Getting a robotic hair transplant sounds like something from a science fiction movie. However, the technology for this hair loss treatment has been perfected and FDA-approved for over a decade [1]. It is increasingly used to perform accurate and successful hair restoration surgeries.
Although they come at a higher price, robotic hair transplants are safe, accurate, and can match the craftsmanship of an experienced hair restoration surgeon [2]. However, the procedure is not yet fully automated, meaning a surgical team is still necessary [3]. Keep reading to learn all about robotic hair transplants, including:
Robotic hair transplants were first FDA-approved and started to be commercially performed in 2011. They are performed using a medical device called an ARTAS system, developed by Restoration Robotics [1][3]. This device has several parts:
The ARTAS device uses the follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique to extract the hair grafts from the patient’s donor area. It can also create slits on the recipient area according to parameters set by the surgeon. Moreover, its software can help provide visual guidance for graft implantation.
While the name of this method suggests fully-automated hair restoration surgery, technology has not yet reached that point. Robotic hair transplants are machine-assisted and require substantial human input.
Here are the main steps of a robotic hair transplant, complete with some details that can help you understand how ARTAS devices work [1][3].
This part rests entirely on the humans in the room. The surgical team may offer you a mild sedative to help you relax. Then they will walk you through the procedure, mark the transplant areas and inject your scalp with a local anaesthetic to prevent pain.
They will also place a tensioner (a metal square) on your scalp to keep it stretched and immobile throughout the procedure.
The robotic device first scans your scalp and maps out the best places in your donor area to extract the hair grafts. Then, it uses a needle-in-needle system on its arm to extract grafts automatically.
First, using a 0.8-1 mm punch [3], the device makes a shallow incision around the selected follicular unit. Then it uses a blunt outer punch to separate the graft from the surrounding tissue. Finally, the surgical team manually collects the loosened grafts.
In 2014, the ARTAS device was updated with the ability to prepare the transplant area by creating small slits in the recipient area. The surgeon inputs parameters such as the angle and depth of the incisions and the robotic arm executes them [3]. Studies show the device can create an average of almost 1600 slits per hour [4].
However, its range of arm motion is not yet fine enough to perform this delicate task well without manual assistance from the surgeon. This is especially true for complex scalp areas, as human expertise and finesse is needed to create natural-looking crown whorls or hairline pattern irregularities. That is why some surgeons prefer to prepare the transplant site manually.
All graft implantation is still fully manual and carefully performed by the surgeon. There is an art to perfectly positioning the grafts in a way that closely emulates natural hair growth patterns, and ARTAS robots are not yet equipped to take on this task.
After this step is completed, the surgeon may apply a hair transplant bandage. They will also provide you with all the necessary hair transplant aftercare information before you go home.
At this time, more research is needed to provide a definitive answer to this question. However, a small study published in 2024 compared the safety and effectiveness of robotic hair transplant to manual FUE hair restoration [2].
The research involved 13 men with male pattern baldness. ARTAS was used on one side of their heads, while the other received conventional FUE hair restoration performed by experienced surgeons. The authors found that both methods were comparably safe and effective and yielded no difference in patient satisfaction.
However, the surgeon’s skill and experience play a crucial role in hair transplant outcomes in both cases. If the results of a robotic hair transplant are compared to manual FUE performed by a novice or lesser-skilled surgeon, the outcome may be different. So further, larger-scale research is needed to determine how these surgical methods compare.
Yes, surgeon skill and experience remain vital for the success of a hair transplant, even a robot-assisted one. That is because, at this time, there are several things that ARTAS devices cannot do [1][3]:
This means that the present-day ARTAS can be a very useful tool in making hair transplants more efficient and precise, but it is still up to the surgeon to create a natural looking hair transplant.
Like every surgical method, robotic hair transplantation has some great advantages, but also several drawbacks worth considering. Here are its main pros and cons [1][2][3]:
Research shows no specific hair transplant risks posed by the robotic device itself. No increased pain, scar formation or incidences of infection have been observed when compared to conventional hair restoration surgery [1][2][3].
This means that the most common robotic hair transplant side effects you can expect are the same as for a fully manual surgery [5]:
Very rarely, patients can experience more severe complications, such as hair transplant infection, nerve damage or a very low graft survival rate (a failed hair transplant).
Robotic graft harvesting can reduce the risk of human error that may lead to some of these adverse events. However, it does not completely prevent them, as they can also be caused by other factors (such as improper aftercare). Additionally, these risks are extremely low with skilled, experienced surgeons.
Most people who are good candidates for a hair transplant are theoretically eligible for a robotic procedure. However, surgeons [1] note that the ARTAS does not perform well for people with fine or light-coloured hair or for patients with a thin or mobile scalp. Thus, manual hair restoration is usually recommended instead.
Moreover, while the ARTAS works well for standardised, repetitive actions, a surgeon is more adaptable and can accommodate more challenging or complex cases, which require a good eye and manual finesse.
Robotic hair transplant costs can vary significantly, depending on factors such as:
On average, you can expect to pay more for a robotic hair transplant than for a manual FUE procedure. While a manual hair transplant costs, on average, £4820 in the UK for patients with Norwood stage 2-3 hair loss, you can expect the ARTAS-assisted procedure to exceed £5000 by far.
At some UK clinics, it costs around £5 to £6 per graft for robotic hair transplants, compared to the average £3.25 per graft for manual hair restoration surgery. That is because the cost of purchasing and maintaining the ARTAS is significant and the clinic is also required to pay a licensing fee to the device’s manufacturer (on a fee-per-graft basis) [3].
Moreover, you still need an experienced surgeon to perform your hair transplant alongside the ARTAS, as well as a device operator to monitor the system and input commands. So the price must also account for these surgical team costs.
Unfortunately, not many hair clinics offer robotic hair transplants at this time. Getting an ARTAS to perform this kind of procedure is quite a big investment, and it will still be a while before it becomes affordable enough to be in every clinic.
However, keep in mind that skilled and experienced surgeons can perform top-tier hair transplants that can easily rival robot-assisted results. So even if the clinic you set your heart on does not offer this service, they may be able to give you a hair transplant that looks amazing after 10 years, 20 years or more.
Present-day research is focused on increasing the levels of hair transplant robot automation to the point where this procedure could become fully automated. Several experimental prototypes are being tested, which could not only harvest the hair grafts independently, but also reimplant them in the recipient areas [5][6].
Moreover, artificial intelligence-based software is being tested to improve robot performance and correct some of its shortcomings. This may make it more adaptable to different patient hair and scalp characteristics [7].
In the future, AI-guided robotic hair transplant might require little to no human intervention. However, it’s likely to be many years before this happens. For now, the surgeon remains a key element of surgical hair restoration success.
If you are interested in getting a hair transplant and are looking into the best available options, let our experts help. Book a free, no-obligations hair transplant consultation and let one of our surgeons answer all your questions. They will be happy to tell you more about robotic hair transplants and help you determine if you would make a good candidate for one.
You’ll also see your surgeon’s portfolio, giving you a glimpse of craftsmanship that easily rivals and exceeds ARTAS-assisted results. We at the Wimpole Clinic have a 50-year legacy of leading the industry in both FUE and FUT hair restoration excellence. So you can rest assured that your hair is in the best hands, even without a robot in the room.
You can discover even more about robotic hair transplants by reading the answer to these frequently asked questions.
No, ARTAS devices are only designed to perform FUE surgery. FUT procedures involve removing an entire strip of skin from the back of the patient’s head and cutting it into grafts.
FUT is slowly losing favour to FUE, as it leaves a fine, but visible scar, takes longer to recover from and can be more expensive. So there may be less demand for an FUT hair transplant robot.
Robotic hair restoration surgeries are not necessarily much faster than manual ones. An experienced surgeon can harvest almost the same amount of grafts per hour as the ARTAS device. Moreover, the surgical team still needs to manually collect, process and implant the grafts removed by the robotic arm. So practitioners estimate that a 1500-graft robotic hair transplant could still take 5-6 hours to complete [1].
No, robotic hair transplants have no specific side effects or complications so simply following your surgeon’s aftercare advice and regular hair transplant maintenance instructions will suffice.
Keeping your hair grafts clean and moisturised, treating your scalp gently and avoiding heavy workouts soon after your hair transplant will increase your chances of great hair restoration results, regardless of the surgical technology used.
The ARTAS is extremely precise. Its accuracy is at the submillimetre level. That means it cannot miss its mark by more than a fraction of a millimetre [3]. Moreover, it is very consistent, making every incision identical to the previous one if that is how it was programmed.
While human surgeons can err out of fatigue, poor visibility or a miscalculation, the ARTAS will constantly achieve the same results under the same conditions.
Yes, women can also get robotic female hair transplants to treat conditions such as female pattern baldness or other eligible types of alopecia. However, this procedure has only been FDA approved for men [1]. That is not because male scalp and hair are different from women’s, but because all the safety and effectiveness clinical trials so far have been conducted on male patients.
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