Blog – Hair Loss, Hair Transplants, Hair Replacement, Hair Restoration – Hair Sciences Center, Denver Colorado, Dr. James Harris, MD, FACS

A Webcast You’ll Want to Watch

Those considering hair restoration, interested in FUE and curious about the new robotic-assisted ARTAS™ System will want to mark their calendars for this Friday, October 28. Spencer Kobren–founder of The American Hair Loss Association and The International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons–is hosting a special webcast on the ARTAS. Because Spencer is also one of the nation’s leading communicators regarding hair loss, restoration advances, and the art and science of FUE, I’m particularly pleased to be part of the presentation.  Experience tells me this will be a lively discussion.

The ARTAS, as you may know, is the first—and only—image-guided system for follicular unit (FUE) harvesting. Physician-guided and interactive, it is the next-level option for people seeking FUE hair restoration for male-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). The system was rigorously reviewed in multiple clinics for more than two years before its introduction and was cleared by the FDA in early 2011.  Patients have an added assurance of safety and comfort, as well, as the system continuously monitors and dynamically compensates for any patient movement in true real-time.

Here are the details:

Date: Friday, October 28, 2011

Time: 10 a.m. (Mountain Standard Time)

Site: www.thebaldtruth.com

The Power of the Practical

Just back from St. Louis and the second annual Hair Restoration Surgery Workshop. As professional learning experiences go, this one is pretty remarkable. In its first year, it was at waiting-list status weeks ahead of the event…and this year’s curriculum quadrupled the course offerings of 2009.

As to what makes it valuable…

First, it is a collaborative effort of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) and the Practical Anatomy section of the St. Louis University School of Medicine Department of Surgery (website). Suffice it to say, the courses they present are real time and real world, whether the audience is Emergency Medical physicians, Brain and Spine specialists or groups like ours.

Second, this workshop focuses on enhancing the skills of both restoration specialists and the assistants so essential to a best-practices setting. It addresses the core components of restoration surgery from the team members’ professional perspective, and dialog on process improvement flows freely.

I was honored to be one of seven specialists serving as faculty for the 2010 workshop. We each worked alongside participants during “live” morning labs and manned “Ask the Expert” stations to address transplantation questions. During afternoon sessions, we spoke on general topics — medical management, anesthesia considerations, graft calculation, pre- and post-op care — then shared our specific areas of expertise.

Mine, as you may have guessed, were heavily FUE-related. Following an overview on follicular unit extraction, I led a “Critical Thinking” session on FUE vs. strip harvesting. Each has its place…but what’s the “tipping point” for selecting one over the other? As you’ve probably heard me say before, the answer is as individual as the patient before me.

All in all, I feel very good that we achieved the goal Workshop program director Dr. Sam Lam set from the start: to demonstrate practice standards that contribute to “more ethical, artistic, technically precise, safer and more compassionate hair restoration.”

Not a bad return on a three-day weekend.

My “Expectation Exercise”

We deal a lot with “expectations” in the course of hair restoration. Given the individual’s donor specifics, what can he or she realistically expect in terms of immediate results and long-term appearance?

Just prior to my recent International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) workshop in Orlando, I found myself conducting an “expectation exercise” of my own. I had agreed to a work session in which my follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedure using our powered SAFE™ Scribe technology would be compared, side by side, with another surgeon’s proprietary system.

Same surgical suite.

Same patient.

Same results?

I’m pleased to say the outcome was right in line with what I’d envisioned.

Microscopic examination of harvested follicles showed we achieved an average of 2.9 hairs per graft. Moreover, our transection rate was just 1.9 percent. Considering it’s not uncommon for transection rates to be 10 times that or more in some processes, it confirmed what we’ve been saying about the SAFE Scribe’s exceptional precision and efficacy.

I think it’s important to point out that not all surgeons share my view on keeping transection rates at an absolute minimum. I made it part of my clinical criteria when developing this new collection technology for two reasons. First, I believed it was attainable. Second, I considered it key to the value proposition I offer my patients. For the more viable grafts we can obtain in each session, the faster these individuals will reach their appearance objectives.

Evidently, a number of my colleagues agreed. Several have asked to come to Denver for additional SAFE Scribe training. We’re hoping to host that late summer or early fall—but prior to the ISHRS national conference in Boston this October. I’ve also been asked by my international peers to provide on-site training in their countries.

I fully expect to say yes.