Colleagues from the Wellman Center for Photomedicine who Released a Hair Removal Laser Together
Dr. Dieter Manstein of Massachusetts General Hospital is a world-renowned dermatologist and a developer. He studied medicine at the University of Müster in Germany and worked with Dr. Rox Anderson at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine to develop the Fractional Photothermolysis and Selective Cryolipolysis.
Dr. Koh Wooseok of JMO Dermatology Clinic is also a world-class expert on laser hair removal. In 1999, they shared ideas and conducted research together for 1 year and 3 months at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine. They are still close friends meeting every year at conferences and Dr. Manstein never passes up a chance to meet Dr. Koh whenever he visits Korea. Dr. Manstein shared his memory he had with Dr. Koh at the Wellman Center:
“We shared a lot of ideas with each other. We did not stop talking even when we went to bars to grab a drink after work. And I remember the time when we waited for so long at the plastic surgery to get skin samples. He is the one who taught me the experiment technique which I still use: it is the Nitro Blue Tetrazolium Chloride (NBTC) staining technique, which tells you whether a tissue is dead or alive and I used it for studies that I’ve published recently.”
Figure 1. They used to have a party every Friday for researchers at the Wellman Center. This picture shows young Dr. Koh (top row, second left) and Dr. Dieter Manstein (middle row, first left).
Dr. Koh says that Dr. Manstein is a diligent, creative person.
“He was diligent, always loved trying new things, and buried himself in his studies. I believe we complemented each other, such as I get help from his good networking skills.”
Dr. Manstein’s creativity is proved by numerous patents he has, including but not limited to Fraxel and Zeltiq.
“I have not counted them, but it’s kind of funny how I had patented deep tissue (fat) heating by a particular wavelength before I patented Fraxel. There was one time I realized that I was competing against myself when I applied for a patent for Cryolipolysis after Fraxel. I even had my grant application for Fractional Phototermolysis rejected when I first submitted it to the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS); basically they meant that there was nothing special about the protocol. I managed to get funds after that and developed Fraxel. I find it quite surprising when you think about how Fraxel had a rough start back then and it is now being used for so many indications.”
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Figure 2. Dr. Manstein never passes up a chance to meet Dr. Koh whenever he visits Korea. This picture was taken when he visited JMO with his then-girlfriend (now wife).
Recently, Dr. Koh and Dr. Manstein worked together to develop a hair removal laser called Linscan808, which they introduced as follows:
“It has an 808 nm wavelength, linear scan to reduce the omitted areas of hair removal. The biggest strength is that it can provide powerful laser hair removal at a reasonable price.”
Dr. Manstein is a world leader in the field of medical devices. To wrap up the interview, I asked him what would be the promising topics in the future medical aesthetics.
“What kind of cases do we encounter most frequently now? Probably pigment disorders. Considering the huge number of cases, I believe that there will be devices for treating pigment disorders, although I’m not sure how.”
Article/ Yoo Inhong Photographs/Kim Younggil
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