WEDNESDAY, Sept. 25, 2024 -- The robotic hair technology ARTAS is effective and safe for selecting hair follicular units (FUs) and harvesting hair for treatment of male androgenetic alopecia (AGA), according to a study published online Sept. 19 in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

Yifei Zhu, from the Shanghai Institute of Dermatology at Fudan University, and colleagues compared efficacy and safety between the ARTAS system and follicular unit excision (FUE) for treatment of male AGA. The study enrolled 13 Chinese male patients with Norwood-Hamilton II to IV AGA aged 25 to 35 years. For each patient, the donor site was randomly divided into left and right regions, one of which received ARTAS and the other FUE. The yield, transection, and discard rates of hair FUs were compared for both sides.

The researchers found that the total yield rate was lower on the ARTAS side versus the FUE side (82.05 versus 90.03 percent), but the difference was not significant. The total discard rate was significantly higher on the ARTAS side (10.71 versus 5.46 percent), while the total transection rate was lower, but not significantly so (13.17 versus 13.96 percent). There were no significant differences noted in patient satisfaction. During or after all surgeries, there were no side effects or complications reported.

"While the yield rate is lower in ARTAS (not statistically significant), the transection rate is lower," the authors write. "Clinically, this means that follicles once successfully harvested by ARTAS have a higher chance to be of higher quality compared to FUE counterparts."