The popularity of cosmetic, body aesthetics procedures is growing at an astronomical pace. Popular procedures include facial micro-shaping, liposuction, breast enhancement, and buttock lifts. They are intended to restore a fresh, youthful appearance. With the growing technology and development of high-tech aesthetic medical devices, such procedures have become safer and more effective. Microcannulas are one such device. They offer an excellent non-surgical treatment that can refine or reshape the body. And hydrophilic coatings for microcannulas have helped to improve their effectiveness and accuracy.
This article is an in-depth guide covering the use of microcannulas in modern cosmetic procedures. We deep dive into how they function. In addition, we discuss the advanced hydrophilic coatings that are helping improve insertion and ensure better navigation of the cannulas.
What is a Microcannula?
A microcannula is an alternative to a medical needle. It is a thin tube with a blunt, rounded tip. They are mostly used in cosmetic procedures to inject dermal fillers. They can also be used to remove fluids from the body. The main benefits of these devices are their added comfort and fewer side effects compared to standard sharp needles.
Related: learn about the benefits of hydrophilic needle coatings.
These devices eliminate the need for more invasive cosmetic procedures. This is why the demand for microcannulas is ever-increasing. They have become the top alternative to conventional hypodermic needles, whose sharp tips increase the risk of bruising and pain for the patient.
The microcannula is very thin and flexible. The blunt tip gently pushes blood vessels and nerves to the side during navigation. This significantly increases the patient’s comfort and reduces blood vessel damage. Even with a single insertion, you can follow multiple paths across the natural architecture of the face with utmost precision.
Types of Aesthetic Microcannulas
The shape and size of microcannulas vary drastically based on the applications they are used for.
Below are the three main types of aesthetic microcannulas used:
- Nasal Microcannulas: These are mainly used for non-surgical rhinoplasty. They have blunt tips with a gently tapered profile. These cannulas can significantly reduce the trauma while injecting fillers into the nose or surrounding areas.
- Lip Microcannulas: These are used in lip augmentation procedures. They are useful when fillers like hyaluronic acid need to be injected with maximum precision. They are shorter and more flexible vs standard microcannulas.
- Body Cannulas: Dermal fillers are mainly injected into the lip, nose, and cheekbone. However, the advancement in body cannulas means that large-scale body contouring is now possible. Patients have procedures to enhance their breasts, buttocks, arms, thighs, etc.. For such treatments, body cannulas are available with increased length and gauge. They are longer and thicker than the microcannulas used for facial micro-shaping.
Role of Surface Treatments on Cannulas Used for Aesthetic Procedures
Surface treatments can be applied to microcannulas. Treatments, such as hydrophilic coatings for microcannulas, are crucial for improving the performance of these devices. For instance, they can help make insertions easier and less painful. They can also enhance maneuverability during cosmetic procedures. In a nutshell, these treatments help make microcannulas both safer and more effective.
There are different surface modification techniques available to enhance the properties of Microcannulas. However, surface coatings are arguably the most effective at enhancing the efficacy of the cannulas used across various treatments.
Common Microannula Surface Coatings
The most common surface coatings used for microcannulas include:
- Silicone (Hydrophobic) Coatings: These are mainly applied on reusable and premium-grade microcannulas. A thin and uniform layer of silicone is applied on the surface of microcannulas. These coatings reduce the friction between the cannula and body tissues during insertion and removal. Such coatings are both durable and biocompatible. Learn more about Hydrophilic vs Hydrophobic coatings.
- Hydrophilic Coatings: Hydrophilic coatings are lubricious, “slippery-when-wet” coatings applied to the microcannulas. When they come in contact with bodily fluids, a thin, highly lubricious layer is formed on the surface of cannulas. They can absorb water from their surroundings, making them slippery and greatly reducing friction. A common example is Hydromer®, Inc.’s advanced hydrophilic medical device coating formulations that are applied to microcannulas when minimum insertion force is critical.
- Antimicrobial Coatings: These coatings are used when reducing the risk of infections is the priority. This includes aesthetic treatments such as PRP (especially in delicate areas like the under-eye region). Antimicrobial, hydrophilic coatings can prevent microbes from sticking to the surface of microcannulas. This significantly reduces the risk of bacterial colonization.
For this article, we focus on the use of hydrophilic coatings. These coatings offer many benefits, which make them useful for these devices. We discuss these benefits in more detail below.
Top 5 Benefits of Hydrophilic Coatings for Microcannulas
1. Better Gliding
Hydrophilic coatings make the surfaces of microcannulas “water-loving.” This allows them to attract and absorb water molecules during the insertion and movement of microcannulas in the body.
When water is absorbed, it forms a thin, highly lubricious layer on the surface of the cannula. This layer significantly reduces friction and allows for smooth navigation through tissues and vessels. As a result, body aesthetic procedures become less invasive and cause little to no trauma to patients. The devices also become more effective and accurate.
2. Improved Patient Comfort
The use of hydrophilic microcannula coatings are the best solution when patient comfort is a priority. These coatings drastically reduce the required force when inserting them into the body. And they make the surface of the microcannula lubricious. In turn, they help them gently glide around blood vessels without harming or cutting them. The same is true for navigation through other parts of the body.
Precision is critical to the success of cosmetic treatments. Without it, the results may not meet the patient’s expectations. The use of hydrophilic coatings for microcannulas help surgeons easily control the movement and direction of these devices.
3. Frictionless Delivery
Hydrophilic coatings can be applied to the inner diameter (ID) of the cannulas. This helps to make the ID of the tubes more lubricious. The coating reduces the resistance during the delivery or extraction of dermal fillers, blood, or medication. Such an optimized passage also promotes the smooth insertion of medical instruments like needles and guidewires through cannulas.
Coating the internal diameter (ID) of the cannulas is a complex task. It may be difficult to find a coating contractor to accomplish this. But at Hydromer, Inc. we can easily get this job done, even for extremely long tubes. We have custom machinery and technology to coat both the outer and internal diameter of cannulas.
4. Enhanced Biocompatibility
Inflammation and infections are two complications commonly seen when external objects (needles, cannulas, etc.) are inserted into the body. That is why our Hydromer® coatings are biocompatible. Our biocompatible, hydrophilic coating formulations drastically reduce complications like tissue abrasion, micro-tears, and protein adsorption during both the insertion and movement of external objects, such as microcannulas.
5. Excellent Tactile Sensitivity
Microcannulas coated with hydrophilic formulations also provide excellent tactile sensitivity. Specifically, they provide surgeons with a better feel and control over the movement of the microcannulas during aesthetic procedures.
Uncoated cannulas do not glide smoothly inside the body. This is due to high friction. Because of this extra resistance, they can produce mechanical noise. On the other hand, cannulas coated with hydrophilic coatings have low friction, meaning they are smooth. Surgeons are better able to feel true tissue resistance as the cannula passes through the different anatomical layers.
Key Takeaway
Microcannulas with advanced hydrophilic coatings have revolutionized body aesthetic procedures. They offer numerous benefits over a conventional dermal needle. These include less patient pain, less recovery downtime, improved navigation, enhanced comfort, and fewer adverse reactions.
Hydromer® Hydrophilic Coatings for Cannulas
Hydromer®, Inc. has 40+ years of experience manufacturing and supplying hydrophilic medical coatings. Our customized formulations and support services are aimed at helping medical device manufacturers achieve their performance goals.
We do not just offer off-the-shelf products. Rather, our hydrophilic coatings can be custom-formulated to meet your specific product requirements.
Hydromer coatings possess the following properties:
- Excellent lubricity (reduced device friction)
- Antimicrobial
- Wettability
- Biocompatibility
- Drug-eluting capabilities
- Low particulate
- Enhanced adhesion
- Thromboresistance to reduce blood clotting
- High durability
- Compatibility with a wide range of medical devices and substrates
In addition, we offer our customers a wide range of support services to aid you in your product development. These range from contract R&D and contract coating services to custom machine building and technology transfer.
Our Capabilities for Coating Microcannulas
As it relates to microcannulas, Hydromer has the technology, equipment, and expertise to apply our coatings to both the inside diameter (ID) and outside diameter (OD) of the tubes. Coating the ID enhances lubricity. This allows for smoother and more efficient passage of materials or instruments through the tubes. We can even coat the ID and OD of extremely long microcannulas, for example when there is a need to induce capillary action. Coating the ID of microcannulas is critical for such applications. However, without the right equipment this is a difficult task.
Contact Our Coatings Team
No matter what stage of the product development process you are in, the experts at Hydromer can help. Contact us to learn more about our medical coatings and contract services.
For quick support or to start your project, contact us.
Phone: +1 704-490-4031
Email: in**@******er.com
