In Korea, I was the first doctor to learn about Dr. Kobayahi’s acne treatment using insulated micro needles. In 2004, a clinical study was performed at my hospital. We performed RF needle therapy on the nose, an area with the highest sebum production in the face, to assess the efficacy of this method. We found that sebum production decreased by at least half and this was maintained for over a year after treatment. Dr. Kobayashi combined his data with those from my clinical study and presented them at Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Conference of Japan in September, 2006.

 

He also published a paper in Journal of Dermatologic Surgery. The paper provided histological outcomes of destroying sebaceous glands of the face in healthy individuals. Published of his study in a renowned journal helped Dr. Kobayashi’s insulated micro needles gain some recognition in the academia. However, Dr. Kobayashi did not live to see his study get published. The study was published in February 2007 but he passed away a month before, in January.

 

Continuing Dr. Kobayashi’s work

 

Sufficient clinical evidence was reported but the RF needle therapy of acne did not gain much traction in the beginning. This may be due to the developer’s recent passing and the fact that Dr. Kobayashi had in place very strict quality control protocols. In the 1980s, Dr. Kobayashi designed and performed training courses for hair removal treatment. He believed that the users of the device had to receive thorough training before they could operate it properly. The Korean importer of the device once sold the device to a hospital without training, which resulted in poor treatment outcome. Dr. Kobayashi was very upset to hear of this incident and swore to never make any sales without first providing training. Dr. Kobayashi ran Kobayashi acne treatment training center and asked the Gowoonsesang Dermatology Brand to conduct the training in Korea. For this reason, acne treatment became one of the most frequently performed procedures throughout Gowoonsesang Dermatology clinics.

 

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However, the business came to a sudden halt due to the passing of the developer. At the time, two different companies were developing the main frame of the RF needle device and the needles separately. The two companies provided parts to Dr. Kobayashi. After his death, the frame manufacturer closed down and the needle manufacturer was struggling to keep the company open.

 

When I was in Japan to give a talk at the Anti-aging Conference in 2009, the needle manufacturer was waiting to see me at the conference. He said that a nurse at Dr. Kobayashi’s office told him about me. He suggested that we venture into the big acne market together as the RF needles are not being used in hair removal any more. He asked me to be the main user to test the device and give demonstrations. He was confident that he could deliver quality needles which were the central part of Dr. Kobayashi’s treatment.  

 

-To be continued