Advanced Robotic Hair Transplant at Bernstein Medical Center

Robotic Hair Transplant

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Quote Begin I had a buddy who did it overseas, and he didn't get the same treatment I got from Bernstein. Quote End
- Joe Barone
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110 E 55th St. (11th Floor)
New York, NY 10022

MEET OUR RENOWNED PHYSICIANS

Christine M. Shaver, MD
Medical Director

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    Board-certified dermatologist
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    Mohs micrographic surgeon
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    M.I.T., Yale University
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    Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honors
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    FUT and Robotic FUE

Robert M. Bernstein, MD
Founder

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    Pioneering hair transplant surgeon
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    Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Columbia University
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    Keen aesthetics and exceptional surgical skills

Dr. Bernstein performing robotic hair transplant with the ARTAS Robotic Systemgravida. Risus commodo viverra maecenas accumsan lacus vel facilisis.

Robotic hair transplant surgery is a significant advance in the technology of the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) procedure.

In Robotic FUE, the ARTAS® iX Robotic System automates two key steps in an FUE hair transplant; follicular unit graft harvesting and recipient site creation. The automation of these two steps enables surgeons to perform FUE with unparalleled precision and consistency and allows for the maximum preservation of follicles. Robotic hair transplants have the same advantages manual FUE procedures have over traditional hair transplants – no linear scar and no post-operative limitations on physical activity – but, in addition, the ARTAS robot eliminates risks of human error.

The robot’s optical three-dimensional guidance system and dual punch mechanism first locate then extract follicular units according to specifications programmed by the physician. They do so hundreds to thousands of times per session with consistency and accuracy impossible to duplicate with the human hand.

They also create recipient sites, where follicular unit grafts are placed, according to an aesthetic plan designed by the physician and programmed into the robot.

Why Bernstein Medical Center For Hair Restoration?

Located in the heart of Manhattan, The Bernstein Medical Center for Hair Restoration has been an innovator in hair transplantation since 1995. With over 30,000 surgeries performed, the Bernstein team blends artistry with state-of- the-art technology to restore a natural hairline, so the only people who will know are those you choose to tell! Our friendly, knowledgeable staff if is here to ensure you have a wonderful experience. Once you’re a client of Bernstein Medical Center, you have a relationship with long after the day of your procedure.

Pioneered at Bernstein Medical

Dr. Bernstein discussing the newest capabilities of the ARTAS robotic system to an audience of hair restoration surgeons in California

Robotic FUE hair transplant procedures were pioneered by Dr. Bernstein and his colleague Dr. Rassman. Bernstein Medical was among the first facilities in the world to use the ARTAS robot to perform FUE, and the first to use the new ARTAS iX system. Today, every FUE procedure at Bernstein Medical uses the ARTAS iX system. We were named an ARTAS Clinical Center of Excellence in 2013.

As a medical adviser to Restoration Robotics, Dr. Bernstein collaborates with the robot’s engineers and developers to improve its hardware and software systems. Bernstein Medical is a beta-test site for this innovative technology and numerous advances were developed and tested at our facility.

How the ARTAS Robot Works

The patient is first given local anesthesia to the area to be harvested. With the patient seated in the robotic chair, the physician applies the tensioner, a small rectangular picture frame-like device, to the back of the scalp. The robotic arm automatically positions itself to the donor area.

Video of the Robotic Hair Transplant Procedure

Video of the Robotic Hair Transplant Procedure

Animation: Robotic 2-Step Follicular Unit Dissection

Overview: The ARTAS Robotic System

TOP 5
QUESTIONS WE GET ASKED

The cost varies depending on the number of grafts transplanted and the type of procedure (FUT or FUE). To get a general sense of the number of grafts that you might need go to the Graft Numbers page. Contact our staff at 212-826-2400 to ask any questions about the cost of a hair transplant procedure or available payment options.

There is some redness and crusting after the procedure. Some patients experience swelling during the first week after surgery. Hair transplants are usually undetectable after 10 days. Follicular unit grafts are permanent in the scalp after 10 days. Read about FUT Post-op Care or FUE Post-op Care.

Propecia is the most important medication, but you need to be on it for one year at the full dose of 1mg a day to assess its benefits.

If you have done this and other parameters are OK for a hair transplant, such as adequate donor hair density and scalp laxity and you have little evidence that you will become extensively bald (i.e. no donor miniaturization and no family history of extensive baldness), then hair transplantation can be considered

In general, FUT yields the most donor hair. Therefore, the procedure is best suited for more extensive hair loss and in patients where the main concern is the maximum use of one’s donor supply. The hair is maximized because of the precise nature of stereo-microscopic dissection and the fact that all the hair is harvested from the mid-portion of the permanent zone where the hair is most dense and stable. A limitation of FUT is that it leaves a line scar in the donor area. With normal styling, this is easily covered with hair, but it precludes someone from wearing their hair very short.

FUE is more appropriate for patients who would like to keep their hair very short or who can’t limit strenuous activities in the post-op period. In general, younger patients who need to keep their styling options flexible choose FUE, whereas those who desire the most coverage opt for FUT. Read a detailed comparison of FUT and FUE on our FUE Pros & Cons page.
We do not have first-hand information on the clinics in Turkey or outside the USA, but there is a recent “Letter to the Editor” in Hair Transplant Forum International, the official publication of the “International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery” that you might find informative. From the article:

“In Turkey, there are 300 FUE clinics in Istanbul alone but, unfortunately, at only 20 of them are operations are done by doctors. We do not exactly know how many of those 300 clinics have legal permissions, but we know very well that an average of 500-1,000 FUE operations are done per day.”

If you would like to read the entire article, the reference is: A Report from Turkey – the situation in a top FUE destination. Hair Transplant Forum International July/August 2017 p 162.

Advantages of Robotic FUE

More about Robotic Hair Transplants

FUE, a type of hair transplant in which follicular units are extracted from the donor area one at a time, was first described and popularized by Drs. Rassman and Bernstein in 2002. ((Rassman WR, Bernstein RM, McClellan R, Jones R, et al. Follicular Unit Extraction: Minimally invasive surgery for hair transplantation. Dermatol Surg 2002; 28(8): 720-7.)) When performed using hand-held instruments, FUE is a labor-intensive process that requires surgeons to extract hundreds to thousands of follicular units and create an equal number of recipient sites during sessions that can last over eight hours. This subjects the patient to significant human variability and risk of error. ((Bernstein RM, Rassman WR. Anderson KW. Follicular Unit Extraction Megasessions: Evolution of a technique. Hair Transplant Forum International 2004; 14(3): 97-99.))

Below, we take a closer look at the benefits of using the ARTAS System to automate follicular unit graft harvesting and recipient site creation.

Robotic Hair Transplants at
Bernstein Medical

Dr. Bernstein with the ARTAS Robot during recipient site creation

As a hair transplant pioneer and one of the first to use robotic technology in surgical hair restoration, Dr. Bernstein became intimately involved with Restoration Robotics and has played a key role in improving the ARTAS system for robotic hair transplant practitioners around the world. He is a medical adviser to the company and Bernstein Medical is a beta-test site for advances in the robot’s hardware and software systems.

In addition to improvements to the core system, several major advances were introduced at Bernstein Medical. These include robotic recipient site creation, an enhanced user interface, custom punch sizing, long-hair Robotic FUE, pre-making recipient sites, and a variety of other important modifications, some of which are described below.

What are the benefits of ARTAS ix ?

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    No linear scar means you can still keep your hair short in the back
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    Less pain and downtime
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    Robotic precision combined with our expert artistry and touch
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    No human fatigue, so your last graft is as good as your first
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    Completely undetectable results

Techniques Using the ARTAS Robot:
Feathering and Focal Harvesting

Feathering

 The above photo shows the ARTAS Robot being used to feather the donor extraction on the sides of the scalp. The purpose is to make the harvested area blend imperceptibly into the surrounding scalp. This is particularly important on the sides of the scalp where the hair may be thin and less able to camouflage the harvested sites (compared to the more dense hair in the back of the scalp).

Focal Harvesting

 The above photo shows results from the ARTAS Robotic System that had been programmed to increase the harvested area beyond that of the patients first FUE (see area just below trimmed hair), for the purpose of obtaining additional grafts. The lower area of the picture shows the Robot focusing on areas that had been missed in the previous FUE session.

What our
Patients are saying

Dr. Shaver was wonderful in helping with the approach of hair regrowth. Talking to her made the decision process easy for next steps and understanding what was right to do. I would highly recommend to anyone and thank you Dr. Shaver!

D.A

From professional hair stylists to plastic surgeons: Anyone who has seen the work Dr. Bernstein has done is very impressed. This is hands down the best place to come to for your treatment. It’s actually true what everyone here is saying!


M.R

I met Dr. Bernstein and his staff back in 2014. Since this date, I've had two procedures. Dr. Bernstein and his staff are very knowledgeable and they listen. There're a lot of doctors who perform the same procedures but I seek out the best doctors and Dr. Bernstein is at the top of that list.

J.R



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