According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) 2017 Practice Census —the most recent data available—more than 635,000 hair restoration procedures were performed in 2016 alone, establishing a 60% increase in total hair restoration procedures over previous data gathered in 2014. Additionally, there was a 67% increase in surgical procedures. A 2019 report by Global Market Insights, Inc., a global market research and management consulting company, predicted the global hair transplantation market will surpass a market value of $31.0 billion by 2025.

The level of demand for hair restoration shows steady growth with strong opportunities for new hair restoration businesses; something worth capitalizing on right away. With the right equipment, hair restoration treatments are a lucrative market for medical aesthetic professionals. While there are a range of surgical and non-surgical hair restoration procedures in the market, ARTAS iX™ certainly stands out. Discover what sets  ^{ARTAS apart and how this could benefit your medical aesthetics business.}

Minimally invasive hair restoration procedures can generally be divided into two methods based on how hair follicles are removed from the donor site. These two methods are follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE).  

Both methods remove hair follicles from the donor area along the back and side of the head, but FUT procedures use a scalpel to surgically remove a strip of hair from the back of the head before dividing it into follicular units to be implanted in the recipient site(s). In comparison, typical FUE procedures extract donor hair follicles in naturally occurring groups of generally one to three hairs. The grafts are then sorted by the number of hairs they each contain and implanted at the natural angle they would grow in the scalp, allowing for greater customization during implantation, and a more natural-looking outcome.  

Although FUT can be effective, it is a much more invasive procedure that results in a linear scar and often causes more discomfort during post-operative recovery. FUE, on the other hand, is minimally invasive, omitting the need for donor-site suture removal and resulting in a shorter recovery time. According to that same Global Market Insights report  noted earlier, market demand is moving in favor of the FUE transplantation method, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2019 to 2025 of 28%. In 2018 alone, FUE procedures accounted for 34.3%  of the global hair services market.

The ARTAS iX™ robotic hair restoration system is an advanced hair restoration system that combines robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technology for a cutting-edge hair transplantation system. A lightweight, seven-axis robotic arm offers optimal dexterity, while an advanced multi-camera stereoscopic vision system with 44-micron resolution enables optimal accuracy. Machine learning and AI technology optimizes repeatability, ensuring the first graft is as accurate and identical to the 3000th graft.  

To start, the physician uses ARTAS iX™ harvesting system, aided by image-guided robotics, to analyze and select appropriate grafts from the patient’s donor area. The device’s machine learning and AI technology helps to determine the most viable hair for transplant. Once the system has identified a viable follicle for grafting, the physician then dissects the follicular units with precision using intuitive controls and intelligent algorithms. These help to remove the grafts at an appropriate angle and depth that conserves the natural look of the patient’s donor area. Next, the patented proprietary ARTAS iX™ system identifies and protects existing permanent hair when analyzing the hair growth pattern and angles to determine the recipient site for the most natural-looking outcome. Throughout each treatment, the ARTAS iX™ recognizes and learns new patterns to improve future transplantation procedures.  

Demand for hair restoration procedures is expected to stand strong with a potential target market of about 80 million Americans —a quarter of the American population. An approximate 29 million men are concerned about hair loss, 9.7 million of which are specifically interested in an ARTAS procedure. The hair restoration market poses a significant opportunity for clinics that are properly equipped with a state-of-the-art device alongside business support.  

Introducing the ARTAS iX™ hair restoration platform into your practice is a clear choice, especially true for those hair restoration businesses with a higher patient turnover rate that need to offer the same precise results over and over. The ARTAS iX™ system’s patented dissection and robotics reduce the risks of scarring while accelerating the process and ensuring grafts remain healthy and undamaged from harvesting to implantation. With a well-established, high patient satisfaction rate, the outcomes available through the ARTAS iX™ system is documented with a lineup of high-quality before-and-after images.  

Ready to get started with an ARTAS IX™ robotic hair restoration system? Contact a Venus Concept expert today using the button below.