Application of Physics and Optics to Graft
Dissection
Instead of vanishing, which would go against the necessity of energy
conservation, energy from the wave carried to the boundary is split up into two
things: a reflected and transmitted pulse. The transmitted pulse travels into a new
medium through boundary while there are several things to know about the
reflected.
• The reflected pulse stays within a less dense medium and is inverted.
• The inversion of the reflected pulse is necessary for situations pertaining to
boundaries wherein a pulse with a decreased dense medium bounces off of the
boundary with a higher medium density.
• In comparison to the incident pulse, the reflected pulse also has notably smaller
amplitude, which represents the energy the wave contains.
• The reflected pulse has a smaller energy than the transmitted pulse due to the
fact that the energy brought by the incident pulse splits into two at the
boundary.
• The reflected pulse has the same speed and wavelength found in the incident
pulse. (It should be noted that wave speed is dependent on the characteristics
of its medium.)
It should also be noted that there are similarities to be found between the
transmitted pulse and the incident pulse in terms of their characteristics. The
similarities between the two pulses are:
• Both pulses are not inverted as any inversion has only been found in the
reflected pulse.
• The moment that the incident pulse crosses the boundary, it obtains the same
frequency as that found in the transmitted pulse. This similarity is found despite
the fact that the transmitted pulse actually is slower in speed and wavelength
when compared to the incident pulse.
The equal frequencies found in the transmitted and incident pulse can be
properly explained by the “handshake principle”. The handshake principle
dictates that just like when two people are shaking hands, the two hands can
never move at unequal frequencies since they are adjoined to one another. Once
the incident pulse passes the boundary, it joins with the transmitted pulse since
the last particle of the incident pulse’s medium is what triggers the vibration in the
opposite boundary. To finish, the waves’ behavior at the boundary is best
explained in the accounts found below:
I. In the medium with the smallest density, the wave speed and wavelengths
are always the largest.
II. The crossing of a boundary does not cause any change in the frequency of a
wave.
III. Pulse inversion only occurs in the reflected pulse and happens when a wave
traveling in a medium with a smaller density is traveling towards a boundary with
a higher medium density.
IV. The reflected pulse will always have smaller amplitude than that of the
incident pulse while still having equal wavelength, speed and frequency to the
incident pulse.
V. Compared to the incident and reflected pulse, the transmitted pulse will
always have less speed and a smaller wavelength when within a medium of
higher density.
Where light waves moving in three-dimensional mediums are concerned, there
are more principles that should be taken note of. Take, for example, the case of
light moving through a glass surface after having traveled through the air. The
behavior of light in these cases can be explained as follows:
• The behavior of waves can be explained through the way waves react on rope
since parts of the wave moves into the glass (or an alternate medium) while the
rest of the wave simply bounces off of the boundary.
• Similar to wave changes on the rope, the speed and wavelength of the light
also decreases when it goes through the glass boundary.
• The last and most important observation to found in this case is that the
direction of the light is altered the moment is travels through the glass
boundary.
The occurrence found in the final observation is called refraction, or rather, the
bending of the light’s path. The bending of the wave happens the moment it
meets the boundary but once it passes, the light wave will travel in a straight
path. Because of this, refraction has been determined to be a boundary behavior.
Another example to consider, called the ray model of light, is a ray of light that
has been drawn to be perpendicular to the front of a wave. The ray in this
example is a representation of the direction that the light wave is moving in. Take
note that while the ray is a straight line, it refracts at the boundary.
Electromagnetic waves are waves which are capable of traveling through a
vacuum. Unlike mechanical waves which require a medium in order to transport
their energy, electromagnetic waves are capable of transporting energy through
the vacuum of outer space. Electromagnetic waves are produced by a vibrating
electric charge and as such, they consist of both an electric and a magnetic
component. There are a variety of statements which can be made about such
waves. Electromagnetic waves exist with an enormous range of frequencies.
This continuous range of frequencies is known as the electromagnetic
spectrum. The entire range of the spectrum is often broken into specific regions.
The subdividing of the entire spectrum into smaller spectra is done mostly on the
basis of how each region of electromagnetic waves interacts with matter. The
diagram below depicts the electromagnetic spectrum and its various regions. The
longer wavelength, lower frequency regions are located on the far left of the
spectrum and the shorter wavelength, higher frequency regions are on the far
right. Two very narrow regions with the spectrum are the visible light region and
the X-ray region. You are undoubtedly familiar with some of the different regions
of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The focus will be upon the visible light region - the very narrow band of
wavelengths located to the right of the infrared region and to the left of the
ultraviolet region. Though electromagnetic waves exist in a vast range of
wavelengths, our eyes are sensitive to only a very narrow band. Since this
narrow band of wavelengths is the means by which humans see, we refer to it as
the visible light spectrum. Normally when we use the term "light," we are
referring to a type of electromagnetic wave which stimulates the retina of our
eyes. In this sense, we are referring to visible light, a small spectrum of the range
of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. This visible light region consists of a
spectrum of wavelengths, which range from approximately 700 nanometers
(abbreviated nm) to approximately 400 nm; that would be 7 x 10-7 m to 4 x 10-7
m. This narrow band of visible light is affectionately known as ROYGBIV.
Each individual wavelength within the spectrum of visible light wavelengths is
representative of a particular color. That is, when light of that particular
wavelength strikes the retina of our eye, we perceive that specific color
sensation. Isaac Newton showed that light shining through a prism will be
separated into its different wavelengths and will thus show the various colors that
visible light is comprised of. The separation of visible light into its different colors
is known as dispersion. Each color is characteristic of a distinct wavelength; and
different wavelengths of light waves will bend varying amounts upon passage
through a prism; for these reasons, visible light is dispersed upon passage
through a prism. Dispersion of visible light produces the colors red (R), orange
(O), yellow (Y), green (G), blue (B), indigo (I), and violet (V). It is because of this
that visible light is sometimes referred to as ROY G. BIV. The red wavelengths of
light are the longer wavelengths and the violet wavelengths of light are the
shorter wavelengths. Between red and violet, there is a continuous range or
spectrum of wavelengths. The visible light spectrum is shown in the diagram
below.
Hairs either make pigment or they do not make pigment. Hence, we often state
that a person has a particular color of hair- blonde, brunette, red-head, black hair,
etc. We mistakenly sate that many individuals have grey hair. This is not true. In
fact grey hair, which results from an imperfect absorption of light, is quite rare.
As hairs age, they generally loose the ability to make pigment. These hairs take
on a white color, as a result. White hair results from a complete reflection of all
colors of light. This results in a significant problem in hair restoration surgery. In
the following photograph you see one pigmented hair and one white hair.
The dissection of grafts in patients suffering form hair loss is a difficult process.
This process is complicated significantly if the hairs lack pigment. While the hairs
appear white above the surface of the skin, they take on a clear or translucent
appearance within the skin. As such they can be very difficult to see during the
graft dissection process in hair transplant surgery. In fact, it can be almost
impossible to see the hairs.
This has led to a number of efforts to improve the visualization of white hairs.
Numerous physicians have tried various hair dyes without significant success.
Sharon Keene, MD tried tissue dyes with mixed results. She found that the dyes
were not able to penetrate the deeper layers or through the surface of the skin.
She postulated that applying a liposome to the tissue dye might assist in this
penetration. A liposome is a vehicle for transporting an agent or medication
through the skin surface to the tissue. Thus far this effort has been unsuccessful,
but does hold promise. The dye and the liposome will need to pass strict FDA
approval, however, and this might prove difficult. Both the dye and the liposome
might prove harmful the human body, cause secondary medical problems, or
induce an allergic response. Their application is unlikely.
In an effort to improve the visualization of white hairs in hair restoration surgery,
we began experimenting in the field of optics for methods to enhance the
appearance of white hairs. This led to the formation of our Glow Chamber.
This new invention has commercial applicability, but requires a far more intense
light source than we have been able to create thus far.
The principals of the Glow Chamber follow as does a review of physics.. We
have attempted to create contrast between hairs and surrounding tissue using
optical principals alone. We have found that it is possible to make a white, nonpigmented hair have a specific color. Furthermore, we have found it possible to
create a degree of contrast between white hairs and the surrounding tissue using
optics. We have designed two versions. One relies primarily on refraction and
transmission of light, while the other applies a narrow-band filter and additional
physical principals. We call the latter our Glow Chamber.
The Law of Reflection
Light is known to behave in a very predictable manner. If a ray of light could be
observed approaching and reflecting off of a flat mirror, then the behavior of the
light as it reflects would follow a predictable law known as the law of reflection.
The diagram below illustrates the law of reflection.
In the diagram, the ray of light approaching the mirror is known as the incident
ray (labeled I in the diagram). The ray of light which leaves the mirror is known as
the reflected ray (labeled R in the diagram). At the point of incidence where the
ray strikes the mirror, a line can be drawn perpendicular to the surface of the
mirror; this line is known as a normal line (labeled N in the diagram). The normal
line divides the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray into two
equal angles. The angle between the incident ray and the normal is known as the
angle of incidence. The angle between the reflected ray and the normal is known
as the angle of reflection. (These two angles are labeled with the Greek letter
"theta" accompanied by a subscript; read as "theta-i" for angle of incidence and
"theta-r" for angle of reflection.) The law of reflection states that when a ray of
light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of
reflection
It is the law of reflection that governs most graft dissection and is applied by the
majority of graft cutting technicians. It is also the least effect means of cutting
grafts and produces the greatest risk to individual hairs. Since we all know that
the total number of movable hairs is finite, this is of paramount importance to hair
restoration surgery. If the tissue is cut incorrectly, hairs can be irreparably
damaged and destroyed. They are not replaceable. Therefore, it only makes
sense that a graft cutter should be supplied with the most modern graft cutting
technology available today. The vast majority of physicians do not invest in this
technology and do not utilize it.
Most physicians use light which originates from above the tissue. This is termed
top lighting. The incident ray reflects off the tissue and enters the retina of the
graft cutter. If the hair has pigment and if the tissue is both thin and translucent,
the graft cutter may produce very good grafts. If the graft cutter uses a
microscope the proficiency of graft cutting my improve even better.
Unfortunately, the majority of graft cutters do not use microscopes or even
adequate top lighting. Therefore, the risk to the grafts increases in such cases.
There is no excuse for this behavior in today’s surgical procedure. The benefits
have been adequately displayed in studies and by first hand experience. Still
some feel that since hairs are macro-scopic, meaning you can see them without
a microscope, one does not need a microscope to reduce the risk to the
individual hairs. Such beliefs are rubbish. This is equivalent to stating that a
street sign is macroscopic, therefore one does not need glasses to improve their
overall visual acuity.
In physics the behavior of light is often studied by observing its reflection off of
plane (flat) mirrors. Mirrors are typically smooth surfaces, even at the
microscopic levels. As such, they offer each individual ray of light the same
orientation. But quite obviously, mirrors are not the only types of objects which
light reflects off of. Most objects which reflect light are not smooth at the
microscopic level. Your clothing, the walls of most rooms, most flooring, skin, and
even paper are all rough when viewed at the microscopic level. The following
figure at the right depicts a microscopic view of the surface of a sheet of paper.
This is similar to the tissue we remove from the body and from which we prepare
grafts. The tissue is rough and the reflection is different.
Reflection off of smooth surfaces such as mirrors or a calm body of water leads
to a type of reflection known as specular reflection. Reflection off of rough
surfaces such as clothing, paper, and the asphalt roadway leads to a type of
reflection known as diffuse reflection. Whether the surface is microscopically
rough or smooth has a tremendous impact upon the subsequent reflection of a
beam of light. The diagram below depicts two beams of light incident upon a
rough and a smooth surface.
A beam can be thought of as a bundle of individual light rays which are traveling
parallel to each other. Each individual light ray of the bundle follows the law of
reflection. If the bundle of light rays is incident upon a smooth surface, then the
light rays reflect and remain concentrated in a bundle upon leaving the surface.
On the other hand, if the surface is microscopically rough, the light rays will
reflect and diffuse in many different directions.
For each type of reflection, each individual ray follows the law of reflection.
However, the roughness of the material means that each individual ray meets a
surface which has a different orientation. The normal line at the point of incidence
is different for different rays. Subsequently, when the individual rays reflect
according to the law of reflection, they scatter in different directions. The result is
that the rays of light are incident upon the surface in a concentrated bundle and
are diffused upon reflection. The diagram below depicts this principle. Five
incident rays (labeled A, B, C, D, and E) approach a surface. The normal line
(approximated) at each point of incidence is shown in black and labeled with an
N. In each case, the law of reflection is followed, resulting in five reflected rays
(labeled A,, B,, C,, D,, and E,). This is exactly what happens with top lighting and
grafts. The scatter can be most confusing to the retina, which must reassemble
the data.
Reflection of Light and Color
As we have stated the retina will perceive reflected light. As you recall the visible
spectrum is a narrow band between 400 and 700 nanometers. All the visible
wavelengths and colors of light perceivable by the human retina exist in this
spectrum. All structures either absorb or reflect specific wavelengths of light.
White light consists of all individual colors or wavelengths of visible light. In
surgery we typically use while light as our incident source. This means that white
light consists of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet or ROYGBIV
for short. When you look at a specific structure, it has a color. This color is
dependent on the specific wavelengths of light that it absorbs and reflects.. The
structure will not appear the colors it absorbs; it will appear the color (s) it
reflects. The reflected light is what your retina will see. The retina will not see
the absorbed light since it will not be emitted. If a surface is capable of
absorbing ROYGBIV, the surface will reflect no light and appear black. A surface
that absorbs YGBIV will reflect RO and appear reddish-orange. A surface
capable of absorbing ROYBIV will reflect only G and appear green. This is the
principal of light reflection and color in its simplest form.
Violet light and the color violet is at the lower end of the visible spectrum. Green
and Blue are in the middle of visible spectrum of light. Red is at the upper end of
the spectrum. This means that violet light has a shorter wave length and higher
frequency and that red light has a longer wave length and short frequency.
Law of Refraction
All light may be defined as a pulse or a wave. This explanation is beyond the
scope fo th article but has bearing on it never the less. A pulse (and a wave)
carries energy through a medium from one location to another. When the pulse
reaches the end of the medium, where does the energy go? Does the energy
disappear? Does the energy pass into the new medium? The phenomenon which
occurs when a wave reaches the end of the medium through which it travels is
often termed boundary behavior. There are a variety of observations that can
be made of the boundary behavior of a pulse. Such observations pertain to the
changes (or lack of changes) in the frequency, wavelength, speed, amplitude,
and phase of the pulse.
The animation below depicts the boundary behavior of a pulse which is moving
along a less dense medium and incident towards (i.e. approaching) a more
dense medium. Note that when the pulse reaches the end of the medium, a
portion of its energy is transmitted into the denser medium (in the form of a
transmitted pulse), and a portion of its energy remains in the less dense
medium (in the form of a reflected pulse).
Rather than disappearing (and thus violating energy conservation), the energy
carried to the boundary is divided up into a reflected pulse (which remains in the
less dense medium) and a transmitted pulse (which passes across the boundary
into the new medium). The reflected pulse has several noteworthy
characteristics. First observe that the reflected pulse is inverted. Reflected pulses
will always be inverted for boundary situations in which a pulse in a less dense
medium reflects off the boundary with a denser medium. Second, observe that
the reflected pulse has smaller amplitude than the incident pulse. The amplitude
is representative of the energy carried by a wave. Since the total energy which is
carried by the incident pulse is divided two ways at the boundary, the reflected
pulse must have less energy than the transmitted pulse. This is the reason for
why the energy of the reflected pulse (and thus its amplitude) would always be
less than the energy of the incident pulse. Finally, observe that the speed and the
wavelength of the incident pulse are the same as the speed and the wavelength
of the reflected pulse. Wave speed depends upon the properties of the medium;
and if the reflected pulse and incident pulse are in the same medium, then they
must have the same speed.
Comparisons can also be made between the characteristics of the transmitted
pulse and those of the incident pulse. Once more there are several noteworthy
characteristics. First, observe that the transmitted pulse is not inverted. In fact
inversion only occurs for the reflected pulse (if it occurs at all). Second, observe
that the transmitted pulse has a smaller speed and a smaller wavelength than the
incident pulse. This is always the case for boundary situations in which a pulse in
a less dense medium reflects off the boundary with a denser medium. Since
wave speeds and wavelengths in strings are always greatest in a least dense
medium, it would be expected that there is a decrease in wave speed and
wavelength as the pulse crosses the boundary. Finally, when waves cross
boundaries the frequency of the incident pulse is the same as the frequency of
the transmitted pulse (though it is not evident from the above animation). The fact
is that the vibration of the last particle in the incident medium creates the
vibration of the first particle on the opposite side of the boundary. These two
particles are adjoined in such a manner that the frequency at which one particle
vibrates is equal to the frequency at which the other particle vibrates. Like two
hands shaking with each other, the frequency at which one hand shakes can
never be any different that the frequency at which the other hand shakes
(assuming they remain adjoined to each other). Thus, it is this handshake
principle that explains why the frequency of the incident pulse and the
transmitted pulse must be the same.
In conclusion, the boundary behavior of waves is best summarized by the
following statements:
• the wave speed is always greatest in the least dense medium,
• the wavelength is always greatest in the least dense medium,
• the frequency of a wave is not altered by crossing a boundary,
• the reflected pulse becomes inverted when a wave in a less dense
medium is heading towards a boundary with a more dense
medium,
• the amplitude of the incident pulse is always greater than the
amplitude of the reflected pulse.
• The transmitted pulse into a denser medium has a slower speed
and smaller wavelength than the incident pulse or the reflected
pulse
• The reflected pulse has the same frequency, wavelength, and
speed as the incident pulse.
There are additional principals that must be considered for a light wave
traveling in a three dimensional medium. For example, what would
happen if a light wave is traveling through air and reaches the
boundary with a glass surface? How can the reflection and
transmission behavior of a light wave be described? First, the light
wave behaves like the wave on the rope: a portion of the wave is
transmitted into the new medium (glass) and a portion of the wave
reflects off the air-glass boundary. Second, the same wave property
changes which were observed for the wave on the rope are also
observed for the light wave passing from air into glass; there is a
change in speed and wavelength of the wave as it crosses the airglass boundary. When passing from air into glass, both the speed and
the wavelength decrease. Finally, and most importantly, the light is
observed to change directions as it crosses the boundary
separating the air and the glass. This bending of the path of light is
known as refraction. A one-word synonym for refraction is "bending."
The transmitted wave experiences this refraction at the boundary. As
seen in the diagram at the right, each individual wavefront is bent only
along the boundary. Once the wavefront has passes across the
boundary, it travels in a straight line. For this reason, refraction is called
a boundary behavior. A ray is drawn perpendicular to the wavefronts;
this ray represents the direction which the light wave is traveling.
Observe that the ray is a straight line inside of each of the two media,
but bends at the boundary. Again, refraction is a boundary behavior.
The idea that a light wave can be represented by a ray is known as the
ray model of light.
In this paper, I will rely heavily on the use of rays to represent the direction which
a wave is moving. While we know that light is a wave (and not a stream of
particles), I still use a line segment with and an arrowhead (i.e., a ray) to depict
the refraction of light. The ray is constructed in a direction perpendicular to the
wavefronts of the light wave; this accurately depicts the light wave's direction.
The idea that a light wave can be represented by a ray is known as the ray model
of light.
Another way to categorize waves is on the basis of the ability (or nonability) to
transmit energy through a vacuum (i.e., empty space). Categorizing waves on
this basis leads to two notable categories: electromagnetic waves and
mechanical waves.
An electromagnetic wave is a wave which is capable of transmitting its energy
through a vacuum (i.e., empty space). Electromagnetic waves are produced by
the vibration of electrons within atoms on the Sun's surface. These waves
subsequently travel through the vacuum of outer space, subsequently reaching
Earth. Were it not for the ability of electromagnetic waves to travel to Earth, there
would undoubtedly be no life on Earth. All light waves are examples of
electromagnetic waves. While the basic properties and behaviors of light are
discussed, the detailed nature of an electromagnetic wave is quite complicated
and beyond the scope of this paper.
This is outlined in the diagram below:
The refractive index of light is defined as the speed of light in a vacuum divided
by the speed of light in a medium. Recall that the speed of light decreases as it
passes from a less dense medium to a denser medium. The boundary affect
results in a defined refractive index between two specified mediums.
Refractive Index = speed of light in a vacuum
speed of light in a medium
The speed of light is a vacuum is defined as “c”. The speed of light in a more
dense medium is always less than “c”. As light passes through a medium its
energy results in a non-resonant vibration prior to emitting the light. Some of the
light energy is typically lost from the light rays and absorbed by the denser
medium. This is depicted in the following figure.
Transparency
A transparent object is one that allows light to pass through it. Transparent
objects can selectively allow specific light waves to pass, while other light waves
are absorbed. A transparent object that absorbs ROYBIV will emit only G wave
lengths and the emitted light will appear green. A transparent object that absorbs
ROYIV will transmit GB and appear greenish-blue or cyan in color. The energy
from the absorbed light waves is retained by the transparent object and the
energy is converted to heat.
Primary and Secondary Colors of Light
The primary colors of light are defined as any three colors or frequencies of light
that produce white light when combined in the correct intensity. The primary
colors of light are Red, Green, and Blue. When these wavelengths are combined
properly they produce white light.
Secondary colors of light result from combinations at the correct frequencies of
primary colors of light. These include Yellow, Magenta, and Cyan. This is
depicted in the following figure. Yellow results from the combination of Red and
Green light. Magenta results from the combination of Red and Blue light. Cyan
results from the combination of Green and Blue light. The primary and
secondary colors of light are depicted below.
Color Addition
This leads to the principals of color addition. Color addition involves combining
different colors or wave lengths of light to form a new color of light. For instance,
a combination of Red and Blue light result in the color Magenta. Red and Green
forms the color Yellow and Blue and Green light result in the color Cyan. This is
outlined in the following figure.
Color Subtraction
Color Subtraction involves eliminating one or more wavelengths of light so that a
new color of light is emitted. We know that White light consists of Red, Green,
and Blue light waves. If the incident light is white (R + G + B), and we eliminate
the Blue light, the resulting color of light is yellow (R + G + B – B = R + G =
Yellow).
If the incident light is Cyan (B + G) and the Blue light is subtracted, the resulting
light would be Green {C - B = (G + B) - B = G}. This would occur if a surface
were capable of absorbing the Blue light waves and is depicted below.
The color of a pair of pants depends on the light waves it absorbs. For instance
a pair of blue jeans is blue because it absorbs all the wavelengths except blue.
The color blue is reflected and the jeans appear blue.
This principal can be used in surgery as well. Blood is red. It absorbs all the
wavelengths of light except red. If the incident light is White (R + B + G), the
Blue and Green are absorbed and the Red light waves are reflected. If on the
other hand, the incident light is filtered so that only Green light is incident, the
Green will be absorbed and the blood will reflect no color. Thus, the blood will
appear black.
Principal of Color Subtraction, Refraction, Transmission, Reflection, and
Hair Restoration Surgery
Typical hair restoration surgery involves use of white light as the incident source.
One of the aging processes is the loss of pigmentation in the hairs. White hairs
absorb no color, which results in greater difficulty in the preparation of grafts.
The surrounding tissue is a combination of white and yellow structures. The
adipose is yellow and the upper dermal layers are a shade of white.
When white light is shown from above, the white hair will transmit all the light,
absorb no light, and have no contrast with the surrounding tissue. This makes it
very difficult to see the white hair and results in a marked increase in risk to the
white hair through the dissection process. The following photograph is taken of a
narrow sliver hand cut under a stereoscopic microscope so that the tissue is one
follicular unit or group wide. You can easily see the pigmented hair of this graft.
Even with the tissue cut this thin and a 20X magnification of the tissue, the white
hair is very difficult if not impossible to see. This is the best technology that most
physicians have available to them. The majority of physicians do not even take
advantage of this limited technology.
Fortunately, in our offices we always try to improve our technology and created a
better result for our patients. Therefore, I created a fiberoptic backlighting source
of light waves that are transmited through the tissue. In addition the light source
is at an angle to the tissue so a slight degree of refraction of light occurs also.
The transmitted light results in a slight shadow in the center of the hair, where the
density is greatest and light transmission is reduced. There is also a slight
dispersion of light around the hair shaft. As you can see this fiberoptic graft
cutting surface, which I have patented under the name “Follicle Cutting Board”
results in greater contrast and improved visualization of the non-pigmented hairs.
The next photograph depicts the same graft you saw in the previous photograph
with top lighting alone, but this time we use the patented technology of our
Follicle Cutting Board. As you can see, the Follicle Cutting Board alone
improves constrast so that visualization of white hairs is much easier. It stands to
reason that this significantly reduces the injury to grafts cut with the new device
and technology. Currently, this technology is only available in our clinics. Even
when we release this technology to the rest of the hair transplant community we
do not expect many to use them since the light source for one or two cutting
stations costs 500.00 each. If the majority of physicians do not use microscopes
that cost 750.00 to 4500.00 each (we have one microscope that cost us 7,500),
they are not going to add additional cost to their procedure. I guess you could
surmise that their patients are not worth this investment.
This is an acceptable means of cutting grafts, but we are attempting to take the
technology one step further. Since a yellow structure absorbs blue light waves, it
reflects red and green light. If a yellow structure has an incident light that is cyan
(blue and green), it will absorb the blue and appear green. The colorless hairs
will absorb no light waves and appear cyan. Thus, the proper incident light can
create contrast between white hair and the surrounding structures.
Principal of Color Subtraction
in Hair Restoration
Surgery
G+B
G
Light
Light
470 nm
To achieve this result, I used a narrow band filter of that absorbs all light
waves above and below 470 nanometers. This means it transmits only light
waves in the narrow range (plus or minus 10 nanometers) above and below 470
nanometers. The absorbed frequencies of light are converted to heat. The
incident light was from a fiber optic source that emitted white light. When the
white light passed through the narrow band filter of 470 nanometers, the
transmitted light was in the cyan range on the electromagnetic spectrum. The
light was passed into a structure I created and called the Glow Chamber. This
structure emitted the cyan light and took advantage of transmission, refraction,
and color subtraction to create contrast between the white hair and the surround
tissue. From the photograph below you see that the white hairs appear cyan and
the surrounding tissue appears more of a green color. This resulted in contrast
that makes the dissection of white hairs easier. As you can see the white hair
appears to glow and jump out at the viewer. This is why I named the structure
the Glow Chamber. Here you see a similar graft to those above with one
pigmented hair and one non-pigmented or white hair. The difference and clarity
of the white hair in our Glow Chamber is unsurpassed.
In summary it is possible to use technological advancements to improve
the results of your hair transplant. One of these advancements is
nanotechnology, which allows us to add color and contrast to otherwise nonpigmented structures. It is possible to create a light source that each white hair
would absorb, but the intensity of the light would most likely destroy the hair.
Therefore, for now, we must settle with the principals outlined in this discussion.
In the last photograph we show the same two hairs shown earlier in this
discussion, only this time we have used light waves alone to give the hair color
and greater contrast.