Hair loss robot gains FDA approval

(Medical Xpress) -- Restoration Robotics Inc., a privately-held medical device company which is based in California, has received FDA approval for their ARTAS System. The ARTAS System, which is designed to harvest the hair follicles from the scalp of men who have been diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia, a condition that is more commonly known as male pattern hair loss, in men who also have black or brown straight hair, has received its 510K clearance from the Food & Drug Administration.

The system, which was developed with the help of several leading hair restoration physicians, is designed to enhance the quality of follicular unit harvesting. The system is physician-controlled and completely interactive. The system uses a combines of several different features which include an image-guided robotic arm, some unique imaging technologies, and a set of small dermal punches, and a computer interface which allows the doctor to control these elements. The ARTAS System is able to identify and harvest an individual follicular unit. This is needed to implement a restoration technique called the follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique.

The follicular unit extraction technique is preferable for many hair loss patients because it is less invasive and allows the men in question to return to their normal lives with a shorter recovery time. The system preforms the hair restoration as an office-based procedure, which also has the potential to reduce the costs of the procedure. The newly implanted hairs will develop their own blood supply, and gradually begin to grow and new hairs. These new hairs will begin to grow only a few months after the procedure, and continue for up to a full year. This creates a more natural appearance of hair then simply putting on a wig.

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