Peter Kang, CEO of CoolHealth, chatted with Modern Aesthetics® magazine about the company and their first launch. TargetCool, a cooling device that takes cooling to the next level, provides temporary analgesia to the skin before aesthetic injections including fillers, neuromodulators, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
Here’s what we learned:
GROWING COMPANY
Before CoolHealth, I supported an early-stage medical device company in South Korea called RecensMedical, Inc. that was developing innovative cooling technologies for many years on a variety of business and legal matters. During that time, I became good friends with Gun-Ho Kim, PhD, the CEO of RecensMedical. When the opportunity to help roll out RecensMedical’s cooling technologies in the US came, I made the jump over. Since then, CoolHealth formed in Austin, TX as a US subsidiary of RecensMedical to launch TargetCool and a future pipeline. TargetCool received US Food and Drug Administration clearance in March 2022. The device provides temporary analgesia to the skin for needle-based procedures in aesthetics, thus elevating patient comfort and reducing pain-related anxiety. TargetCool can also reduce bruising, inflammation, and swelling post-procedure. Now, across both the parent company and CoolHealth, we have over 40 employees in management, research and development, and sales and marketing.
COOL CHANGE
With the TargetCool device, compressed CO2 cryogen is modulated by digital controls, infrared sensors, and a calibrated nozzle for precise, controlled, and rapid cooling of the skin. If the desired outcome is a reduction of pain, you have to get the area cold enough for an analgesia or numbing effect, but you can’t have it too cold where you can have an adverse reaction like skin discoloration. You also have to move quickly. Within seconds, TargetCool cools the area.
PRECISION COOLING TECHNOLOGY
One of the “cool” features of TargetCool is its ability to empower users to control their patient’s skin temperature to a precise temperature (anywhere between -10 degrees Celsius (ºC) to 5 degrees Celsius (ºC)) for nearly any duration of time the provider desires. Users input the precise temperature and time into the device, point, and spray and TargetCool does the work to precisely cool the skin temperature to match what the user input. We have some suggested settings for how to use TargetCool, but the great thing is that you can make TargetCool your own based on your patient’s preference and your workflow. It is a tunable and very versatile device. TargetCool gives you an unprecedented degree of control over skin temperature and the duration for which the skin is cooled. You can now control exactly how cool the skin gets and how long it stays there.
BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER TREATMENT BENEFITS
The patient feedback has been great. During the procedure, it makes the injection much more comfortable. The benefits don’t stop there: patients have reported even improved outcomes after the procedure. We’ve heard about patients who experienced less bruising with TargetCool due to the vasoconstriction caused by the precision cooling. Patients—especially those getting an injectable procedure for the first time—have even shared how TargetCool alleviates their anxiety prior to the procedure. Patients who have experienced both lidocaine and TargetCool agree that TargetCool provides better pain reduction and an overall higher quality experience. Happy, satisfied patients keep coming back, which is why providers are seeing a quick return on their investment. The feedback has been that the device is easy to use and easy to incorporate into practice. TargetCool takes little time to learn how to operate or to train staff on. Some providers offer it for a separate fee some are packaging it with the treatment.
TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Right now, we are focused on the aesthetic injectable space, but TargetCool can be used for other injectables, too, in the medical dermatology and pediatrics space. It’s great for kids before they get a shot. The big picture is that we plan to have other technologies that leverage precision cooling. Our company aims to improve the experience of both providers and patients by offering best-in-class cooling technology. Our understanding of cooling is archaic. Uncontrolled cooling like liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide serves their purposes, but CoolHealth wants to redefine cooling and offer better tools to our health care providers who can then ultimately provide a better experience for their patients.
