This page contains all posts in our News, Answers, Video, and Research sections.
Innovations In Robotic Hair Restoration
March 5th, 2018
Synopsis: With the latest version of the ARTAS platform, 9x, Restoration Robotics has designed a faster and more accurate system for hair transplantation. The improved accuracy of harvesting and shortened procedure time increases graft viability, while smaller needles reduce scarring and allow patients to wear shorter hairstyles. Many of the changes in this upgrade have been made as a response to specific physician feedback.
Posted by Updated 2018-06-29
Advances in Robotic FUE
February 19th, 2018
Synopsis: Since the publication of “What’s New in Robotic Hair Transplantation” (Hair Transplant Forum Int’l. 2017; 27(3):100-101), there have been important improvements to the robotic system in both its incision and recipient site creation capabilities. These advances fall into four overlapping categories:increased speed, increased accuracy, increased functionality, and improved artificial intelligence (AI). The overlap occurs since improvements in functionality, accuracy, and AI can also increase the overall speed of the procedure. A faster procedure decreases the time grafts are outside the body and allows the physician to perform larger cases without placing additional oxidative stress on the follicles.
Posted by Updated 2018-06-29
Commentary on Redefining the “E” in FUE: Excision = Incision + Extraction
February 19th, 2018
Synopsis:There has been a change in the nomenclature of the FUE procedure. It will not be called Follicular Unit Excision, describing the two main components of an FUE procedure, incision (separatioin of the follicle from the tissue) and extraction (the removal of the follicular unit from the scalp once it is separated). Drs. Robert M. Bernstein and William R. Rassman’s commentary explains the importance of this change in terminology.
Posted by Updated 2018-05-15
Can Anyone Tell Me Why Dr. Bernstein Is Still Bald?
February 16th, 2018
Q: Can anyone tell me why Dr. Bernstein is still bald? — N.H., Brooklyn, NY
When Dr. Bernstein was younger and started to lose his hair, it really didn’t bother him. After medical school, he began his career as a dermatologist and became aware of surgical hair restoration. It was then when he realized that he would not be a good candidate for a hair transplant procedure, even if he wanted one, because his donor area is very thin. In the years since, he has gotten used to being bald. But his not being a candidate made him keenly aware of who is and who is not a good candidate for surgery, and this insight has helped earn him a reputation as an honest and ethical practitioner of hair transplantation.
Posted by Updated 2018-02-17
Does Eating McDonald’s Fries Cause Hair Growth?
February 13th, 2018
There has been a lot of news recently circulating the web about a new way to help you grow your hair back; eating McDonald’s French fries. This theory is based on the findings of Professor, Junji Fukada of Yokohama University in Japan. Fukada and his team of researchers have studied the form of silicone called “dimethylpolysiloxane” that is used in frying oil at McDonalds to reduce frothing. Read more!
Posted by Updated 2018-07-03
Dr. Bernstein Featured in ARTAS Live Webinar
January 23rd, 2018
Dr. Robert M. Bernstein were guest speakers in the ARTAS live webcast series where they discussed “What’s New in Robotic FUE.” They spoke to over 100 fellow surgeons and their staff on advances in robotic hair transplantation and led a Q and A session about the ARTAS Robotic System.
Posted by Updated 2018-07-03
New Nomenclature for FUE
January 23rd, 2018
There has been a change in the terminology of the FUE procedure, it will now be called Follicular Unit Excision. This describes the two main components of an FUE procedure, incision (the separation of the follicular unit from the surrounding tissue) and extraction (the removal of the follicular unit from the scalp once it is separated). It is important to note that this is just a change in terminology, not in the technique itself. Click to read more!
Posted by Updated 2018-07-03
Researchers Untangle Potential Pathway to Regenerating Hair in a Bald Scalp
January 5th, 2018
Scientific research is often the quintessential example of taking something apart to learn how it works. A team of researchers has used that age-old technique to unwind the complex process by which embryonic cells organize into functional skin that includes “organoids” like hair follicles. By untangling this biological mystery, they were able to develop a model that could potentially lead to hair regeneration treatments and other advances in regenerative medicine. The study — “Self-organization process in newborn skin organoid formation inspires strategy to restore hair regeneration of adult cells” — was published in the August 22nd, 2017 issue of the journal PNAS.
Lei M, et al. 2017
Posted by Updated 2018-01-05
Dr. Bernstein Featured in Huffington Post on Hair Loss Genetics
December 11th, 2017
Dr. Bernstein addresses the common myth that hair loss is inherited exclusively from the mother’s side of the family – and, more specifically, from your mother’s father. While your mother’s (or maternal grandfather’s) genes can be the culprit, the characteristics of your hair are influenced by many different genes that may come from either or both sides of your family.
Posted by Updated 2017-12-18
What is the Difference Between “Hair Transplant Reversal” and “Hair Transplant Repair”?
December 5th, 2017
Q: I have read a lot on the forums about hair transplant reversal and hair transplant repairs. Are they the same thing, if not, what is the difference? Can you reverse a hair transplant? — K.J. ~ Park Slope, N.Y.
A: A “hair transplant repair” refers to techniques that improve the appearance of a poorly executed procedure or one performed with outdated methods. A “hair transplant reversal” refers to techniques that enable the individual to appear as if no hair restoration surgery had been performed. Although the techniques in attempting to perform a repair or a reversal may be similar, the ultimate goals of each are quite different. It is important to understand that although significant improvement can often be achieved; perfect repairs and/or full reversals are generally not possible.
The main reasons for seeking a repair include; large grafts transplanted to the frontal hairline giving an unnatural, “pluggy” appearance, a frontal hairline placed too far forward, hair placed in the wrong direction, and donor and recipient site scarring. Outdated procedures such as scalp reductions and flaps also need to be repaired.
If the transplanted grafts are large (“hair plugs”), it is possible to surgically excise these grafts, microscopically dissect them into smaller follicular unit grafts, and re-transplant them into the scalp in a more natural-looking, aesthetic way. After these large grafts are removed, the sites are sutured closed and heal with very fine, often imperceptible, white scars. Hair plug removal is often followed by one or more sessions of FUT or FUE in order to harvest additional hair for use in camouflaging any remaining plugs or improving the appearance of the region where the plugs had previously been. These combined repairs can lead to excellent outcomes.
If the grafts at the hairline are not large, but are placed too low or too broadly, it is possible to use laser hair removal and/or tweezing to remove these hairs. Repeated treatments may be necessary until the hair ceases to grow back at these locations. Additionally, hair which was placed in a direction different from the way hair naturally grows will usually need to be removed.
Another challenge in hair transplant repair is fixing widened donor scars that had resulted from poorly performed FUT/strip procedures. These scars are permanent and may be visible if the hair is not worn long enough. Scars from FUT procedures can be repaired by harvesting hair from the surrounding donor area (using FUE) and transplanting these follicular unit grafts into the scarred tissue.
Scalp micropigmentation (SMP), a permanent micro-tattoo, may be useful to further camouflage these linear scars. SMP can also be used to improve the look of the stippled scars of FUE in patients. This can occur with over harvesting, when patients wear their hair too short, or when the balding is more extensive than anticipated and extends into the harvested area.
A hair transplant reversal, in theory, has the goal of having the person look as though a hair transplant had never been performed. While a complete reversal is not possible, the techniques previously discussed can be utilized to achieve a number of important things. The donor site scarring can be minimized and/or camouflaged and the smaller follicular unit grafts in the recipient zone can often be removed without leaving behind any visible scarring of the underlying skin. What is not possible is to restore the person’s density to a pre-procedure level as improperly performed transplants always result in wasted hair.
Posted by Updated 2018-07-03
By: Dr. Robert M. Bernstein
Updated: 2017-10-05 | Published: 2014-02-11
