Hair Loss & Replacement FOR DUMmIES

About the Authors
William R. Rassman, M.D. is a professional inventor with more than
two dozen issued or pending patents in a wide range of fields includ-
ing medical devices, computer software, and biotechnology instru-
mentation. He introduced the modern standards of care for hair
transplantation, pioneered follicular unit hair transplantation, follic-
ular unit extraction, and hair transplant repair, publishing these
techniques in prestigious medical journals with Dr. Bernstein. He
received the Golden Follicle Award for his contributions to the clini-
cal practice of hair restoration. Dr. Rassman has been featured on
TV media events such as ABC’s Extreme Makeover and programs on
the Discovery Channel, the BBC, and many others. Throughout his
career, Dr. Rassman’s goal has been to make a difference, and among
his most notable accomplishments is his pioneering work develop-
ing and commercializing the intra-aortic pump, today’s standard of
care heart pump found in almost every cardiac care unit in the
world. Today Dr. Rassman’s focus is on his hair transplant practice
and the balding blog www.baldlingblog.com, now the largest hair
loss Web site in the world. You can find out more about his practice
at his Web site, www.newhair.com, and by calling 1-800-NewHair.
Jae P. Pak, M.D. graduated from the University of California, Irvine,
with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace and Mechanical
Engineering. He then took a brief detour with the U.S. Marine Corp
Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, to pursue his love of
aviation. As an engineer, he designed fiber optic illuminators and
lighting systems that are used all over the world. Some of his engi-
neering work can be seen on the skyline of Las Vegas and stealth
ships operated by the U.S. Navy. Eventually Dr. Pak went on to com-
plete his medical training at the Medical College of Virginia. His inter-
est in medicine crossed paths with Dr. William Rassman’s interest in
engineering in 1997. Since then, the two have been pioneering hair
transplant methods, automation, and instrumentation from the initial
follicular unit extraction (FUE) techniques and tools to Hair Implanting
Pen devices that are routinely used in his practice. He has collabo-
rated on U.S. Patents with Dr. Rassman and has been intimately
involved with innovative hair transplant surgical techniques incor-
porating new technology. Dr. Pak is also an avid artist and painter,
which serves him well in the aesthetics of hair restoration. Dr. Pak
continues to develop new surgical techniques and invent surgical
instrumentation to further advance the field of hair transplant
surgery with Dr. Rassman at the New Hair Institute in Los Angeles.
Authors’ Acknowledgments
The authors have written numerous scientific articles and textbook
chapters for the medical field, but writing a succinct reference book
for a wide audience is a uniquely different challenge and in many
ways far more difficult. We could never have accomplished this task
without the help of our experienced editors Sharon Perkins and Tracy
Brown Collins (who are anything but Dummies). We’re very grateful
for their professionalism and hard work in bringing this book to press.
As hair transplant surgeons, writing about the technical elements of
the surgical process was easier than tackling some of the other sub-
jects that fell outside our area of expertise. We want to thank Douglas
Hong, who had the insight to point us in the direction to write this
book; Dr. Norman Estrin, for his help in explaining issues related to
the FDA as well as hair care; and Bret Katz and David Ahdoot of DD
Chemco, for giving us very important insights into the fine nuances of
the chemicals and ingredients found in various commercial products.
Although there are many people we can acknowledge who helped
educate us in the fields of hair and hair restoration, Dr. Richard
Shiell stands out because he freely gave us insights from his
decades of experience working through the various hair technolo-
gies. Also, there are many staff members who have worked tire-
lessly with us in surgery as part of our teams, hour after hour and
day after day, and we wish to acknowledge them as a group.
We want to thank our patients for the faith they put in us as physi-
cians and surgeons. As we were at the forefront of a new hair trans-
plant paradigm, we were fortunate that many of our patients were
able to understand this vision and share in its development. We
became partners in their surgical care and in the evolution of this
exciting new field of hair restoration.