Cryoneuromodulation (Focused Cold Therapy™) In Enochdhu

Focused Cold Therapy™, generically known as cryoneuromodulation is a brand new non-invasive treatment designed to improve the appearance of fine lines and facial wrinkles using highly pressurised nitrous oxide (commonly known as laughing gas). 

Specifically targeted towards patients who are uncomfortable with the idea of using botulinum toxins to smooth out wrinkles, cryoneuromodulation is essentially a toxin-free way that is being marketed to achieve a wrinkle-free appearance, utilising the power of cold, rather than the power of a neurotoxin. 

Currently, there is only one cryoneuromodulation product being actively marketed for this type of treatment, called Iovera® and made by

 Myoscience Inc, who have patented the therapy and trademarked the concept of Focused Cold Therapy™.

 Although the use of cold therapy in cosmetic treatments is relatively new, cold therapy has been used in general surgery and in general patient care for a number of years. 

Cryoneuromodulation is not a permanent solution to treating wrinkles, as the effects last for about three months, but with repeated procedures in conjunction with other wrinkle treatments, you can expect fewer wrinkles and a smoother complexion in the long-term it is said. 

The therapy has had some clinical success too, although trial data is currently limited. 100% of patients and investigators in two clinical studies reported an improvement in the severity of dynamic facial lines and wrinkles immediately following treatment. 

The treatment is most often used to treat forehead lines as well as the frown lines between the brow, with the cold therapy being focused at the nerves on the forehead that control the muscles responsible for wrinkles and fine lines. The treatment effectively numbs the nerves, sending them into “hibernation” for up to three months.  With the nerves numbed, muscles can relax and wrinkles soften and disappear.

If you are considering cryoneuromodulation, the following information should give you a basic understanding of the procedure. It can’t answer all of your questions, as the outcome of the procedure depends on the individual person and practitioner. Please ask a cosmetic practitioner about anything you don’t understand.

Because Focused Cold Therapy using Iovera is a relatively new procedure, it is still only being targeted to treat a small and specific area of the face.

It can treat fine lines and wrinkles on the forehead and the frown lines between the brows, as the entry points are the nerves close to the temples. You can expect to see a reduction in the severity of vertical and horizontal dynamic lines and wrinkles on the forehead and between the brows immediately after treatment, with the results lasting for up to 3 - 4 months.

There are some people who require more treatment sessions or more applications within a treatment session to fully deactivate their nerves to achieve the desired results, and for a small percentage of people the treatment has been shown not to work at all, the so call non-responders.

Because cryoneuromodulation is minimally invasive, there is no recovery time associated with the procedure.

It is important to follow any post-treatment advice given to you by your practitioner, this may include:

• Clean the treated areas gently in the days following the procedure

• Avoid using heavy makeup or products on the treated areas, particularly if you are experiencing tenderness or redness. 

• If you experience localised pain or swelling which do not disappear within the first few days, you might want to use an anti-inflammatory painkiller such as Ibuprofen to lessen the pain and reduce swelling.

Only fully trained and qualified cosmetic doctors and plastic surgeons can perform a cryoneuromodulation procedure. (Currently nurses are not being trained by Myoscience to deliver treatment with the Iovera device.)

For more information about practitioner training, qualifications and relevant medical organisations please view the information contained within the Legislation section of the Consulting Room.

Focused Cold Therapy™ or cryoneuromodulation is a new, minimally invasive alternative to procedures such as Botox for the treatment of lines and wrinkles on the forehead and between the brows. 

The treatment is in its early stages of use and is not currently widely available in the UK. 

There is also limited clinical data for its cosmetic applications and some clinicians have noted that it may not provide them with the ‘fine tuning’ of an overall aesthetic result which they are able to achieve with the more dose dependent treatment that toxins offer, where they can add a little here and there to ‘shape’ the face and reduce wrinkles.  

More comparative clinical trials need to be performed to ascertain its effectiveness in comparison to neurotoxins, but there is no debate needed on that fact that it does provide an alternative solution for those who simply don’t like the idea of injecting a botulinum toxin into their body. With no chemicals or drugs injected with Focused Cold Therapy™, aside from the local anaesthetic (lidocaine), this may well become an everyday alternative as we go into the future.

It is worth noting that although this treatment is marketed at toxin-free, it is not needle-free as the Iovera® hand piece uses closed tipped needles which are injected into the skin to deliver the cold therapy.