Patient safety key to successful microneedling treatments

 

Aesthetic procedures that employ microneedling are growing in popularity with practitioners. However, when it comes to choosing the right microneedling pen device, physicians are faced with the problem of too many choices – and almost none of them are officially validated for safety.

 

SkinPen Precision from Bellus Medical (Dallas, Texas), on the other hand, went through over 90 extensive, demanding validation tests to receive FDA clearance.

 

“The use of microneedling pens is skyrocketing, and many people buy very inexpensive microneedling devices that do not go through the same quality control,” stated Michael Gold, MD, a cosmetic dermatologist in Nashville, Tenn.

 

“SkinPen Precision is a premium product that provides the assurance that the needles, as well as the drive associated with placing those needles into the skin, have been tested at the proper depth and that the workmanship and quality are first rate.”

 

“In addition, physicians that utilize devices that are not FDA-cleared may not receive proper training in their use, which often leads to lowered safety standards that can risk the health of patients,” he added.

 

For example, in a recent case in New Mexico, two people tested HIV positive following an allegedly poorly performed microneedling procedure. “It probably failed because of cross-contamination and unsafe needle storage, among other problems,” noted Suneel Chilukuri, MD, a cosmetic surgeon in Houston, Texas.

 

“Anybody who knows how to use a microneedling device understands you have to replace the tip, sterilize the patient and perform other post-procedure tasks,” Dr. Chilukuri advised. “These steps may not have been followed because proper safety training is frequently lacking among other companies.”

 

Unlike other pens on the market, SkinPen Precision is designed to prevent cross- contamination. “Its cartridge unit offers a single-use lockout feature that removes the possibility of double usage and cross- contamination,” Dr. Chilukuri noted.

 

“It also comes with a special sheath that acts as a further barrier against cross-contamination between procedures, and to safeguard the

skin from ever touching the device,” he continued. “The motor maintains a proper speed and allows precise needle depth adjustment. Also, the product is RoHS compliant.”

 

Safety protections extend to physicians using SkinPen Precision as well, because the use of FDA-cleared devices can help guard against possible medical device liability cases.

 

“The need for medical-grade needles in microneedling treatments is also very important,” Dr. Gold added. “Around the world, with no-name pens you put needles into the skin up to depths of 3mm to 4mm, but they are not using quality needles. While you may not introduce disease per se, you’re going to introduce other problems in healing and maybe worse. That is what you can get with pens that are not validated, well-tested, and when you don’t know the safety profile.”

 

“Additionally, with SkinPen Precision’s med- ical grade needles, practitioners can safely treat patients with less chance of creating drag on the skin or otherwise harming the patient,” noted Dr. Chilukuri. Bellus Medical also offers a topical product, Skinfuse, as part of a post-treatment skincare protocol.