Robotic Follicular Unit Extraction in the Donor Area.

Over the past several years, an increasingly popular option for removing donor hair from the posterior scalp is follicular unit extraction. Follicular unit extraction is where a 1 mm punch biopsy is utilized to harvest individual follicular units from the donor area. The advantage of this technique is that the small incision made to remove the donor hair allows hundreds of hair follicles be removed with minimal or no visible detected donor scar on the posterior scalp.

For many patients, a scar on the posterior scalp is of no cosmetic, functional, or practical concern and therefore an ellipse is performed. For other patients that like to wear their hair short, or may want to wear their hair short in the future or who prefer for psychological reasons not to have a donor scar, follicular unit extraction is appealing.

The chief disadvantage of follicular unit extraction is the increased time it takes to remove the hair and less hair that is harvested during each procedure compared to a donor ellipse. Recently, a robotic device has been developed by a company in Silicon Valley named Restoration Robotics. This device may offer an opportunity to harvest large numbers of follicular groupings that will be comparable in number to what can be attained with a donor ellipse. This is a potentially significant advancement in hair restoration surgery since it will allow the best of both worlds; a large number of follicular groupings from each surgery with no visible scar in the donor area. Further experience over the next several months will better define the role of the robot in hair restoration surgery.