next 3 or 4 years and see what happens I'll be around for sure.

[Thinking]

I wonder what s the price gonna be in comparison with traditional method and what is the punch size.

[northeastguy]

I wonder what s the price gonna be in comparison with traditional method and what is the punch size.

Of course. Someones gotta pay for that thing. Personally, I wouldn't let a robot cut my toe nails. No robot, machine, or computer can compensate for intangibles.....ever.

[topcat]

I must say that I’m amazed at some of the concerns posted to the forums such as how much is it going to cost and how long does it take. This industry seems to have an endless supply of potential victims. More power to them and sometimes people deserve what they get.

NEguy if I understand some of the wording correctly the manufacturer could be getting a percentage per graft extracted which would explain the traction the device has been getting. Maybe one of these clinics can give us a clarification on this.

[ejj]

The Cole method of harvesting follicular units is three to four times as fast as the ARTAS robot FUE system and has a follicular transection rate less than one-half as high as the ARTAS FUE robot. Physicians who purchased the ARTAS robot immediate obtained a device that is well behind in safety and technology as compared with the Cole Instrument line of FUE equipment. Not only this, physicians who purchased the ARTAS robot paid Restoration Robotics 0,000.00 USD, as well as id="bd" class="fs3 ltr".00 USD per graft. The ARTAS robot has only a handful of patient results, while Cole Instruments have produced over 4000 patient results and counting.


The above is taken from Dr Cole`s website , im wondering if the Drs who purchased ( or were given free of charge ) ` arty robot ` applied the same logic and even the patients asking questions about time , cost , etc applied the same logic to Dr Coles instruments, then `arty ` is in fact old news ,obsolete and basically everyone should move on to this better , newer, faster device , its like buying the latest mobile phone , outdated a week later !

ejj

[northeastguy]

..... It goes even deeper than that ejj, if the results suck they can blame the Robot. The excuse? The Robot is still in its infancy and errors are bound to happen. Cole's instruments still rely on the skill of the surgeon. It's simply a method of harvesting the donor grafts. Once they are punched, the grafts are manually removed. He has total control of what grafts he wants, how many hairs per graft he is seeking, selection of hair texture, stage of the hair cycle, adjust to minor angle changes some hairs may have.......and who know's what else. I just can't see how a robot would be able to make such decisions only the human mind is capable of.

.....maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. But I'm interested in seeing the data and outcome from this procedure.

[topcat]

Somehow I doubt punch sizes and wound surface area are being discussed throughly with the patient. So who is liable if extensive visible white dotting occurs. Who does the patient sue for damages the manufacturer or the doctor? Who is in a position of superiour knowledge the patient or the doctor?

I don't think it's possible for a doctor to say he didn't know and have any one believe him.

[northeastguy]

Somehow I doubt punch sizes and wound surface area are being discussed throughly with the patient. So who is liable if extensive visible white dotting occurs. Who does the patient sue for damages the manufacturer or the doctor? Who is in a position of superiour knowledge the patient or the doctor?

I don't think it's possible for a doctor to say he didn't know and have any one believe him.

It's all covered in the consent form ...... "scaring may occur". once that's signed, outside of gross neglegence, the patient is on their own. really it comes down to the patient being aware of what they are getting into, know the risks and doing their homework. I think we are all willing to accept some form of scarring. It's part of the game......

[topcat]

Well my opinion is the doctor should be disclosing all this information but that is not going to happen and that is why I will keep posting. So if you read this I would suggest staying away from robots that use large punches and don’t necessarily believe what reps say. They need to make money to pay their bills so start using your brain and start thinking for yourself. These guys don’t like it when you ask a lot of questions and there is a reason for that.

[Spex]

Thanks for the info Matt - Look forward to watching.

[fitness-man]

omg...again with the punch size ...