Your shopping cart is currently empty.
“Wow! Why didn’t I think of that?” was a phrase that we heard nearly every time we did a live demonstration using the new CuraCator™ device in The Air-Tite Aesthetics Booth at The Aesthetics Show in July 2022. It’s hard to believe a simple device that safely applies products to the skin following laser resurfacing and microneedling treatments had not already been invented.
The CuraCator™ was designed and developed by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Janine Hopkins. According to Dr. Hopkins, “My idea for the CuraCator™ was born out of necessity to meet the need for a hands-free, needle-free, sterile applicator to use in my medical practice, as well as, a device my patients could use at home when applying wound healing products to their skin.”
There are currently a few different techniques used to apply PRP, exosomes, serums, ointments, and creams after skin procedures. The most common method is dripping expensive products directly onto the skin with an open-ended syringe, which is extremely uncontrolled and wasteful. This approach also increases the risk of splatter into a patient’s eye.
Dr. Hopkins explained, “When I first started incorporating PRP into my treatments, called PRP facials, I was using a technique that’s employed by most clinicians, which is by dripping the product from a needle onto the skin.” However, she quickly felt this wasn’t the best technique.
“This is concerning because these are blood-borne particles and could have risk for HIV or hepatitis transmission if the patient had those underlying infections,” she shared. “To reduce this risk, I removed the needle, and I proceeded to use the syringe to distribute the product but quickly realized that I had no control. The serums were dripping and running down the patient’s face and neck. I realized I was wasting product and that spreading it with my hands could cause contamination.”
Another inefficient current technique is to attach a needle to the syringe in an attempt to control the placement and flow of the product, but this is extremely dangerous. If the patient moves suddenly or the syringe is dropped, the chance of a needle-stick injury to the patient or provider is very likely. The CuraCator™ provides the solution to needle-free and controlled application of these expensive products to skin and other tissues.
Not only does the CuraCator™ solve the problem of dispensing the products, but it also provides the solution to dispersing them evenly and smoothly across the skin. Presently, the practice after the product is applied to the surface of the patient’s skin is to spread it over the treated areas with an unsterile gloved hand. This can lead to contamination or adulteration of the product, increasing the potential for infections of the freshly wounded skin.
The micropores on the applicator can also be used to aspirate into a syringe which eliminates any residual waste in the disc of the applicator. Because the CuraCator™ greatly reduces the waste of expensive products, practitioners have options on what to do with the excess.
“Because we’re not using so much PRP on your face, we can have some leftover to inject into your scalp to help with hair growth,” said Dr. Hopkins. “When we’ve already used it for a PRP facial, we can use what’s left over for a second procedure,” she explained.
Some treatment providers choose to send their patients home with the syringe of extra product and the attached CuraCator™ tip to reapply a few hours after their treatment. When using PRP, others choose to use the remainder for under-eye or scalp injections as a reduced add-on charge to the patient.
Beyond aesthetic procedures, the CuraCator™ can be used after regenerative procedures where skin or other tissue has been compromised, such as burns and chronic wounds. The potential for applications is endless, with many even still undiscovered.
A pre-filled syringe with a CuraCator™ for topical chemotherapy drugs has already been used, which is a brilliant idea to prevent the waste of these pricey drugs and allow patients or caregivers to apply them safely and hands-free.
The CuraCator™ has revolutionized the way products should be applied and has become the new standard of care. It’s a Class 1 FDA-approved medical device accessory manufactured in the US.
CuraCator™ connects to any Luer lock syringe, but experts recommend using it with a 3mL syringe or smaller. The CuraCator™ underwent fluid physics studies and has been proven to allow for the flow of products of differing viscosities, including various liquids, gels, ointments, and creams. The CuraCator™ is a sterile, single-use only applicator individually packaged and sold in boxes of 20.
If you’re not motivated to try the CuraCator™ for yourself, do it for your patients. “The CuraCator technique is not just beneficial for clinicians but improves the patient experience,” advised Dr. Hopkins.
Air-Tite Products is proud to announce that we have added the CuraCator™ to our product line. Click below to place your order for the CuraCator™ to modernize your practice and follow the new standard of care by providing safe, controlled, sterile application of products to skin or other tissue.
