Dr. z Teo and Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo with hair restora- tion patients (from right) Edu Manzano, Inno sotto and Mike Carandang Photos by Walter Bollozos
MANILA, Philippines – Edu Manzano, Inno Sotto and Mike Carandang discover the wonders of the Artas Robotic Hair Restoration.
One of the most important components of beauty, both for men and women, is hair.
If a man has hair and teeth, he pretty much has it all,” says Jeff Sinclair, managing director for Asia of Restora tion Robotics, the first manufacturer of a highly sophisticated robotic hair trans plant system. Speaking before the press at the elegant office of the Aivee Institute at the Fort, Sinclair explains that the ad- vanced technology of the Artas Robotic Hair Transplant system, the first in the county, provides permanent, natural- looking results “without the plugs, pain and stitches associated with traditional hair transplants.” It took nine years to develop, undergoing evolution since it started in 2002 until its approval in 2011.
Male pattern baldness is the most com- mon type of hair loss in men. It is more common among male Caucasians. “In Asia, the prevalence of balding is less, but the stigma attached to balding is much higher than in western countries,” Sinclair noted. “Unfortunately, in this day and age, we are not judged only by what we say or do; we are judged merely by how we look, by our appearance.”
People become bald as they age, but even if they are balding, most men still have hair at the back of their head. “These hairs are not prone to miniaturization caused by the hormone DHT (Dihydrotestosterone), which is generally known to be responsible for balding,” Sinclair explains. “So basically, in hair restoration, we are taking hair from the back of the head and implanting it on the front of the head.” There are different ways of doing this, but the most predominant method which is used is called the strip method, whereby a strip of hair is surgically removed from the back of the head. “This can be very painful and it leaves a linear scar,” Sinclair says.
A process called follicular unit extrac- tion (FUE) was started some 15 years ago “whereby a surgeon will individually remove each follicular unit of hair from the back of the head,” Sinclair explained. “It is time consuming and there is a lot of room for human error. You have to calculate the angle, not only above the skin but also below the skin as well as the distance between the harvested hairs and the exact depth you have to penetrate to get to the roots.”
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“There are not that many good FUE surgeons,” Sinclair noted, “so that’s why we developed the robotic surgery. Robots obviously excel in automation and they are known to be precise. Precision robot- ics provides speed and accuracy beyond manual techniques. They don’t get tired or complain. They decrease the labor intensity and improve trainability to the procedure, so it enables more doctors to perform hair restoration.” It is important to remember that this is a physician-guid- ed procedure in a stress-free environment. It is extremely safe.
It is a less invasive procedure. “The pa- tient is awake during the entire procedure and is able to leave on his own accord at the end of the procedure,” Sinclair shared. “The results are very consistent and repeatable. There’s no linear scarring and patients recover faster and there is less pain.”
“This is the reason we brought in the technology,” said Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo, the remarkable beauty and brains behind the Aivee Institute and clinics. “The first thing patients say is ‘I want hair trans- plant, but I don’t want to have a scar.’ I think this is the answer to this problem.”
“The Aivee Group is now doing the four pillars of aesthetics, which is skin, hair, body and wellness,” said Dr. Z Teo, CEO and the other half of the dynamic couple and moving force behind the suc- cess of the Aivee Institute. “So for every pillar, we are committed to bring the best technology and advancement. For each, we provide for them our specialists and the best tools to give our patients.” There are 142 Artas Robotic Hair Trans- plant systems worldwide and 43 are in Asia. There is only one in the Philippines, and that is at the Aivee Institute. “They belong to a very exclusive club of own- ers,” Sinclair said, “and what they have here is the latest model.”
Dr. Jose Crisanto III (“Dr. Third”), hair restoration and transplant surgeon, has joined the Aivee Institute after 10 years of practice in New York specializing in hair transplantation. “This is not a common procedure in the Philippines,” he dis- closed, “and we want to educate patients that this is available now. We want to give this service to more people so they have more options.”
Among his first patients here is re- nowned fashion designer Inno Sotto. He experienced graying hair, which runs in the family, early in his 20s, but that was easily solved by dying his hair, Sotto shared. The receding hairline was not as easy to hide, and it was more obvious in photographs. “So when Dr. Z told me about this new machine and new treatment, that’s when I decided to re- ally go for it,” he related. “It’s absolutely painless. All throughout the surgery, you have Dr. Third constantly asking, ‘Are you OK, do you feel anything?’ You know, the most painful part of the whole experience was actually seeing so much hair falling down after it was cut off the back. I actually kept it. There was just a slight discomfort of the tightening of the skin, but that was all. I met with my clients the following day and there was no bruising, nothing. That was about two weeks ago and there is now a nice fuzz growing. It’s very reassuring. Rapunzel is back in action.”
For producer and director Mike Carandang, who is in his early 30s, one of his greatest fears was losing his hair and looking 10 years older as a result. He had a receding hairline which he tried to cover by changing his hairstyle. “But when you go to the beach and into the water, your secret is gone,” he remarked. He could not post his photos. He had the procedure just four days earlier and he is able to go about his usual activities without any downtime. He knows the new hair will need time to grow, but six months is not too long to start seeing results.
Award-winning actor Edu Man zano is on the third week after his procedure. He had a receding hair- line, “and the bad part was it was uneven,” he shared. “One side was receding farther than the other. I’m 59 years old and I’ve been brushing my hair one way my entire life.” He’s doing a TV series and it’s very important that there was the least amount of downtime, “so I can go to work, because production will not wait for you.” He said the best part for him was the pre-op because Dr. Third made him feel really comfort- able. “The most painful part of the whole procedure was driving here through traffic. It hurts more when I pay for bad food and lousy service.”
“There is still a lot of thirst for this kind of service,” Dr. Third said. “We bring the latest technology that is available. I always say repeatedly, it’s always for the best interest of the patients. I enjoy doing it because I can see the patients happy when I am able to deliver what they want.” He promises three things: (1) to make the patient comfortable during the procedure, (2) after the procedure, I promise to grow their hair, (3) and I promise to put a smile on their faces.
Hair experts: Artas regional director Dr. Jeff sinclair and hair transplant surgeon Dr. Jose Crisanto
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For inquiries and appointments, call The Hair Renovation by the Aivee Group at 403-3245 or 0917-5210222. Email at info@aivee.ph.
