# R. Rox Anderson

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{{Short description|American dermatologist and photomedicine researcher}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Richard Rox Anderson
| image       = Андерсон Рокс.jpg
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1950|10|30|mf=yes}}
| death_date  =
| death_place =
| alma_mater  = [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology)<br>[Harvard Medical School](/source/Harvard_Medical_School)
| occupation  = 
}}

'''Richard Rox Anderson''', FAAD (born 30 October 1950), is a Boston-based [dermatologist](/source/dermatologist) and entrepreneur.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/04/14/meet-one-most-important-medical-entrepreneurs-you-never-heard/dfZFRbcdtjLcqyxci9vKlM/story.html|title=Meet one of the most important medical entrepreneurs you've never heard of - The Boston Globe|work=BostonGlobe.com|access-date=2017-11-01|archive-date=2017-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107010213/https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/04/14/meet-one-most-important-medical-entrepreneurs-you-never-heard/dfZFRbcdtjLcqyxci9vKlM/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Education and career ==
Anderson earned his [BS](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) degree from [MIT](/source/MIT), and then pursued his [MD](/source/Medicinae_doctor) degree graduating [magna cum laude](/source/magna_cum_laude) from the joint MIT-Harvard medical program, Health Sciences and Technology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/dermatology/for-healthcare-professionals/annual-lectures/lobitz-visiting-professorship/anderson.cfm|title=2008 Visiting Professor - R. Rox Anderson, M.D.|website=Oregon Health & Science University|language=en|access-date=2017-11-01}}</ref> Anderson completed his residency in [dermatology](/source/dermatology) and research fellowship at [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University).<ref name=wellman>{{Cite web|url=http://wellman.massgeneral.org/faculty-anderson-pi.htm|title=The Wellman Center for Photomedicine: Faculty: Rox Anderson, MD|website=wellman.massgeneral.org|access-date=2017-11-01}}</ref>

Upon completing his dermatology residency and research fellowship he became a part of the Harvard staff, where he eventually became a professor in dermatology and the director of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at [Massachusetts General Hospital](/source/Massachusetts_General_Hospital).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.massgeneral.org/children/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=16786|title=Richard Rox Anderson, MD - Department of Dermatology - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA|website=www.massgeneral.org|language=en|access-date=2017-11-01}}</ref>  He also serves as an [adjunct Professor](/source/Adjunct_professor) of Health Sciences and Technology at [MIT](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology).<ref name=wellman/>

Anderson's contributions include [laser hair removal](/source/laser_hair_removal), photodynamic therapy (use of light-activated localized drugs for [cancer](/source/cancer) and [macular degeneration](/source/macular_degeneration)), laser treatment of [port-wine stain](/source/port-wine_stain)s in children,<ref>[http://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2017/11/21/laser-hair-removal How Laser Hair Removal Was Invented]</ref> and basic research into the [free electron laser](/source/free_electron_laser) for the selective destruction of [lipid](/source/lipid)s (i.e., fats) for possible treatment of [acne](/source/Acne_vulgaris), [cellulite](/source/cellulite), and [atherosclerosis](/source/atherosclerosis), as well as various uses of [photothermolysis](/source/photothermolysis) using pulsed [dye laser](/source/dye_laser)s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Rox|title=Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems X (Proceedings of Spie)|year=2000|publisher=Spie|isbn=978-0-8194-3523-1}}</ref>

Anderson and colleagues invented a crude device to noninvasively remove fat by freezing it, in a process called [cryolipolysis](/source/cryolipolysis); and a startup company called Juniper Medical exclusively licensed patent filings on the invention from [Massachusetts General Hospital](/source/Massachusetts_General_Hospital) when Juniper was founded; Juniper became [Zeltiq Aesthetics](/source/Zeltiq_Aesthetics).<ref name="daufha">{{cite news|newspaper=Skin & Allergy News|date=April 2009|title=Cryolipolysis on Track to Become First Cool Way to Remove Cellulite|first=Bruce|last=Jancin|pages=11|volume=40|url=https://www.mdedge.com/edermatologynews/article/9936/aesthetic-dermatology/cryolipolysis-track-become-first-cool-way-remove}}</ref><ref name=S1>{{cite web |title=Zeltiq Amendment No. 8 to Form S-1 |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1415336/000119312511273238/d197669ds1a.htm |publisher=Zeltiq via SEC Edgar |date=18 October 2011}}</ref>

In the mid-2000s Anderson invented a [tattoo ink](/source/tattoo_ink) designed to simplify [tattoo removal](/source/tattoo_removal) called "InfinitInk".  The ink is encapsulated in tiny plastic beads; the encapsulated ink is stable in normal light, but under the same kind of laser light used in laser tattoo removal, the ink is released from the beads and is absorbed.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Jaffe|first=Eric|title=The Tattoo Eraser: A new type of body art ink promises freedom from forever|journal=[Smithsonian Magazine](/source/Smithsonian_Magazine)|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-tattoo-eraser-144123946/|date=January 1, 2007}}</ref> Anderson co-founded a company called Freedom-2 to bring the ink to market.<ref>{{cite news|last=Frederick|first=Robert|title=Harvard Tattoo Process May Ease a Change of Heart|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6126963|newspaper=National Public Radio (NPR)|date=2006-09-25}}</ref> with assistance from Edith Mathiowitz, Joshua Reineke and A. Peter Morello of [Brown University](/source/Brown_University).<ref>{{cite news|last=Cromie|first=William J.|title=Body art for the faint of heart: Erasable tattoos are making a mark|url=http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/10.19/13-tattoo.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104090922/https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/10.19/13-tattoo.html|archive-date=November 4, 2006|newspaper=Harvard Gazette|date=2006-10-19}}</ref>

In 2015, he co-founded Olivo Laboratories with Daniel G. Anderson and [Robert Langer](/source/Robert_Langer).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Halford |first1=Bethany |title=Olivo Laboratories |url=https://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i43/Olivo-Laboratories.html |work=Chemical & Engineering News |date=October 31, 2016}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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Category:American dermatologists
Category:History of medical technology
Category:Laser medicine
Category:Harvard Medical School faculty
Category:20th-century American inventors
Category:21st-century American inventors
Category:Living people
Category:1950 births
Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Harvard Medical School alumni

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [R. Rox Anderson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Rox_Anderson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Rox_Anderson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.