News + Trends

RealSelf: Laser & Energy Report Identifies Key Trends

Demand for fat reduction is at an all-time high, and interest in vaginal rejuvenation continues to surge. These are among key findings of the RealSelf US Laser & Energy Report. First in a new, in-depth series, the report explores consumer interest and patient satisfaction based on the proprietary RealSelf Worth It Ratings and emerging trends within the laser and energy device market.

The report identifies three key trends shaping the laser and energy device market:

• Fat Reduction Interest Hits All-Time High. Fat reduction was the most researched minimally invasive treatment category on RealSelf in 2017, surpassing popular categories like injectable fillers and toxins.
• Interest in Vaginal Rejuvenation Treatments Rising Amid High Consumer Satisfaction. Consumer interest in vaginal rejuvenation treatments increased by 17 percent on RealSelf from 2016 to 2017.
• New Facial Lasers Gain Traction. Facial lasers were the fourth most researched nonsurgical treatment category on RealSelf in 2017.

FDA Approves Dermira's Qbrexza Cloth for Hyperhidrosis

The FDA has approved Qbrexza (glycopyrronium) cloth, an anticholinergic indicated for the topical treatment of primary axillary hyperhidrosis in patients nine years of age and older. The cloth is applied directly to the skin and is designed to block sweat production by inhibiting sweat gland activation.

Approval is based on results from two Phase 3 clinical trials, ATMOS-1 and ATMOS-2, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of Qbrexza in patients with primary axillary hyperhidrosis. Both trials assessed the absolute change from baseline in sweat production (the weight or amount of sweat a patient produced) following treatment with Qbrexza and the proportion of patients who achieved at least a four-point improvement from baseline in their sweating severity, as measured by the Axillary Sweating Daily Diary (ASDD), Dermira's proprietary patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument.

Qbrexza is expected to be available nationwide in pharmacies beginning in October 2018.

Candela Launches Vbeam Prima

Recently FDA-cleared, the Vbeam Prima from Candela offers two wavelengths to effectively treat a broad range of skin conditions including rosacea, spider veins, wrinkles, acne and more. New features of Vbeam Prima's redesigned 595nm PDL system include:

• An additional 1064nm wavelength to treat deep blue veins and minimize the appearance of wrinkles
• Increased maximum fluence and larger spot size
• Contact and spray cooling
• Once-a-day calibration
• Extended dye life.

Candela introduced its new generation Vbeam Prima (left) and Cutera launched its truSculpt iD (right).

truSculpt iD Offers Personalized Body Sculpting

Cutera, Inc. introduced truSculpt iD, which the company describes as the next evolution in body sculpting with unique hands-free capability and the ability to treat a full abdomen in as little as 15 minutes.

Non-surgical truSculpt iD uses monopolar radiofrequency (RF) technology to selectively target fat. Penetrating deep to treat the entire fat layer from skin to muscle, truSculpt iD is clinically proven for permanent fat cell destruction. With real time temperature control working to provide consistent results, studies have shown an average fat reduction of 24 percent, with patients seeing improvements six to 12 weeks following the first treatment.

Next Gen Artas iX System Available

Restoration Robotics, Inc. has launched the ARTAS iX Robotic Hair Restoration System, offering precise, minimally invasive, repeatable harvesting and implantation functionality in one platform.

The ARTAS iX System is equipped with a three-camera stereoscopic vision system with 44-micron resolution and a 7-axis robot. The system delivers unmatched procedural analysis, precision, repeatability, and clinical workflow efficiency for hair restoration. ARTAS iX features a compact, motorized, battery-powered, portable and adjustable procedure chair for increased patient comfort and clinical versatility that can be used ergonomically in multiple aesthetic procedures.

InMode Launches Triton Multi-Wavelength Hair Removal Laser

Recently cleared by the FDA, InMode Ltd.'s Triton is the first and only high power laser to offer simultaneous multi-wavelength hair removal firing, allowing concurrent emissions of Alexandrite, Diode, and Nd:YAG wavelengths.

The company says Triton's simultaneous multi-wavelength allows practitioners to treat a broader range of hair and skin types with a high level of power.

The Triton has two hand pieces:

• Triton Duo Light: Using wavelengths of 755nm/810nm (Alexandrite and Diode) and a simultaneous blend, this handpiece is more effective for light and fine hair as well as skin types I to III but can be optimized for all skin types and hair colors/thicknesses.
• Triton Duo Dark: Using wavelengths of 810nm/1064nm (Diode and Nd:YAG) and a simultaneous blend, this handpiece is used to effectively and safely treat darker skin types with a high peak power.

TAKE 5

miraDry's Keith Sullivan

Last year Sientra, Inc. acquired the miraDry device and brought on aesthetic industry veteran Keith Sullivan as a strategic adviser. Over a year later, Sientra is poised to keep growing the miraDry business. Mr. Sullivan shares insights into the brand's strategy.

The acquisition was a needed jump-start.

Keith Sullivan: The acquisition of miraDry by Sientra has turned out to be an opportunity to really jump-start the product back into the marketplace. After six years, there is little to no competition in the space, and so the opportunity has not diminished at all. There are patients out there who are suffering from excessive sweating who still don't have a solid option to solve their problem until they get introduced to miraDry.

The market potential is huge.

Mr. Sullivan: The previous regime was really targeting about six to nine million people who were diagnosed with hyperhidrosis. Our market research has shown that that market is actually 15 million people. The clinically diagnosed group is significantly larger than originally believed. That's just in the United States. The second group of people who are sweat bothered as it turns out, are about 22 million. So our opportunity is 37.3 million patients who have never received the message that there is a solution to their problem.

There's big opportunity for aesthetic doctors.

Mr. Sullivan: The people who will buy this product and deliver the treatment to these patients are primarily aesthetic doctors—mainly dermatologists and plastic surgeons. What we have found out through our market research is of the 37 million people suffering from being sweat bothered, 86 percent of them have never been to an aesthetic doctor. We found that 66 percent of these people are women who have never been in the aesthetic channel because they're more worried about their sweat than they are about their wrinkles or their skin.

Marketing will focus on younger patients.

Mr. Sullivan: I've been in the aesthetic device industry for over 30 years. Many products then and today are billed to physicians as, “If you buy this, patients are going to flock to your doors.” The reality is that never happens. You actually have to go and make the patients or consumers aware that you have a solution to a problem that they have. And if you do get to the consumer, then they do flock to your door.

We found through the research that the patients who are sweat bothered and are looking for a solution are between the ages of 18 and 44. That's not the normal aesthetic patient. The beauty of that age group is they get most of their information on social media and digitally, so it is, from our standpoint, a cost-effective, efficient way to market to those people. We're asking the accounts to use the tools that we provide them on their website, so that once patients get onto their site and are looking for their solution, they will see before and after photos, videos—they'll get their information easier.

Focus is crucial.

Mr. Sullivan: I am a fan of focusing, and I think that it was successful at CoolSculpting. We didn't add any other products to our bag. We went down the road of what the opportunity was with CoolSculpting itself and there was a long runway there. And I think we have the same thing here. I think we're going to follow a similar path in that we're going to build the awareness of sweat, odor, and hair on a global basis. We're going to try to make the system more valuable to the physicians by adding additional body parts that they're able to treat, such as the back, chest, and groin area.