As medical technology evolves, robotics and artificial intelligence are becoming more integrated, both inside and outside of the operating theatre. Robotic hair transplants, like ARTAS® and HARRTS, are one example of such a leap.
In this guide, you will learn more about what this technology is, how much it can cost, its pros and cons, and how it might compare to manual FUE.
What Is Robotic Hair Transplant?
Robotic hair transplants automate the harvestation and implantation of grafts in a hair restoration surgery. It is important, however, to note that such hair transplants require the participation of a surgeon in order to ensure the achievement of the best results.
Robotic Hair Transplant Before And After
In a study published in 2024, the donor areas of 13 Chinese men were treated with FUE on one side and ARTAS on the other. And the authors concluded that both procedures achieved the “same patient satisfaction” and ARTAS is “just as safe” as traditional FUE (follicular unit extraction) when it’s done by an experienced surgeon. One of the patients’ donor and recipient areas are as follows:
Zhu Y, Yang K, Lin JM, Ni C, Zhang Y, Li Z, Liu Q, Zhou Y, Lin J, Wu W. A Comparative Study on the Application of Robotic Hair Restoration Technology Versus Traditional Follicular Unit Excision in Male Androgenetic Alopecia. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2024 Dec;23(12):4213-4222. doi: 10.1111/jocd.16554. Epub 2024 Sep 19. PMID: 39297414; PMCID: PMC11626372/CC BY 4.0
What Are The Different Robotic Hair Transplant Systems?
Let’s take a look at the different machines that are used in robotic hair transplants.
ARTAS
ARTAS, which incorporates artificial intelligence, is one of the most popular technologies for robotic hair transplants.
The ARTAS® system can “harvest” grafts from the donor area of the scalp, meaning it dissects them for extraction. Once a graft is dissected, typically a technician manually extracts it from the scalp. The system also creates incisions in the recipient area to prepare for manual implantation (most likely also by technicians). However, in the ARTAS® iX, even the implantation process has been automated.
Both the devices have FDA-clearance and CE marking. However, as noted on the company’s own website, their usage is limited to individuals suffering from male pattern baldness with “black or brown straight hair.” Therefore, not everyone might be considered a suitable candidate.
Even so, the ARTAS system remains quite popular and is known for its consistency and precision. It also makes the surgery less fatiguing for the medical team and can speed up the process by harvesting more than a thousand grafts in just an hour.
HARRTS
An acronym for “Human Assisted Rapid Robotic Transplant System,” HARRTS is another device that helps in the planning of the surgery in addition to the extraction and implantation of hair grafts.
It is accompanied by an AI simulation tool that can determine the number of grafts a person needs for their surgery. Additionally, it can give them an idea of what their results might look like during the pre-op consultation.
Unlike ARTAS, however, the HAARTS system hasn’t completely roboticized the graft harvestation process. Instead, an automated handheld device is used by the medical staff to both cut into the skin around the graft and extract it. Afterwards, the surgeon implants the hairs using special implanter pens (like a robotic DHI hair transplant) while the system guides them as to which grafts are best suited for a particular area.
NeoGraft & SmartGraft “Robotic” Hair Transplants
Though they might be confused for “robotic” hair transplants, both NeoGraft and SmartGraft technology involve the use of handheld devices.
In a NeoGraft hair transplant, these handheld devices are used by the medical team to extract grafts, create incisions in the balding areas and implant grafts into them. Therefore, it’s quite different from the robotic ARTAS system.
A SmartGraft, on the other hand, also comes with a handheld device that helps harvest and extract hair grafts. Following the harvestation, which is essentially done by the practitioner, incision-making and graft insertion are done manually by the doctor/technician.
How Much Do Robotic Hair Transplants Cost?
Typically, robotic hair transplants are more expensive than manual follicular unit extraction surgery because of the cost of the machinery used.
At a cost of £5 per graft, a robotic hair transplant surgery might cost around £10,000 for around 2,000 grafts in the UK. The cost per graft can also go up to £6, making the operation even more expensive.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Robotic Hair Transplants?
Following are the pros and cons of robotic hair transplants:
Pros
- Elimination of human error: Robotic hair transplants allow for consistency and accuracy in the surgery.
- Less tedium and fatigue: Surgical hair restoration can be time-consuming and tiring for the medical team involved. A robotic hair transplant system, like ARTAS, however, does not have that problem.
- Less time in surgery: Since robotic hair transplants can extract grafts at a faster rate than is possible in manual FUE, you might be able to get the surgery done more quickly.
Cons
- Not completely robotic: Robotic hair transplants require the involvement of a skilled and qualified surgeon to achieve good results. Also, surgery technicians can be involved in different parts of the surgery, such as the extraction of the grafts from the scalp after they have been harvested by the machine.
- Limited donor area: The donor area of a robotic hair transplant system can be limited. The result is fewer grafts extracted with robotic systems as compared to manual FUEs.
- More scarring: One concern with robotic hair transplants is that they may use larger punch sizes than those that might typically be used in manual extraction. Though FUE (robotic or otherwise) is never scarless, larger punch sizes mean scarring will be greater.
- Higher cost: When it comes to the technique or even the results, there is no difference between robotic or manual transplants — both use FUE and can give excellent results. Robotic hair transplants can, however, be more expensive due to the cost of equipment used in the surgery.
- Limited suitable candidates: While robotic hair transplants might be done on patients with straight hair, systems like ARTAS are not for those with curly hair. ARTAS is also not FDA-cleared for female hair transplants.
Robotic Hair Transplant vs Manual: Which Is Better?
While robotic hair transplants might be more efficient and consistent, manual FUE might be generally preferred because it is less expensive, causes less scarring, can harvest hair from the sides of the scalp, and is suitable for more people.
Marketing for robotic hair transplants may emphasize the lack of a “linear scar” left by this type of transplant. However, you must bear in mind that manual FUE doesn’t leave a linear scar either. A strip surgery or FUT results in that because it involves excising a piece of skin from the scalp. In FUE, on the other hand, this is never the case as grafts are extracted directly from the scalp using a small circular punch tool.
Also, as far as the results are concerned, we cannot say that one is superior to the other. You can achieve excellent results with both, but even in robotic hair transplants, it’s imperative that you find a qualified and experienced doctor as they’re very much involved in surgery.
Dr Cagla
Dr Cagla earned her medical degree at Trakya University’s Faculty of Medicine in Bulgaria and has almost 6 years of hair transplantation experience. She is a specialist in FUE, DHI and Sapphire hair transplants of the scalp, eyebrows and beard and has performed over 6,000 surgeries. Dr Cagla is multilingual, with fluency in English, Bulgarian and Turkish.
