How to introduce a new device into your clinic

Aesthetic and reconstructive oculoplastic surgeon and founder of Perfect Eyes Ltd., Mrs Sabrina Shah-Desai was one of the first to introduce Cosmeditech’s new FDA-approved CO2 skin cooling technology into her clinic.

Reducing pain and anxiety is an ever-important focus within aesthetics, leading to happier patients, greater client retention, and faster procedure times. That’s why, now more than ever, both patients and practitioners are looking for aesthetic procedures that offer incredible results, but without compromises, especially when it comes to downtime and pain.

At the same time, the demand for combination treatments is on the rise, as patients want more convenient, faster results, while forward-thinking clinics work to enhance client outcomes by offering holistic solutions for their patients’ concerns. 

Delivering all that requires innovative technologies, and into this market enters the TargetCool device, launched by Cosmeditch in the UK in June 2023. It has already been nominated as a finalist for Safety in Beauty’s Pioneering and Innovation Award 2023.

“TargetCool is a first-of-its-kind FDA and CE-approved technology that is revolutionising the way patients are experiencing aesthetic treatments,” reveals the brand’s key opinion leader, Mrs Sabrina Shah-Desai. She trialled the device ahead of the launch, introducing it into her clinic in May.

“It is a unique innovation because there is no other device on the UK market that combines all three of its features - cooling for pain management, boosting, and freezing - into one streamlined, ergonomic, and easy-to-use device,” says Mrs Shah-Desai. “TargetCool’s ability to deliver skin treatments through a supersonic CO2  jet (up to 100 metres per second) into the dermal-epidermal junction is particularly exciting – it has revolutionised the way I can deliver aesthetic treatments.”

So how does the technology work? TargetCool uses compressed CO2 cryogen, which is modulated by digital controls, IR sensors, and a calibrated nozzle to deliver precise, controlled, and rapid cooling to the skin. This can be used to provide a triad of benefits and aesthetic treatment opportunities, with the help of its three tailored nozzles.

Primarily, there are its exciting pain relief capabilities, delivered using the Cooling Nozzle. With temperature control ranging from -10°C to 5°C, it provides precision cooling that blocks the speed of nerve-based pain transmission through vasoconstriction, thereby reducing pain similarly to the effect of local anaesthesia. This is particularly exciting because it promises to provide a virtually pain-free experience for patients before, during, and after injection-based treatments, specifically by numbing targeted areas prior to Filler, PRP, Neurotoxin, and Intramuscular injectables.

It’s so effective that further anaesthesia may not always be necessary, depending on the patient’s comfort level and the procedure, so it eliminates the time they spend waiting for any numbing creams to take effect. What’s more, the cold technology also promotes healing post-treatment, by triggering the body’s blood vessels to expand to restore normal body temperature, thus increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients in the body. This helps minimise post-treatment bruising and swelling for a smoother recovery.

“I was initially interested in the pain management feature of TargetCool and its ability to ensure my patients are as comfortable as possible during my non-surgical aesthetic procedures,” reveals Mrs Shah-Desai. “I was particularly impressed that 93% of patients tested preferred TargetCool to lidocaine for lip filler treatments and 78% of patients prefer TargetCool to lidocaine for general filler treatments.”

Pain management

In practice, those statistics have more than measured up: “For pain management, I no longer need to use lidocaine,” she continues. “My patients feel less or no pain during injectable procedures, their anxiety is reduced, and my patients love the results. I love how easy (and fun) the device is to use and it also gives me peace of mind knowing that my patients are more comfortable during injectable procedures.”

It’s also kept her waiting times to a minimum, enabling the treatment of more patients in a day. That means not just happier customers, but a greater number of them too, leading to better reviews and a higher return on investment.

Yet, the versatile TargetCool device doesn’t stop with pain relief.

The Cooling Nozzle, for example, can be used as a standalone laser treatment for reducing the appearance of pigmentation and for tattoo removal, while two further nozzles enable you to treat a wide range of aesthetic concerns. The Freezing Nozzle uses liquid CO2 operating at -79°C to help with cryosurgery, meaning it is capable of effectively removing an array of dermatological lesions, including viral warts, seborrheic keratosis, pre-malignant lesions like actinic keratosis, as well as small benign growths and skin cancers. It can also provide relief from the discomfort of inflammatory acne and rosacea.

And the technology isn’t finished yet. The final Injection Nozzle gives practitioners the ability to deliver serums, mesotherapy cocktails, and skin boosters into the dermal-epidermal junction of the skin through supersonic jet delivery. Each boosting container can be filled with up to 3ml of your desired solution, leading to enhanced treatment results with minimal effort.

Multitasking capability

It’s that multitasking capability which is especially exciting for the brand’s key opinion leader: “Once I understood its ability to deliver skin drugs and cosmeceuticals beneath the epidermis through its boosting capabilities, I knew that I had to have it in my clinic. In fact, TargetCool has transformed my medical grade skin treatments. The combination of cooling and active ingredients promotes collagen production and improves skin texture, and the carbon rejuvenation delivered by TargetCool provides superior outcomes, by reducing inflammation, increasing oxygen supply to tissues, and increasing blood flow in the treated areas.”

The leading aesthetic surgeon is also seeing impressive results when using the device alongside other technology. “I combine TargetCool with shallow microneedling at a depth of 0.4mm to open active channels on the epidermis, so that I can subsequently use TargetCool in boosting mode to deliver hyaluronic acid serums, skin boosters and mesotherapy cocktails. Most recently I have been using TargetCool to deliver these mesotherapy infusions following either microneedling, radiofrequency-needling or laser, and there is no downtime for patients. In fact, the CO2 cooling helps to constrict blood vessels, improving circulation and oxygenation to the skin for improved healing times and quicker recovery.”

Unrivalled control

Crucially, alongside these features, TargetCool offers an unrivalled level of control to practitioners and takes the guesswork out of regulating cooling temperatures. This minimises the risk of inflammation and necrosis caused by improper temperature and time control, as well as reducing concerns about cryogenic gas exposure to surrounding tissues.

It’s for that reason that TargetCool is helping redefine the standards for comfort, precision, and control within aesthetics. Its sleek design, proprietary cooling technology, and interchangeable nozzles unlock a range of applications, offering a smoother workflow and a higher level of confidence for both you and your patients. That includes as a supercharged delivery system for mesotherapy and skin boosters; a standalone cryosurgery device for the removal of lesions; and as a category-transforming pain relief protocol for both pre-and-post-injectable treatment.

“I view TargetCool as a necessary addition to my clinic, and the return on my investment has been vast,” concludes Mrs Shah-Desai. “There is a one-off fee for the device and ongoing consumables are minimal, comprising of canisters and boosting containers. With that comes support from Cosmeditech, training, marketing material and social media tools. In fact, TargetCool has recently expanded their team of business development managers, so there is always someone available to answer my questions.”

Ultimately, “TargetCool is a worthwhile investment - it has made a huge impact in my clinic, for both myself, my aestheticians and my patients.”