Recently, a trade journal dealing with medical device design and manufacturing had their cover article for February of 2012 dedicated to the story of the developement of the Ouchless Needle. As the inventor of this device, I was quite proud to be featured in this journal. A link to the article can be found here.
I’m just back from Miami, Florida where I was an invited speaker for the annual Aesthetic Extenders meeting. There were over 200 participants: nurse injectors, PAs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners who came to learn about the newest techniques in non invasive aesthetic medicine. I did an on camera live injection patient who received Botox, Perlane and Restylane all using the Ouchless Needle. The patient had an awesome result and, when compared to others who add similar injections done without the vapocoolant spray, seemed less bruised. No messy creams that take 45 minutes to work were used. This new way of providing for a more pleasant injection experience was well received by our audience. At Skin Spa by Salzman,we are certainly on the cutting edge in the delivery of non invasive injectables and lasers.
Recently, Lori Lyle was in our office to witness the pain reducing effects of using the Ouchless Needle that I developed to increase the comfort of cosmetic injectables such as Botox and dermal fillers. The piece was seen on Wave 3 locally the evening before we showed the new device to the public at the American Society of Dermatologic Surgeons meeting held in Phoenix this past October. She told me that this new device was so newsworthy that she would present it to other TV stations across the US. I never gave it another thought until we were actually on our way to Phoenix. I first got an email from my cousin in Toronto, Canada saying congratulations on the developing of the Ouchless Needle. Shortly thereafter, we received phone requests from patients all over the US asking if this technology was available in their hometown or could they come to Louisville for the use of it. Apparently the piece was seen on TV stations all over the US and Canada over a 2 day period. I went to the Internet and googled “ouchless needle” and sure enough there was the video on the websites of television stations in North Dakota, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, California, Tennessee among others. It made the international news and was seen on the MSNBC website. We had a great kick start to the launch of this revolutionary product. It was received with unbelievable fanfare by the dermatologists from around the world in Phoenix. Everyone was excited to finally be able to offer their cosmetic patients a more comfortable and less time consuming facial injectable treatment. We presently are begining to enlist our national and international sales force by the end of this year. You can see the Ouchless Needle and view videos about its use and features at the website www.Ouchlessneedle.com. More than a few patients have expressed concern that I would soon retire based on the anticipated success of this project. I have no plans to retire any time soon. Aesthetic plastic surgery is still my passion and I have fun everyday trying to make a difference in my patient’s lives.
As some of you may know, I have designed and patented a new medical device that will aid in the comfort of injectables around the face. This device, called the Ouchless Needle attaches to the needle syringe combinations that are used by cosmetic providers to place Botox, Dysport, Juvederm and Radiesse into the face.
The injector can, with the push of a button, deliver a short spray of a vapocoolant to the skin’s surface that immediately freezes it thereby reducing the feeling of a needle penetrating the skin and making the injection more comfortable. This vapocoolant spray freezes above the freezing point of water and therefore does not cause the frostbite pain that ice can cause. Injectables at present are done with the prior application of a numbing cream to the area to be injected. The creams take about 40 minutes with a saran wrap type of occlusion over them in order for them to be effective. Their duration of effect is long after the injectable procedure and can leave a discoloration to the face when adrenalin is added to the mixture.
The vapocoolant, on the other hand, works immediately and its duration is only minutes at most. Lidocaine can be mixed into the injectable because it is water based. Lidocaine is a numbing medicine that when injected under the skin will numb the overlying area. Unfortunately, the first needle puncture to introduce the lidocaine will still hurt and every injection thereafter, if done in the same location as before may be more comfortable. Each injection, however, is usually in an independent area so that this medication may make the injectable hurt less after its in then reducing the actual needle puncture pain.
These devices are disposable and are priced fairly so as not to be much more expensive than the cream often used. The device will allow for more spontaneity from the patients perspective as after the decision to have an injectable done is made, no longer will they have to wait for 40 minutes to have it be more comfortable. For the practitioner, this device will speed the delivery of injectables in that the patient will not have to arrive 40 minutes prior to have the numbing cream placed nor will they have to go to a pharmacy and purchase the numbing cream and still place it on the face 40 minutes prior to the injection.
We anticipate beginning to sell this device to physicians in the US starting in October of 2009. Shortly thereafter worldwide distribution is planned. It is an exciting time in my professional life as this has been a unique odyssey. Being an entrepreneur is certainly different and requires a different skill set than doing cosmetic surgery in Louisville. I am learning everyday and having fun doing it.
