Dr. David Delgado
Plastic Surgeon · Medical Director, Dharma Hair
Member of the Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery (SCCP) · +10 years of experience
Published: agosto 24, 2026 · Updated: agosto 27, 2026
What happens during robotic hair transplants? At Dharma Hair, we use ARTAS iX to perform a FUE procedure assisted by robotic technology, combining digital analysis, precision, and continuous medical supervision throughout the process.
Our ARTAS robotic hair transplant approach helps us plan and perform key stages of the procedure with greater control, while our medical team remains responsible for every clinical decision. Dharma Hair in Medellín is the only clinic in Colombia with the latest-generation ARTAS technology, and in this guide, we will show you how an ARTAS iX hair transplant works, step by step.
Written and medically overseen by Dr. David Delgado, Plastic Surgeon and Medical Director of Dharma Hair. Member of the Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery (SCCP), with over 10 years of experience in hair restoration procedures.
Personalized Hair Evaluation
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Meet with our medical team in Medellín to evaluate your donor area, hair loss pattern and goals, and discover whether an ARTAS iX robotic hair transplant is right for your case.
What Is a Robotic Hair Transplant and What Does ARTAS iX Actually Do?
Before we explain the surgery step by step, it helps to understand one key point: ARTAS iX does not replace the hair transplant technique or the medical team. It adds robotic assistance to specific stages of the procedure.
ARTAS iX Is a Robotic FUE Hair Transplant — Not a Different Hair Transplant Technique
An ARTAS robotic hair transplant is based on Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), the technique in which follicular units are removed individually from the donor area.
What changes is the way certain parts of the procedure are performed. In a robotic FUE hair transplant, ARTAS iX uses digital imaging, algorithms, and robotic assistance to help us analyze, select, and extract follicular units with consistent precision.
What Does the Robot Do During an ARTAS iX Hair Transplant?
During the procedure, ARTAS iX can assist us with several key tasks:
- Analyze the donor area and the characteristics of the hair.
- Map specific treatment areas before extraction begins.
- Identify follicular units based on their position, angle, and thickness.
- Help select grafts according to the surgical plan.
- Assist with follicular unit extraction.
- Create recipient sites and assist with implantation when these stages are included in the treatment plan.
This allows technology to support repetitive, precision-dependent steps while our team focuses on the overall surgical strategy.
Robot-Assisted Does Not Mean Doctor-Free
The robot does not decide how many follicles should be extracted, where they should be placed, or what will look best for the patient. Our medical team remains in control of the procedure.
For example, when we begin working on a new donor-area quadrant, we initially extract a small number of follicles so the physician can inspect their quality and bulb structure before continuing. The doctor can then adjust the extraction strategy and follicular-unit selection according to what the case requires.
In other words, ARTAS iX provides the technology; medical judgment guides how that technology is used.
Before a Robotic Hair Transplant: How the ARTAS iX Procedure Is Planned
Before ARTAS iX begins working, we need a clear medical and aesthetic plan. Technology can improve precision, but it does not decide what your hair should look like.
Every ARTAS iX hair transplant begins with an individual assessment. We evaluate:
- Your pattern and progression of hair loss
- The stability of your alopecia
- The density and quality of your donor area
- The number and characteristics of available follicular units
- The areas that need restoration
- The hairline design that best fits your facial proportions
The final design is a medical and aesthetic decision. ARTAS assists us with the procedure; it does not design your appearance for us.
For a robotic FUE hair transplant, ARTAS needs to clearly identify each hair in the donor area. This requires trimming the hair to a controlled short length before extraction.
Hair color can also affect visibility. In patients with very light or gray hair, additional contrast may be needed so the system can distinguish the hairs more clearly from the scalp.
ARTAS does not extract follicles randomly across the scalp. We divide the donor area into smaller working zones, or quadrants, and treat them progressively.
Within each quadrant, the robotic vision system maps the area and identifies the follicular units available for extraction. This approach gives us greater control over how donor hair is distributed throughout the robotic hair transplant procedure.
Robotic Hair Transplant Procedure: How ARTAS iX Extracts Hair Follicles
This is where robotic assistance becomes especially relevant. Rather than relying only on repetitive manual movements, ARTAS continuously analyzes the donor area while our medical team directs the extraction strategy.
Analysis
ARTAS iX Analyzes Each Follicular Unit Before Extraction
The ARTAS vision system evaluates the characteristics of the hairs within the selected area, including their position, angle, thickness and orientation.
Its multi-camera imaging technology continuously analyzes follicular units and can adjust for patient movement, helping maintain consistency throughout the extraction process.
Selection
The Robot Selects Follicles According to the Surgical Plan
A good transplant is not about extracting the largest possible number of grafts. It is about selecting the right follicles while protecting the donor area.
ARTAS helps us identify follicular units according to the parameters established for each case. We can also adjust the selection when we need specific types of grafts, such as finer follicular units for a softer, more natural-looking frontal hairline.
Extraction
ARTAS Assists with Precise Follicular Unit Extraction
Once a follicular unit has been selected, the robotic system aligns with it and assists in separating the surrounding tissue so the graft can be extracted.
The objective is not simply speed. For us, the real value of robotic assistance is consistent precision during a repetitive and highly detailed stage of surgery , while helping preserve the tissue surrounding the graft.
Graft Preparation
The Medical Team Inspects and Prepares the Extracted Grafts
Technology does not eliminate clinical judgment. Once extraction begins, we inspect the grafts and confirm that their structure is appropriate before continuing.
- Checks graft integrity
- Classifies the follicular units
- Organizes them according to the surgical plan
- Preserves them appropriately until implantation
Graft handling also matters. Once a follicle has been removed, minimizing unnecessary time before implantation is an important part of protecting it.
From Extraction to Results: Precision, Implantation and Recovery After a Robotic Hair Transplant
Extracting healthy grafts is only part of the procedure. Where and how those follicles are placed play an equally important role in creating a natural result.
How ARTAS iX Helps Create Precise Recipient Sites
Recipient sites are the small openings where the transplanted follicles will be placed. Their planning must consider several variables:
- Location: where additional coverage is needed
- Distribution: how grafts are spread across the recipient area
- Direction: how the hair should naturally grow
- Angle: how each follicle emerges from the scalp
- Planned density: how much coverage is appropriate for the available donor supply
ARTAS iX can assist with recipient-site creation as part of the surgical plan, but these parameters are established according to the result we want to achieve for each patient.
How Hair Follicles Are Implanted After Robotic Extraction
ARTAS iX can assist with implantation or create recipient sites for subsequent placement of the grafts, depending on how we plan the procedure.
This is an important distinction: an ARTAS robotic hair transplant is not a procedure where the patient sits down, and the robot independently performs the entire surgery. Technology supports specific steps while our medical team plans, supervises and makes clinical decisions.
Why Precision Matters in Robotic Hair Transplant Results
For us, robotic hair transplant precision has practical value when it helps us maintain control throughout the procedure.
It contributes to:
- Strategic selection of follicular units
- More controlled management of the donor area
- Consistency during extraction
- Reduced manipulation of the grafts
- Precise planning of follicle distribution
The result still depends on the complete surgical strategy—not on the robot alone. Donor quality, hairline design, graft selection, implantation and medical judgment all influence robotic hair transplant results.
What Happens After an ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant?
The first stage is healing. According to our ARTAS clinical training, the transplanted area typically heals initially within approximately 7 to 10 days.
Afterward, it is normal for the transplanted hairs to go through a shedding phase as they enter the telogen cycle. Growth then begins gradually and the final appearance continues to mature over time.
This is why we view robotic hair transplant recovery as part of the entire process, not simply what happens after surgery. Proper follow-up allows us to monitor healing and guide each patient through the different stages of their results.
What Evidence Says About Robotic Hair Transplants
Clinical literature supports the role of robotics as an assistive technology in hair transplantation. A review published in Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America explains that robotic hair transplantation can support precise and efficient follicular unit removal, while emphasizing that technology does not replace candidate selection, hairline design, or the physician’s judgment when planning graft placement.
This is also consistent with the FDA documentation for the ARTAS System. Its 510(k) summary describes ARTAS as an image-guided, computer-assisted system used under physician control to support follicular unit harvesting, recipient-site creation, and, in the evaluated configuration, implantation assistance. For us, this reinforces an important point throughout this guide: robotic precision is most valuable when it is combined with medical planning and clinical oversight.
Choose Dharma Hair for an ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant in Medellín
Choosing where to have a robotic hair transplant in Medellín is about more than having access to advanced technology. At Dharma Hair, we are the only clinic in Colombia with the latest-generation ARTAS technology, but what gives that technology real value is how we use it: medical planning, robotic precision, and decisions tailored to each patient. For anyone considering an ARTAS hair transplant in Colombia, our goal is to combine innovation with the close medical guidance you should expect throughout such a personal decision.
If you are exploring a robotic hair transplant in Colombia, whether you live here or are traveling from abroad, we invite you to start with a personalized evaluation at Dharma Hair, located in Torre Médica Oviedo in Medellín. We will assess your hair-loss pattern, donor area, goals, candidacy, and the technique that best fits your case, so you can make an informed decision with a team that listens to what you want and plans your treatment around you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Robotic Hair Transplants and ARTAS iX
1. How does a robotic hair transplant work?
A robotic hair transplant uses technology to assist specific stages of a FUE procedure. With ARTAS iX, the system analyzes the donor area, identifies follicular units and assists with their selection and extraction. Depending on the surgical plan, it can also support recipient-site creation and implantation. The medical team remains responsible for planning, supervision and clinical decisions throughout the procedure.
2. Is ARTAS iX the same as a FUE hair transplant?
ARTAS iX works according to the principles of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). It is not a completely different transplant technique. The main difference is that certain stages of FUE are assisted by robotic imaging, algorithms and precision technology rather than being performed entirely manually.
3. Does the ARTAS robot perform the entire hair transplant by itself?
No. ARTAS iX is a medical tool that assists our team; it does not replace the physician. We determine the hairline design, extraction strategy, number and type of grafts needed, recipient-area planning and any adjustments required during surgery. The robot supports execution, while medical judgment guides the procedure.
4. How does ARTAS iX select which follicles to extract?
ARTAS analyzes follicular units within the donor area and evaluates visible characteristics such as their position, angle, direction and thickness. The extraction parameters can then be adjusted according to the surgical plan. For example, our physician may prioritize finer follicular units when they are needed to create a softer frontal hairline.
5. Why is the donor area divided into quadrants during an ARTAS procedure?
ARTAS works progressively rather than treating the entire donor area at once. We divide it into smaller working areas, or quadrants, which the system maps and analyzes before extraction. This helps us maintain better control over follicular selection and the distribution of extraction throughout the donor area.
6. Is an ARTAS robotic hair transplant more precise than a manual procedure?
ARTAS iX is designed to provide consistent robotic assistance during precision-dependent and repetitive stages of extraction. However, good robotic hair transplant results depend on much more than the technology itself. Diagnosis, donor-area quality, hairline planning, graft handling, implantation and the experience of the medical team all remain essential.
7. Can ARTAS iX be used on gray or very light hair?
Hair contrast is important because the ARTAS vision system needs to clearly distinguish the hair from the scalp. According to our clinical training protocol, very light or gray hair may require additional preparation before surgery to improve visibility for the system. We determine whether this is necessary during the preoperative assessment.
8. How long does recovery take after an ARTAS robotic hair transplant?
Initial healing of the transplanted area generally occurs within approximately 7 to 10 days, according to our ARTAS clinical training. Recovery continues beyond this initial period, and each patient receives specific postoperative instructions based on their procedure and individual healing process.
9. Is it normal for transplanted hair to fall out after the procedure?
Yes. After transplantation, the hairs can enter the telogen phase and temporarily shed. This does not necessarily mean that the transplanted follicle has been lost. New growth develops gradually afterward, and the appearance continues to mature over time.
10. Where can I get an ARTAS iX robotic hair transplant in Colombia?
At Dharma Hair, in Medellín, we are the only clinic in Colombia with the latest-generation ARTAS technology. We are in Torre Médica Oviedo, where we evaluate each patient individually before recommending an ARTAS hair transplant in Colombia or another approach that may be more appropriate for their case.
Dharma Hair — Specialized Hair Restoration
Torre Médica Oviedo, Cll 6 Sur #43A-227, Office 701, Medellín, Colombia
Phone/WhatsApp: +57 321 226 5964 · Email: clinicabedharma@gmail.com
Medical Director: Dr. David Delgado — Plastic Surgeon, SCCP Member
