Characterising UV transmission property of red hair using microspectrophotometer

Xiyong Huang; Michael D. Protheroe; Ahmed M. Al-Jumaily; Sharad P. Paul; Andrew N. Chalmers; Xiang Fu

doi:10.1117/12.2522208

22 July 2019 Characterising UV transmission property of red hair using microspectrophotometer

Xiyong Huang, Michael D. Protheroe, Ahmed M. Al-Jumaily, Sharad P. Paul, Andrew N. Chalmers, Xiang Fu

Proceedings Volume 11079, Medical Laser Applications and Laser-Tissue Interactions IX; 1107914 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2522208
Event: European Conferences on Biomedical Optics, 2019, Munich, Germany

Abstract

Melanoma is one of the most severe types of skin cancer. Although it is generally believed that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the main environmental causative risk factor in the induction of melanoma, the cells of origin and mechanisms of melanoma remain unclear. Recent studies show that the melanocyte stem cells in the hair follicles could be the cells of origin of melanoma upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Red hair is usually considered as one of the risk factors for melanoma. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the UV transmission characteristics of hairs from red-hair individuals. In this article, the measurement techniques using a micro-spectrophotometer for studying the transmission characteristics of human hair are demonstrated. Several hair samples from a red-haired adult are studied. The results show that non-medullated red hair has relatively superior transmission properties to the medullated red hair in the UV wavelength range. It has also been found that light blond hair has a noticeably lower attenuation coefficient in the ultraviolet-A (UVA) wavelength range than the light yellow and red hair from the same red-haired individual. Our findings support the hypothesis that the colorless hair may transmit sufficient UV photons to harm the melanocyte stem cells in the hair follicles, ultimately resulting in melanoma.

Citation Download Citation

Xiyong Huang, Michael D. Protheroe, Ahmed M. Al-Jumaily, Sharad P. Paul, Andrew N. Chalmers, and Xiang Fu "Characterising UV transmission property of red hair using microspectrophotometer", Proc. SPIE 11079, Medical Laser Applications and Laser-Tissue Interactions IX, 1107914 (22 July 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2522208

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
7 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Ultraviolet radiation

Melanoma

Scattering

Photons

Stem cells

Photomicroscopy

Optical properties

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years