My experience- Artas Robotic Hair Transplant- Just did 3300 Grafts-April 2015

It took me years to get convinced to do this procedure. It was the Artas no-strip technology that finally convinced me enough to look into this . Then I searched all relevant websites to find the right Doctor. I checked out Doctors in Chicago, New York, Texas, California...who were all famous and been multiple times on TV/Youtube, etc. However, I chose Dr. Gregory A. Turowski from Chicago. I had a positive feeling about him after checking out his website and speaking with him. His great credentials, knowledge and confidence was very impressive to me. He was also very confident of his team and that's why he is one of few doctors who can transplant over 3000 grafts in one day.
It was also important to me that he was a real Surgeon Doctor-MD. I wanted to deal with some one well qualified and good reputation to hopefully have a better experience and outcome. This was my first ever hair transplant and although we have to wait for the outcome, but Dr. Turowski and his team treated me well and so far things have gone as he had explained it would. So, just did this 4 days ago and I am very satisfied so far.

-This part is an Update-4.10.2015: I just updated and added more recent images: 1st pic is before, pictures 2nd through 4th are taken on 2nd day post surgery, next 3 pics taken on 5th day after surgery and finally last 4 pics are taken today which is 9th day post surgery. As you see on pics, it seems that is healing well. I have been taken regular showers since yesterday (low pressure water).

-New Update-4.14.2015-Today is the 13th day post surgery. As pictures shows my scalp is healing pretty good. I still have some sore spots/numbness but getting better and better everyday. The updated pictures that I just added were taken today. I sent these pictures to Dr. Turowski and asked for his thought. He said "everything looks just like it should be or better. It is normal to have some sore spots..." I will update again in a few days.

Looking great! Can you upload any pictures of the donor area? I'd like to see what the back of the scalp look like after a 3000 graft procedure. Happy growing and please keep us posted on your progress.

Thank you for sharing with the community!
Dr Gregory Turowski

Hey man. Congrats on taking the plunge and getting the HT. The ARTAS really is a fascinating piece of technology and I hope you get the results you wanted. Keep us updated with photos so we can see your progress.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Thank you, I just updated and added more recent images: 1st pic is before, pictures 2nd through 4th are taken on 2nd day post surgery, next 3 pics taken on 5th day after surgery and finally last 4 pics are taken today which is 9th day post surgery. As you see on pics, it seems that is healing well. I have been taken regular showers since yesterday (low pressure water).

Thank you. I agree Artas is fascinating. I will post update as soon as I can. Please see the new images added. They are from 2nd, 5th and 9th day post surgery (today is 9th day)

Thanks for posting the donor pics. I have to say that after only 9 days your donor looks incredible, especially after having 3000 grafts removed. I’ve read that ARTAS extractions leave bigger scars but from what I can see your donor looks better than a lot of guys who post their results after having manual FUE. It’s possible that the holes right after surgery might just be a bit more stretched open and when they heal they contract, because you don’t even look like you have much visible scaring and your hair hasn’t even grown out yet. Very impressive and congratulations!

Thank you for your comment. I had done a lot of research not only to compare different procedures, but also compare doctors and their experience. I found out that Artas was the best technology to use, but also i found out that the Doctor running the Artas is as important. If the doctor you choose has not enough experience, you may not get the most benefit out of paying for Artas. There is an award given called "ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence", my Doctor is one the ones getting it for I believe 2 years in a row. Just type on google "ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence" and see what comes up. My doctor so far has been working well for me, and although not every doctor works for everyone, but at least I choose him for his credentials and proven experience/award using Artas.
I agree, it is healing pretty good. I still have tender/sore spots and skin feels a bit numb but progress seem to be good.

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Originally Posted by Hj Philadelphia

Thank you for your comment. I had done a lot of research not only to compare different procedures, but also compare doctors and their experience. I found out that Artas was the best technology to use, but also i found out that the Doctor running the Artas is as important. If the doctor you choose has not enough experience, you may not get the most benefit out of paying for Artas. There is an award given called "ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence", my Doctor is one the ones getting it for I believe 2 years in a row. Just type on google "ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence" and see what comes up. My doctor so far has been working well for me, and although not every doctor works for everyone, but at least I choose him for his credentials and proven experience/award using Artas.
I agree, it is healing pretty good. I still have tender/sore spots and skin feels a bit numb but progress seem to be good.

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It great that you’re happy, and you should be, but with all due respect to Dr. Turowski’s skills, that award is probably not a real “award.” Companies basically just make up these types of “awards” to help market doctors who use their equipment. If these are the only credentials you see on a doctor’s website, this is usually a red flag, especially in the hair transplant industry.

This is not to take anything from the reputation of your doctor, but those awards mean nothing. The important credentials that I can see that he has is that he’s board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and that he is certified by IAHRS. I was not able to find his IAHRS certification listed on his website, but I see that he is listed on the iahrs.org website, which is probably the single most important credential for any hair transplant surgeon. So however you made your choice it looks like you made a good one. Good luck and keep us posted.

With all due respect to other "awards" this Award actually means something. ARTAS center of excellence is only given by Restoration Robotics , a parent company of ARTAS to special places. This is the description from RR: Restoration Robotics has initiated a program to recognize and reward outstanding performance of the ARTAS Procedure. Because of your mastery of the ARTAS Procedure, we are designating your clinic as an "ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence." As part of this recognition your clinic will receive:
A plaque and a certificate indicating that you have achieved "ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence"status
A .jpg logo (attached) that can be used to post on your website and internet properties (e.g. Facebook, etc.)
Your team of assistants will receive a pin and a certificate recognizing them as "ARTAS Specialists"
The special designation will be noted on our ARTASHair.com consumer facing website
In order to achieve this status, a center must be able to perform ARTAS Procedures with the following performance criteria: procedures of ≥ 2000 grafts, follicle transection rates of ≤ 10%, harvest yields of ≥85%, and harvest speeds of 700 grafts/hr.

We congratulate you and your staff on this exemplary achievement and appreciate the contributions you have made to making the ARTAS Procedure a success.
We have been on the forefront of the robotic technology and are one of the most experienced centers in the world having performed over 300 000 follicular unit transfer with ARTAS so far....

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Originally Posted by Gregory Turowski, MD

With all due respect to other "awards" this Award actually means something. ARTAS center of excellence is only given by Restoration Robotics , a parent company of ARTAS to special places. This is the description from RR: Restoration Robotics has initiated a program to recognize and reward outstanding performance of the ARTAS Procedure. Because of your mastery of the ARTAS Procedure, we are designating your clinic as an "ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence." As part of this recognition your clinic will receive:
A plaque and a certificate indicating that you have achieved "ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence"status
A .jpg logo (attached) that can be used to post on your website and internet properties (e.g. Facebook, etc.)

Your team of assistants will receive a pin and a certificate recognizing them as "ARTAS Specialists"
The special designation will be noted on our ARTASHair.com consumer facing website
In order to achieve this status, a center must be able to perform ARTAS Procedures with the following performance criteria: procedures of ≥ 2000 grafts, follicle transection rates of ≤ 10%, harvest yields of ≥85%, and harvest speeds of 700 grafts/hr.

We congratulate you and your staff on this exemplary achievement and appreciate the contributions you have made to making the ARTAS Procedure a success.
We have been on the forefront of the robotic technology and are one of the most experienced centers in the world having performed over 300 000 follicular unit transfer with ARTAS so far....

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Perhaps I stand corrected Dr. Turowski and again, it is obvious that you are an excellent surgeon which is made clear by your status as an IAHRS doctor. If I am wrong about this particular award, there was no harm meant. I was actually giving you compliment on your real credentials, which are very impressive and as you will probably agree, sets you apart from other doctors who might have been giving the same award of excellence from the company that makes the ARTAS. Like I said to HJ Philadelphia, no matter how he came to choose his surgeon he obviously made a good choice.

Thank you for explaining the Award, you understand it better and explained it better than I ever could.

J_B_Davis, I just wanted to say thank you for your interest. I just have to wait but hope for the end result to be great and during this process, I like to share the progress to help others understanding what I have gone through. So, I definitely post new photo/Update as often as I can. Thank you again for your interest.

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Originally Posted by Hj Philadelphia

J_B_Davis, I just wanted to say thank you for your interest. I just have to wait but hope for the end result to be great and during this process, I like to share the progress to help others understanding what I have gone through. So, I definitely post new photo/Update as often as I can. Thank you again for your interest.

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I’m sure you’re going to have a great result and thanks for keeping us posted. This is really the first time that I’ve seen such detailed ARTAS information so I’m very interested in this forum as I’m sure the rest of the community is. I’ve tried to find decent before and after pictures online and it’s impossible. To be honest, many of the doctor's websites who use the ARTAS look very similar and I think share the same pictures since the same ones keep popping up, and they are usually in like a slider format that looks kind of fake to me.I think it’s great that you are taking the time to post your impressions and your detailed pictures. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for your comments. I agree, it is hard to find good before and after pictures to see who is doing what! That is really why I wanted to share my experience to make it easier for others . I just added new update with new pics from today. I will update again in a few days. Good Luck.

Is it possible do more than 1500 Grafts/Session using ARTAS? I am under the assumption that ARTAS can do MAX of 1500 . In this instance we are talking 3300 Grafts using ARTAS . I assume it is 1 session.

Pls suggest

Based on my research before choosing a Doctor, most willing to do up to 2000-2500 per 1 session. My Doctor told me he can do 3200 per 1 session, however we ended up with more grafts and did about 3350, i was told. Doctor told me that I was his second highest for #of grafts per session. But it was a long day, started about 8am and finished around 10pm (of course had lunch break, etc). But it was okay for me, i was watching movie on netflix, talking to tech team, be on internet... Also need to add that I went to Dr. office the day before just for couple of hours to do site making by the Artas. So, bottomline, it is not up to Artas alone but more important, depend on the Doctor and his team and their experience how the procedure go and how many grafts can or willing to do. I wanted to this only once so wanted to do as much as possible, plus I live in philadelphia and this Doctor in Chicago, had to do what needed in 1 session. I hope this help. Please let me know if you have any other question.

Today 4.26.2015 is the 25th day post surgery (just added some photos-taken today) :
Till about a week ago, i felt that my healing progress was good but since then i feel a bit more irritation and more redness on my scalp (specially the donor area. This is noticeable when comparing the new pictures to photos posted last time.) specially since the numbness is almost all gone, I can feel the irritation more. I am not in pain and doing okay overall, however the back and even the sides of my head (the donor area) get irritated when I put it on pillow at night (touching any fabric irritates it) so i try to deal with it and at night I try to position myself in a way that my forehead be on the pillow and not the donor area.
Other changes: Numbness is almost all gone. I have also noticed couple of hair falling out from the recipient area but not a whole lot.
I am not an expert and this is my first procedure, so I was a bit concern that within the last week or so my healing has taken a step back and have a bit more irritation and redness. So, a few days ago, I sent an email with some pictures to Dr. Turowski expressing my concern, but i did not hear back from him. After two days, I then contacted his Lead tech person. She called me and gave me some advice which i am following. (for example, i had just switched to regular shampoo, which should be okay but she said for now go back to the shampoo & conditioner that was provided by the doctor office.)

Update-5.7.2015-It is now 5 weeks post surgery. The pictures added now were taken yesterday. Since my last update I got a hair cut and the very short hair keep my scalp cooler and less irritated. I feel that not only i am healing i am also growing hair already! I did not loose a lot of the transplanted hair (at least not yet), which is not the case for most people. Most people loose it in the first few weeks. I was worried about that, but doing research as well as asking my Doctor, they were telling me that this is actually a good thing and should help for better result. In fact, i sent these new photos to Dr. Turowski and asked him to let me know how am i doing/healing since this is my first time and not sure how i should be at this stage. He replied that he thinks i am doing really well, healing and very lucky to have a lot of hair growth with many more to come. He also thought that my donor site looks good as well and the remaining redness & itchiness should gradually go away in the weeks to come.
So, i just have to be patient. It feels great driving the car windows down letting air blow on the scalp. (just FYI: last 2 pics taken with Flash)

Looking good so far Hj. Have you been advised to put anything on the donor to help minimize the irritation? It looks like once that dissipates the donor is going to look really good even at that very short length. Thanks for keeping us posted.

Thank you for your comment. I was provided with special post-surgery care products by Dr. Turowski. Couple of those products I think they were specially for cuts and burns) were for the first 1-2 weeks to dry the wounds and start the healing which were really great and you can see in my first 2 weeks pictures how fast my scalp was healing. But then after that some of the redness and irritation came back, specially when i switched to regular shampoo after about 3 weeks. So then as directed by the doctor office, i went back to those after care products which at this point is only shampoo and conditioner but they are special products for burned skin, etc. That put me back to the healing path progress. If i feel my scalp is dry or hot, i just use a wet paper towel to cool it off. I also have a fan at home that some times run it which feels great.

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Is it possible do more than 1500 Grafts/Session using ARTAS? I am under the assumption that ARTAS can do MAX of 1500 . In this instance we are talking 3300 Grafts using ARTAS . I assume it is 1 session.

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Yes absolutely! .We have done session as big as 3800 FU with ARTAS in one day. But this is rare we routinely do 3000 grafts. If Neograft is used we usually split them in 2 days and then can do about 4000

3 Months Update-7.1.2015- It is 3 months today since my Hair Transplant Surgery by Dr. Turowski(Artas Robotic Hair Transplant). In the past few weeks, I have continued using Biotin 5000 mcg and have also applied Rogain daily. In addition to that I have also applied and massaged the recipient area with Olive Oil (2-4 times a week for about 20-30 minutes then washed). As for irritation, I try to stay out of the sun and wear hat, but it is summer and hot weather irritate the scalp a bit, however less irritation on recipient area now but still some irritation on sides and back. I keep cutting my hair weekly to keep it short because it feels cooler and gets less irritated. So, Waiting for all transplanted hairs to come out.

4 months update-8.1.2015- It is 4 months now and i am noticing some new hair and hoping for more in the upcoming months. Doctor Turowski had told me that from 90 days post surgery up to 9-12 months after i could notice more and more new hair and they would continue to grow, so that is what I am hoping for. So far so good! I am still on daily dosage of Biotin 5000mcg. I am still using Olive oil every couple of days to massage the recipient area with. As for irritation, well it is summer time and the Donor area, although not as much, but still get irritated (you can notice some of the red irritated spots on the photos). So, I am keeping my hair short to keep it cool.

You’re looking really good after only 4 months and your donor looks excellent too. One issue that some people bring up about ARTAS is that manual punches leave less visible scaring, but from what I’ve been seeing on the forum, this doesn’t really seem to be the case. I have an old friend who lives in Illinois who knows I’m a bit of a hair geek and that I’m member of this forum. He asked what I thought about having an ARTAS hair transplant and I sent him a link to this thread and a few others from both Dr Yates and Dr. Turowski. He ended up having the surgery with Dr. Turowski and he mentioned that he made the choice in part because of your good experience so thank you for sharing. He’s happy so far even though he did said it was expensive, which is relative, but he also said so far he thinks it was worth it. I suggested he join the site and post his progress like you and he is considering it. Thanks again for keeping us all posted, you’re hair is really beginning to take shape.

Hello and thank you for your new comments. I am happy with my results so far and it hopefully gets even better as you mentioned. This surgery was such a big decision for me that I wanted to share my experience to make it easier for others, that's why i started this blog. I am happy that your friend made a decision to go for it and please mention it to him again to share his experience. And yes it is an expensive procedure, i almost settled for someone much cheaper but then i thought, no, i am doing this once and doing it right. I agree Artas is the way to do it, why not using the advance technology when we can. I am sure that in couple of years we see how much Artas has improved or some other better technologies will come along, but for right now, this is the advance technology and I am glad i used it. You believe or not, just these early results has already improved my self confidence. Thank you again and good luck to your friend too. I am sure that Dr. Turowski will take care of him.

This is a new update-about 6 months after procedure- These new pictures were taken on 10.2.2015 (The procedure was done on 4.1.2015). For the 1st 4 months i kept my hair very short to keep it cool and prevent any irritation, but since last update of 2 months ago, i have let my hair grow. I use a good shampoo and still treat my hair once a week with Olive Oil. I sent my pictures first to Dr.Turowski and asked for his input, he was kind to respond. He replied: "you are doing terrific big difference from the last set. Obviously you are going to continue to grow more hair, this is just 6 months." So far i am very satisfied with my procedure.

For six months the growth looks very good. All this hairs that are popping up now are only going to thicken up and create more coverage. It’s going to make a big cosmetic difference. Do you have any pictures of your donor? Would like to see how it looks grown out if possible. Thanks for sharing this and keeping us updated!

Reply to Delphi: Thank you for your comment. I thought i had a photo posted of the donor area in my latest update, but after your comment i notice that it really does not show enough of the donor area. I would be happy to post a new photo of the donor area, however since i do not have a recent image, please be patient, I will take new photos and post them end of the month which is only 8 days away. I will make sure the new pictures cover all areas including the donor area. Thank you again.

It is no rush, thank you for sharing so much with all of us!!

This is a new update -10.31.2015-All pictures taken today-You can notice improvements shown in the pictures-I am happy with my results and they should get even better. I am still taking Biotin 5000mcg.

Your results look great. I am looking at getting an Artas FUE procedure myself. Do you mind me asking which doctors in New York you met with and why they were not selected by you? I am asking because I live within driving distance of nyc. Any info/insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your comments and i would be happy to answer your question. First of all I am happy for you to take this important step and wishing you best of luck. To me, Artas was the best new advanced technology to use. But I also wanted to make sure to pick a Doctor who can use that technology well so i could get most benefit out of it. Just so you know, I live in Philadelphia area, but i did not mind to go anywhere. I did a lot of thinking and research, i called many of the well known Doctors in this field, From Canada and California, to Texas, Miami, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, etc. At the end, I decided to go to Chicago and have Dr.Turowski do the procedure for me. Nothing against the other Doctors and they may work well for others. But for me, I felt Dr.Turowski was the right choice. First of all, He is a real plastic surgeon with many years of experience and not a technician doing this. His credentials also very impressive, he is a graduate of Yale and Harvard. But i also wanted to make sure that the Doctor i chose has done enough of the procedure and has done it well. So i found out that he had done it and know it well, one proof of that was that he was recognized by the Artas Robotic Company with “ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence”. This is an important recognition (you can google it or go to Artas website to find out what it means). I also wanted to do about 3000 grafts in one sesssion and within the Doctors i spoke to, Dr.Turowski was the only one who told me can do over 2500 grafts in one session (with some preparation the afternoon before). I Spoke to Dr.Turowski over the phone before making my final decision, he was very confident and answered all my questions. At the end he exceeded my expectations, he actually did over 3300 grafts instead of 3000! His team were also great and knowledgable. As you see in all my updated pics, the improvements are clearly shown, but Dr.Turowski has told me that up to 12 months post procedure, new hairs could grow and of course that is what i am hoping for. Again i wish you best of luck but remember that you do this just once, so go where you need to go, talk to as many Doctors and do as much research you can, you have to find the right Doctor that is right for you. I am very happy so far with my result and if i had to do this again, would still chose the same Doctor. Good Luck.

Reply to Hairsome:
Thank you for your comments and i would be happy to answer your question. First of all I am happy for you to take this step and wishing you best of luck. To me, Artas was the best new advanced technology to use. But I also wanted to make sure to pick a Doctor who can use that technology well so i could get most benefit out of it. Just so you know, I live in Philadelphia area, but i did not mind to go anywhere. I did a lot of thinking and research, i called many of the well known Doctors in this field, From Canada and California, to Texas, Miami, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, etc. At the end, I decided to go to Chicago and have Dr.Turowski do the procedure for me. Nothing against the other Doctors and they may work well for others. But for me, I felt Dr.Turowski was the right choice. First of all, He is a real plastic surgeon with many years of experience and not a technician doing this. His credentials also very impressive, he is a graduate of Yale and Harvard. But i also wanted to make sure that the Doctor i chose has done enough of the procedure and has done it well. So i found out that he had done it and know it well, one proof of that was that he was recognized by the Artas Robotic Company with “ARTAS Center of Clinical Excellence”. This is an important recognition (you can google it or go to Artas website to find out what it means). I also wanted to do about 3000 grafts in one sesssion and within the Doctors i spoke to, he was the only one who told me can do over 2500 grafts in one session (with some preparation the afternoon before). I Spoke to Dr.Turowski over the phone before making my final decision, he was very confident and answered all my questions. So, I chose him and if i had to do this allover again, I would still make the same decision. Also to mention that his team is very good. But at the end you have to find the doctor that is right for you and you feel confident to go with. So, good luck and remember that you do this only once, so do your research and go where you think you get the best result. Good Luck.

9 months update-(1.1.2016)

Looks great! Just wondering how many graphs per square Centimeter did Dr. Turowski put for you?

This is 10 Months update. I am happy with my result and hoping by April it would look even better (By April 1st, it would be one full year since my procedure)

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Originally Posted by Hj Philadelphia

This is 10 Months update. I am happy with my result and hoping by April it would look even better (By April 1st, it would be one full year since my procedure)

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Hi HJ.

I wanted to chime in to say that I'm happy for you and your results after having an ARTAS procedure. This is one of the better documented cases I've seen and the final outcome is something that I think you should absolutely be very pleased about. Congratulations, and I can say absolutely, that you should have some additional improvements to look forward to.

Thank you

More Before and After Pics to be posted Soon! Thank you for all who view my blog.